St. Louis

The Gateway to the West on the Mississippi, with the 192-meter Gateway Arch, Forest Park's free museums, the City Museum, blues and barbecue.

St. Louis lies in eastern Missouri on the Mississippi, just below its confluence with the Missouri River. Founded by French fur traders in 1764, it became the "Gateway to the West" through the Louisiana Purchase and westward expansion, and in 1904 it hosted the World's Fair and the Olympic Games. The city's core divides into three areas: the riverfront downtown, with the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse, Union Station and Busch Stadium; Forest Park to the west, home to the zoo, the Art Museum, the History Museum and the Science Center, most of them free; and South City, with the Missouri Botanical Garden, Tower Grove Park, The Hill and Soulard Market, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Nearby you can visit Cahokia Mounds, a World Heritage Site in Illinois, the Route 66 Chain of Rocks Bridge and Meramec Caverns. The best seasons are April–June and September–October; summers are hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms, and winter brings occasional cold snaps. MetroLink light rail runs from Lambert International Airport to downtown in about 30 minutes; sights are spread out, so driving or taking taxis is recommended. Plan on 2–3 days. Must-tries include toasted ravioli, St. Louis–style ribs, thin-crust pizza and frozen custard. Some neighborhoods are unsafe at night, so avoid walking alone on empty streets after dark.

Top sights

• Gateway Arch – A 192-metre-high stainless steel catenary arch, the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Visitors can ride a capsule tram to the…
• Forest Park – A city park larger than New York's Central Park. It is the former site of the 1904 World's Fair and is home to a zoo and several free museu…
• Saint Louis Zoo – One of the few large zoos in the United States with free admission, featuring an underwater hippo viewing window and the giant aviary left…
• City Museum – A giant climbing playground in a converted shoe factory, built from reclaimed materials into caves, tunnels and a ten-storey slide. Adults…
• Missouri Botanical Garden – The oldest continuously operating botanical garden in the United States, opened in 1859. It is known for its geodesic dome greenhouse and o…
• Old Courthouse – Part of Gateway Arch National Park, the site where the Dred Scott case was heard; the green dome and the arch make a classic photo combinat…
• Saint Louis Art Museum – A free art museum on Art Hill in Forest Park, with collections ranging from ancient Egypt and European masters to German Expressionism.
• Missouri History Museum – A free history museum on the north side of Forest Park, telling the story of the 1904 World's Fair, the city's history and Lindbergh's tran…
• Saint Louis Science Center – A large science museum with free general admission; the T. rex model, the planetarium and the glass skybridge over the highway are the high…
• Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis – A Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral holding one of the world's largest mosaic collections; the golden dome and the interior are breathtaking.
• Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral) – The oldest Catholic church west of the Mississippi, completed in 1834 and right beside the Gateway Arch; it photographs beautifully togethe…
• Anheuser-Busch Brewery – The Budweiser brewery complex, a National Historic Landmark, where you can see the Clydesdale stables and brewhouses and taste the beer.
• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site – The largest pre-Columbian urban site in North America and a World Heritage Site; you can climb the 30-metre Monks Mound for a view of the a…
• Grant's Farm – A former estate of the Busch family, now a zoo-style park where you can ride a little train past deer and get close to Budweiser Clydesdale…
• St. Louis Union Station – A Romanesque Revival railway station built in 1894, now a hotel and entertainment complex with an aquarium, a Ferris wheel and a light show…
• Busch Stadium – Home of the St. Louis Cardinals; the upper outfield seats give views of the Gateway Arch, and Ballpark Village next door has fan bars and a…
• The Hill – A century-old Italian immigrant neighbourhood whose fire hydrants are painted in Italian flag colours; it is the birthplace of St. Louis to…
• Soulard Farmers Market – The oldest market west of the Mississippi, operating continuously since 1779; it is busiest on Saturday mornings and surrounded by historic…
• Delmar Loop – A trendy district beside the university, home to the Blueberry Hill bar where Chuck Berry performed, the St. Louis Walk of Fame and vintage…
• Laclede's Landing – A cobblestoned old warehouse district north of the arch, where 19th-century red-brick buildings house bars and restaurants and the nightlif…
• Citygarden – A free sculpture park about two city blocks in size in the downtown core, with more than twenty contemporary sculptures and fountain plazas…
• National Blues Museum – Tells the story of blues music from the Mississippi Delta to the city, and interactive exhibits let you record your own blues track.
• Lafayette Square – A neighbourhood of Victorian houses surrounding the oldest park west of the Mississippi, with colourful townhouses and wrought-iron fences…
• Tower Grove Park – A Victorian park donated by Henry Shaw, dotted with more than ten brightly painted pavilions in Chinese, Turkish and other styles; a farmer…
• Jewel Box – An Art Deco glass greenhouse in Forest Park, completed in 1936, with seasonal flower shows and a reflecting pool and fountain outside.
• Old Chain of Rocks Bridge – The old Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi, with a distinctive 22-degree bend midway; it is now a pedestrian and cycling bridge.
• Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site – White Haven, the estate of the family of President Grant's wife, with a green-sided farmhouse and a museum telling the story of the Civil W…
• Ted Drewes Frozen Custard – A longtime frozen custard stand on Route 66 whose signature 'concrete' is so thick it won't fall out when turned upside down; a must for St…
• Mid America Adventure (formerly Six Flags St. Louis) – A large roller coaster park that opened in 1971 and changed hands from Six Flags in 2026 and was renamed; a good summer day trip for famili…
• Meramec Caverns – The best-known cave along Route 66, said to have been a hideout of the outlaw Jesse James; the cave ends with a light show at the 'Stage Cu…

Where to eat

• Pappy's Smokehouse – A highly popular Midtown BBQ joint whose signature dry-rubbed ribs, slow-smoked over apple and cherry wood, are a St. L…
• Balkan Treat Box – A food-truck-turned-brick-and-mortar Balkan eatery, helmed by Chef Loryn Nalic, winner of the 2026 James Beard Award fo…
• Vicia – A vegetable-forward fine dining restaurant in the Central West End, celebrated for its wood-fired vegetables and region…
• Anthonino's Taverna – A family-friendly Italian-Greek restaurant in The Hill neighborhood, famous for its award-winning handmade toasted ravi…
• Gioia's Deli – A century-old deli in The Hill, established in 1918, famous for its hot salami sandwich which earned a James Beard Amer…
• Crown Candy Kitchen – An Old North St. Louis landmark since 1913, famous for its massive BLT sandwich loaded with 14 strips of bacon and its…

Itineraries

• Route 66: Chicago to St. Louis – Start from the iconic sign in Chicago, passing through Pontiac and Lincoln's hometown to reach the Mississippi River.
• Great River Road: Twin Cities to St. Louis – Follow the Mississippi River south through blufftop towns, historic Galena, and Mark Twain's hometown.
• Missouri Triangle: Gateway Arch, Ozarks & Jazz – Travel from St. Louis through the Lake of the Ozarks and Branson to the jazz and BBQ of Kansas City.