Missouri · United States
Where to stay in St. Louis
St. Louis is a city in Missouri, United States, home to about 302,000 people.
- Best months
- September and October
- Nearest airport
- STL20 km · St. Louis Lambert International Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
- Language
- Carolinian, Chamorro, Hawaiian
About
About St. Louis
St. Louis (officially the City of St. Louis) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers.
The city is named after King Louis IX of France, but it's usually pronounced "Saint Lewis", instead of "Saint Louie". St. Louis is known by the nickname of The Gateway to the West. The city was the last major stop before pioneers journeyed westward to the Pacific coast. The city also played a large part during the steamboat era due to its position at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St. Louis was acquired from France by the United States during President Thomas Jefferson's term in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in St. Louis
See
Obviously, the Gateway Arch is a must-see attraction; even if you can't handle the ride to the top, you should at least gaze upward and ponder the arch's majesty. But St. Louis has plenty else to see, too, and several of the attractions offer free admission. (That doesn't mean parking is free, or that you can do everything within the attraction without extra charges... but still: free!)
- Anheuser-Busch Brewery
- Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
- Citygarden
- City Museum
- Contemporary Art Museum
- National Museum of Transportation
- Forest Park
- Missouri History Museum
- Saint Louis Art Museum
- Saint Louis Science Center
- Saint Louis Zoo
- Gateway Arch National Park
Do
- America's Convention Center
- World Chess Hall of Fame
- The Central West End
- Laclede's Landing
- Soulard Market
- The Delmar Loop
- Lafayette Square and Park
- South Grand and Tower Grove Park
- Hi-Pointe Theater
- Arkadin Cinema & Bar
- Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration
- The Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of St. Louis to stay in
St. Louis does have the host of usual Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn and similar chains. Check out chain websites for exact locations throughout the metropolitan region. One great thing about the city is an abundance of hotel rooms, convention and meeting space, and amenities for travelers. Since the city has a low cost of living, even for the Midwest, you might find even the most expensive hotels relatively affordable; rooms at even the Ritz-Carlton start in the mid $200s per night. In addition to the following listings, which are in St. Louis city, see St. Louis County for more listings.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in St. Louis
42 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel | 1917 | 0.8 km |
| Southern Hotel | 1881 | 0.9 km |
| St. Nicholas Hotel | 0.7 km | |
| Barnum's St. Louis Hotel | 1854 | 1.2 km |
| Buckingham Hotel | 5.9 km | |
| Chase Park Plaza Hotel | 1922 | 5.9 km |
| Coral Court Motel | 1942 | 13.2 km |
| Lindell Hotel | 1863 | 1.0 km |
| Majestic Hotel | 1914 | 0.4 km |
| Mayfair Hotel | 0.8 km | |
| Millennium Hotel St. Louis | 1968 | 1.0 km |
| Robert E. Lee Hotel | 0.8 km | |
| Bel Air Motel | 5.6 km | |
| Broadview Hotel | 3.4 km | |
| Forest Park Hotel | 5.7 km | |
| Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts | 1.5 km | |
| Hotel Jefferson | 0.7 km | |
| Lennox Hotel | 0.8 km | |
| Maryland Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| National Hotel | 1.0 km | |
| The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis | 11.7 km | |
| Angad Arts Hotel | 3.1 km | |
| City Club Building | 0.5 km | |
| Fairgrounds Hotel | 4.2 km | |
| Fleur-De-Lys Mansion | 3.7 km | |
| Hampton Inn & Suites - Saint Louis South Interstate 55 | 20.7 km | |
| Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark | 0.8 km | |
| Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch | 1.0 km | |
| Hilton St. Louis Frontenac | 18.0 km | |
| Hotel Saint Louis, Autograph Collection | 0.7 km | |
| Hyatt Regency Saint Louis at The Arch | 1.0 km | |
| Le Méridien St. Louis Clayton | 12.1 km | |
| Lindell Hotel | 1874 | 1.0 km |
| Magnolia Hotel St. Louis, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel | 0.8 km | |
| Moonrise Hotel | 9.0 km | |
| OYO Hotel St. Louis Downtown City Center MO OYO Rooms | 0.3 km | |
| St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton Curio Collection by Hilton | 0.8 km | |
| Stork Inn | 6.9 km | |
| The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis | 6.0 km | |
| The Cheshire | 9.4 km |
All 42 hotels in St. Louis, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit St. Louis
The most comfortable months for a city stay in St. Louis are September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; May is the wettest, with about 118 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to St. Louis: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line; Scott AFB/Midamerica Airport (BLV, 33 km) and Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (MWA, 142 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
If you have time to spare when departing or arriving by train, take a seat at the Grand Hall at the nearby historic Union Station, now turned into a hotel and shopping arcade, to relive past glory of rail travel. St. Louis Union Station was also the site where President elect Truman was photographed holding the Chicago Daily Tribune with the erroneous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman". The bus terminal, which is served by Greyhound and Megabus, is at 430 S 15th St, next to the train station.
Getting around
MetroLink, +1 314-231-2345 – A light rail system that runs to many of the metropolitan area's most popular destinations. There are two branches on the Missouri side of the river—the Red Line begins at Lambert–St. Louis International Airport, while the Blue Line begins in the suburb of Shrewsbury. The lines merge at the edge of Forest Park, and travel through downtown and into Illinois. MetroLink stops at the Delmar Loop, Grand Center arts district, Forest Park, the Central West End, Downtown St. Louis, and Downtown Clayton, among other places.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
STL · St. Louis Lambert International Airport
BLV · Scott AFB/Midamerica Airport
MWA · Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in St. Louis
Eat
St. Louis has its very own magazine and accompanying website, Sauce, which is the definitive guide to dining in St. Louis. Visit for a searchable restaurant directory, news, and reviews.
Drink
Most tourists will be familiar with St. Louis' world famous Anheuser-Busch brewery, especially its signature variety Budweiser, or their best-seller Bud Light. However, unless you are accustomed to American style pilsners, it is unlikely you will find these and other Anheuser-Busch brands suit your palate. For those more familiar with European brews or who have been caught up in the domestic craft brewery explosion interested in sampling a local brewery's product, the Saint Louis Brewery's Schlafly craft brews are more likely to satisfy. Schlfaly is the largest craft brewery in St. Louis but not the only one.
Stay safe
St. Louis' designation as the "most dangerous city in America" should not deter the potential visitor. In reality St. Louis is just as safe as any other Midwestern city—that is to say, extremely safe in suburbs and wealthy neighborhoods, and quite dangerous in inner-city slums. The statistical discrepancy is because, unlike most cities, St Louis' municipal boundaries include mostly slums and very few suburb-like areas. The areas of the city proper that are most often visited by tourists, such as Downtown, the Central West End, and Forest Park, have quite low crime rates.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
St. Louis: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit St. Louis?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in St. Louis are September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; May is the wettest, with about 118 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to St. Louis?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line; Scott AFB/Midamerica Airport (BLV, 33 km) and Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (MWA, 142 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in St. Louis?
United States dollar (USD).
Nearby
Destinations near St. Louis
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.