Museum District

The Museum District is located just south of downtown Houston, in close proximity to The Medical Center and Rice University. The area is approximately 1.5 square miles and includes many world-class museums. On this page you'll find:

  • METRO transit services you can ride to the Museum District
  • How to ride METRO, including route maps
  • Different payment methods you can use to ride
  • Answers to common questions
  • Rider tools, including our trip planner
The 65 Bissonnet METRO bus traveling past the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Transit Services

The Museum District is most easily accessed from the METRORail Red Line. If you're not near the Red Line, you may need to use one or more of the services listed below. Click or tap on any of the tabs for a brief overview of the service and how it can get you to your destination.


METRO local bus and METRORail at an intersection.

The Red Line travels along Main Street through downtown Houston, providing access to the Museum District at the Museum District station along the southern half of the line.

The Green Line travels through downtown Houston, the Theater District, EaDo (East Downtown) and the Second Ward.

The Purple Line travels through downtown Houston, the Theater District and the Third Ward (southeast of downtown).

If you're coming from areas along the Green or Purple Line and need to get to the Museum District, you can transfer to the Red Line in downtown Houston and ride it southbound. You'll be onboard for approximately 14 minutes.

All METRORail vehicles are ADA accessible and come equipped with video surveillance security cameras.

Learn More

METRO 82 Westheimer bus riding along a surface street,

There are various METRO bus routes that stop within walking distance of the following museums:

  • Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston
  • The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
  • Children's Museum Houston
  • The Health Museum
  • Houston Museum of Natural Science

A detailed list of routes and where they stop is shown in the Ride METRO section below. Transfers to the routes shown are available at many city street intersections. Transfers are also available at select METRO transit centers which are sheltered waiting areas typically found at the beginning and/or end of a bus route.

All METRO buses are ADA accessible, offer free Wi-Fi and come equipped with video surveillance security cameras.

Customer boarding METRO curb2curb shuttle.

METRO curb2curb is an on-demand, shared-ride service that provides customized curb-to-curb transportation within specific zones including the Hiram Clarke neighborhood.

You can board the 314 Hiram Clarke - curb2curb at predefined anchor points within the zone or book a ride ahead of time so the vehicle can pick you up at the location of your choice. You can then ride to the Hiram Clarke Transit Center and board the 11 Almeda / Lyons local bus. From there, it's about a 35-40 minute ride to the Museum District.

    All vehicles are ADA accessible, offer free Wi-Fi and come equipped with video surveillance security cameras..

    METRO paratransit representative assisting customer using METROLift vehicle's electric lift

    METROLift provides curb to curb transportation for people with disabilities who meet certain eligibility requirements. Service is provided with ADA accessible vans and minivans that accommodate persons using wheelchairs, scooters and walkers. Boarding chairs are available to assist any patron unable to access the van using the stairs. All vehicles offer free Wi-Fi.

    If you're a current METROLift customer, you can schedule, verify and pay for your trip the same way you would for other trips.

    Ride METRO

    You'll find METRORail lines and local bus routes to the Museum District in the tabs below. You can click or tap on any METRORail line and local bus route to see a map of stops and transfer options. Your closest stop is dependent on which museum(s) you're visiting.


    Route NameServiceFrequency*Station
    Red LineMETRORailEvery 6-12 min.
    Museum District Station

    *The frequency listed is approximate and may vary.

    Route NameServiceFrequency*Nearest Stop
    5 SouthmoreLocal BusEvery 40-45 min.Binz Street @ Crawford Street (northbound)
    Binz Street @ Crawford Street (southbound)
    11 Almeda / LyonsLocal BusEvery 30 min.Almeda Road @ Binz Street (northbound)
    Almeda Road @ Binz Street (southbound)
    56 Airline / MontroseLocal BusEvery 20-30 min.Montrose Boulevard @ Bissonnet Street (northbound)
    Montrose Boulevard @ Bissonnet Street (southbound)
    65 BissonnetLocal BusEvery 15-30 min.Bissonnet Street @ Montrose Boulevard (eastbound)
    Main Street @ Bissonnet Street (westbound)

    *All frequencies listed are approximate and may vary.

    Fares

    Below are fares to ride.


    ServiceRegular Fare
    Discounted Fare*
    METRORail
    $1.25 to board60 cents to board
    Local Bus
    $1.25 to board60 cents to board
    METRO curb2curb
    $1.25 to board60 cents to board

    *Discounted fares apply to students, seniors 65-69, or people with disabilities who aren't METROLift customers that already have a pre-approved discounted fare card.

    The following individuals ride free on all services:

    • Children five years or younger ride free when accompanied by an adult
    • Seniors 70 years or older who have a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card
    • Qualified veterans who have a METRO Veterans Pass
    • METROLift customers (with up to one assistant)

    Ways to Pay

    You can pay your fare using a variety of methods shown below, and some of them include free transfers. Click or tap on each of the options below to learn more. 


    METRO Fare Cards
    METRO Fare Cards Learn more
    METRO Q Mobile Ticket
    METRO Q Mobile Ticket Learn more
    METRO Single Ride Ticket
    Vending Machine Ticket Learn more
    A dollar bill with a quarter sitting next to it
    Cash (Bus Only) Learn more
    METRO Money
    METRO Money Learn more

    Common Questions

    Fares

    You can obtain a METRO Q® Fare Card, METRO Day Pass or METRO Money Card at any of the following:

    You have the option of loading money on your card when you first obtain it. Reload options vary by fare card and location.

