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Where to stay in St. Louis

St. Louis spreads west from the Mississippi, and its best areas are linked by the MetroLink light rail. Stay Downtown for the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, City Museum and Union Station; in the Central West End for leafy streets, restaurants and the free museums and zoo of Forest Park; or around the Delmar Loop and Clayton for music venues, Washington University and a quieter stay. MetroLink runs from the airport to all three.

Find your area, then your hotel

Tap one of our picks, or any area, to see its hotels on the map, what it costs, where we'd book and how long it takes to get around.

In short: our pick for each kind of trip. Tap one to see why.

Should you stay in

Downtown?

The Arch, Busch Stadium & City Museum

What a night costs

Budget
$210
Mid-range
$265
Luxury
$410

The dearest of the 3 areas, about $70 a night more than Central West End.

Where we'd book

The verdict

The centre of St. Louis by the Mississippi, with the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village, City Museum, Union Station and the convention centre.

  • Stay here if
  • First-time visitors
  • Baseball and hockey fans
  • Families
  • Look elsewhere if
  • You want lively streets every night
  • You want neighbourhood character
  • You want leafy, quiet streets

Minutes to the sights

  • Busch Stadium10 minwalk
  • Gateway Arch16 minwalk
  • City Museum19 minwalk
  • St. Louis Union Station19 minwalk
  • Missouri History Museum25 min
  • Anheuser-Busch Brewery26 min

Stations and airports

0 min to Gateway Arch. MetroLink's Red and Blue Lines cross downtown, with trains to the airport, Union Station, the Central West End, Forest Park and the Delmar Loop.

  • From St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)bus, train53 min
Read the full Downtown guide →

Typical rates for a double outside peak events, not live prices. Updated Oct 2026 · How we rate areas · Minutes planned with the Transitous (MOTIS on published GTFS timetables and OpenStreetMap) for a weekday, including walking and waiting · Booking through our links costs you nothing extra and may earn us a commission. Learn more

St. Louis questions

What is the best area to stay in St. Louis for first-timers?

Downtown puts the big sights within easy reach and is 0 minutes from Gateway Arch. Central West End are good alternatives.

Which area of St. Louis has the cheapest hotels?

Central West End and Delmar Loop & Clayton, with budget hotels from around $150 and mid-range around $195–$220 a night.

Where is the best nightlife in St. Louis?

Delmar Loop & Clayton has the most bars, restaurants and late nights.

Is it worth staying outside central St. Louis?

It can save around $45 a night on a mid-range room compared with Downtown, but adds travel time. Delmar Loop & Clayton is 25 minutes from Gateway Arch.