Travel to Des Moines

Every way to reach Des Moines: 3 modes compared, with fares.

Des Moines is reachable from 56 places across 1 country by 3 modes, on services run by 17 operators. The cheapest arrival costs €15.58 and the fastest takes 2h 56m door to door. The nearest origin is 169 km away.

Checked 3 October 2026Priced for 3 October 2026One passenger, all fees included

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Catchment
Terminals
Prices
Routes
Questions

Arriving

How people reach Des Moines

Every mode that actually calls at Des Moines, with the cheapest fare and the fastest journey on each.

One row per mode that actually calls here. Reach is the furthest origin that mode serves in a straight line.
Mode	Origins	From	Fastest	Reach	Operators
Train	30	€41.59	2h 56m	497 km	1
Coach	36	€15.58	3h 37m	1,010 km	1
Flight	48	€47.93	4h 5m	2,476 km	15

56Places you can arrive from
56Places you can leave for
1Countries
17Operators

The journey ends at Des Moines Union Station. Everything past the barriers belongs to somebody else, the rooms included.

Looking for somewhere to stay in Des Moines?

Hotels and flats near the centre, most of them with free cancellation, on a map that shows what is walkable.

Search Des Moines on Booking.com Or compare on Expedia

Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.

Catchment

How far people travel to get here

Every origin we sell, grouped by how far it is in a straight line.

Straight line distance from each origin we sell, not the distance the route runs.
Distance	Routes	Share	Nearest of them
Under 200 km	4	4%	Cedar Rapids, 169 km
200 to 600 km	51	45%	Davenport, 252 km
600 to 1,500 km	36	32%	Grand Rapids, 670 km
Over 1,500 km	23	20%	Philadelphia, 1561 km

Origins

Which countries you can arrive from

Countries with at least one route into Des Moines that we sell.

Counted by route, so a country with several cities on the corridor counts once per route rather than once per city.
Country	Routes	Share
United States	114	100%

Terminals

Stations, airports and ports in Des Moines

The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.

Des Moines

Rail

Des Moines Union Station
East Des Moines Union Depot
Des Moines Western Railway Freight House

Coach

DART Central Station
Dart Ride Share

Air

Fares

The cheapest journeys into Des Moines

Priced from the same engine that answers the search box, on the next three weeks of departures.

Cheapest fare and fastest journey into Des Moines, over the next three weeks.
Route	From	Fastest	Distance
Cedar Rapids to Des Moines bus	€15.58	3h 37m	169 km
Omaha to Des Moines bus	€17.23	4h 16m	198 km
Chicago to Des Moines bus	€26.03	7h 17m	495 km
Sioux Falls to Des Moines bus	€27.13	6h 3m	334 km
Saint Paul to Des Moines bus	€29.88	6h 59m	374 km
Madison to Des Moines bus	€30.43	6h 54m	383 km
Rockford to Des Moines bus	€30.43	7h 17m	381 km
Naperville to Des Moines bus	€32.08	7h 46m	454 km
Joliet to Des Moines bus	€33.73	8h 6m	460 km
Milwaukee to Des Moines bus	€37.58	7h 25m	495 km
Davenport to Des Moines train	€41.59	2h 56m	252 km
Cicero to Des Moines train	€45.99	5h 10m	487 km
Detroit to Des Moines bus	€46.38	12h 12m	877 km
Grand Rapids to Des Moines bus	€46.38	7h 14m	670 km
Independence to Des Moines train	€46.54	3h 2m	287 km
East Independence to Des Moines train	€46.54	3h 12m	286 km

A day in Des Moines carrying a suitcase is a shorter day than it needs to be. We do not store bags.

Somewhere to leave the bags in Des Moines?

Most of the points near Des Moines Union Station open before the first train and shut after the last one.

Check Des Moines on Stasher Or try Bounce

Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.

Common questions about Travel to Des Moines

How can I get to Des Moines?

Des Moines is reachable by 3 modes on our network, from 56 places, across 1 countries, on services run by 17 operators. The table on this page compares those modes on the cheapest fare, the fastest journey, how far each reaches and how many carriers run it.

What is the cheapest way to get to Des Moines?

The cheapest way into Des Moines is by Coach, from €15.58 for one passenger. That is the lowest fare across all 56 origins we sell into Des Moines over the next three weeks, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee.

What is the fastest way to get to Des Moines?

The fastest journey into Des Moines is by Train, at 2h 56m door to door. The nearest origin we sell is 169 km away in a straight line, which is why a short fast journey exists at all on this list.

Which stations and airports does Des Moines have?

Des Moines has 6 named terminals on our network, including 3 rail stations and 1 airports. Among them are Des Moines Union Station, East Des Moines Union Depot, Des Moines Western Railway Freight House. Every journey time on this page allows for reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.

Where can I travel to Des Moines from within 200 km?

4 of the routes we sell into Des Moines start within 200 km. The nearest is Cedar Rapids, 169 km away in a straight line. Short corridors like these are usually the ones where a train or coach beats a flight door to door.

Where else can I go from Des Moines in United States?

Des Moines connects to 56 places on our network across 1 countries, the furthest of them 2,476 km away in a straight line. United States routes are listed on this page, and the country pages carry the rest of the network around it.

Where these numbers come from

Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modelled number pass for a filed one.

Defined in full at Catchment, Fares, Door to door, Distances