    Additional payment options to ride METRO can be obtained through other sources.

    More details can be found on the All About Fares page.

    First, you’ll need an internet connection.

    Download the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing App and set up an account. Then, mobile tickets may be purchased in one of two ways:

    If you’ve purchased one or more mobile tickets that you haven’t used, they’ll be listed under Available in the Use section of the app. From there, you can activate a ticket.

    Once activated, your ticket is valid for up to three hours.

    If you pay your fare using a METRO Q® Fare Card, METRO Q Mobile Ticket, METRO Day Pass or METRO Money card, you’re entitled to free transfers between any of these METRO services for up to three hours in any direction:

    • Local bus
    • METRORail
    • METRORapid
    • METRO curb2curb

    Only regular fare mobile tickets are available for purchase.

    Trip Planning

    Local bus and METRO curb2curb:

    A route selector is accessible directly on the website home page, linking you directly to a page for the route of your choice.

    At the top of each individual route page, you’ll find:

    • Frequency of service on weekdays and weekends
    • Stop-by-stop schedule
    • Link to view PDF schedule which you can then download and/or print

    METRORail:

    Frequency of service, a stop-by-stop schedule, a PDF schedule and a linear route map for each METRORail line are found on the METRORail page.

    METRORapid:

    Frequency of service, a stop-by-stop schedule, a PDF schedule and a linear route map for the METRORapid Silver line is found on the METRORapid page.

    On the METRO website, there’s a route map on:

    • Each individual bus route page
    • METRORail page
    • METRORapid page
    • Each individual METRO curb2curb route page

    You can also use the website's Interactive System Map (best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer). In the map, you can check a box next to any METRO bus route or rail line and the map will draw a line showing where it runs.

    If you’d prefer a physical map, we include a map image in the printed brochure for each individual bus route or rail line. Brochures are available for free at all METRO RideStore locations:

    • Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
    • Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort St.
    • Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
    • Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road

    Trip planning tools are available on:

    • Various pages of the website, including in the Rider Tools section below
    • RideMETRO app for your smartphone
    • Google or Apple maps

    Prior to Arrival

    METRO local buses make stops at the following locations

    • Along city streets, at intersections where you see a METRO bus stop sign and/or bus shelter
    • At select Park & Ride lots around the region
    • At more than 20 transit centers around the region

    All METRO buses have large, bright destination signs on the front of the bus above the windshield and along the passenger’s side, near the front door. These digital displays include the route number and destination.

    We encourage you to do your part to keep yourself and those around you safe throughout your entire trip on a METRO bus. Learn more about rider safety.

    METRORail trains make stops at rail station platforms along city streets in and around downtown Houston. You can also board a METRORail train at the following transit centers:

    • Burnett (Red Line)
    • Downtown (Red Line)
    • Fannin South (Red Line)
    • Magnolia Park (Green Line)
    • Northline (Red Line)
    • Palm Center (Purple Line)
    • Texas Medical Center (Red Line)

    All METRORail trains have large, bright destination signs on the front of the train above the windshield and along the side of the train as it pulls into the station.

    Red Line trains would say one of the following:

    • Northline TC
    • Fannin South

    Green Line trains would say one of the following:

    • Magnolia Park
    • Theater District

    Purple Line trains would say one of the following:

    • Palm Center TC
    • Theater District

    We encourage you to be safe, be seen around trains and stay alert throughout your entire trip on METRORail. Learn more about rider safety.

    Estimated arrival times can be found on:

    • METRO website home page (“Track Bus or Train” tab)
    • ONE to Ride app for your smartphone
    • Google or Apple maps
    • Digital signs installed at select METRO bus stop locations and transit centers
    • Automated phone line by dialing 713-635-4000

    If you know your stop number (it's posted on the bus stop sign at every bus stop location), you can text that stop number to 697433. We'll text you back the estimated arrival time of the next bus for all routes that stop at your location.

    Travel Tips

    To help make the journey pleasant and safe for everybody, METRO has developed a Code of Conduct for riders.

    For example, smoking is prohibited in covered or enclosed facilities, including transit centers, bus stop shelters and platforms. And consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on METRO property.

    Please review the full METRO Code of Conduct.

    METRO accepts six payment options:

    • Cash (bus only)
    • METRO Q® Fare Card
    • METRO Q Mobile Ticket
    • METRO Day Pass
    • METRO Money
    • Vending machine tickets (METRORail and METRORapid only)

    Our experienced riders tell us that the most convenient way to pay is by using the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing app, available by downloading the app for your smartphone.

    When you first open the app, you’ll need to create a secure, password-protected account. That will allow you to purchase and activate mobile tickets. The tickets are valid for two years from the date of purchase.

    When traveling by local bus or METRORail we recommend the following:

    • Plan your route ahead of time
    • Download the RideMETRO app to view your route, track your bus or train, see schedules and more
    • Be aware of the last bus and train times and allow yourself enough time to get to your station/stop

      Rider Tools

      Below are some tools to make your METRO riding experience easier and more convenient so you can drive less and do more.

      Plan Your Trip

      Travel Preference

      System Map

      Explore METRO transit services near you

      Questions and Answers

      Valuable information to help you ride

      Savings Calculator

      Compare your cost of driving vs. what it would cost to ride METRO - and see how much money you'd save each month.

      link to the Apple app store to download the RideMETRO app

      RideMETRO App

      Plan and manage your trip on METRO Local bus, Park & Ride bus, METRORail or METRORapid using an interactive map.

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