With British Airways flying direct from Heathrow again in 2027, St. Louis is easier to reach than it has been in years – so here’s how to make two days in the Gateway to the West count.
Yes, St. Louis is back on the direct-flight map. From March, British Airways returns its direct service from London Heathrow, putting St. Louis a single hop away for British travellers.
Step off the plane, and you’ll find a city with a serious musical pedigree, a food scene that goes well beyond its famous ribs, and more free attractions than any US city outside Washington, DC.
The zoo, the art museum and the museum beneath the Gateway Arch all cost nothing to enter, which leaves more of the budget for barbecue, beer and gig tickets. Here’s how to fill 48 hours.
Day one: Soaring icons and classic treats
Morning: ‘Donuts’ and the Gateway Arch
No trip to the Midwest is complete without ‘donuts’ for breakfast, so start as you mean to go on at Donut Drive-In. This Route 66 stop stakes a claim to the best doughnuts on the whole of the Mother Road, making it the perfect place to learn your French cruller from your glazed twist.
Suitably sugared up, head to the riverfront and the Gateway Arch. At 630ft it’s the tallest man-made monument in the US, and you can go up inside it. A tram carries visitors all the way to the summit.
You fold yourself into a compact five-seat pod for the four-minute ride, then look out through slim windows across downtown to the west and over the Mississippi into Illinois to the east. Tram tickets sell out regularly, so book before you fly.
Afterwards, walk down to the water and board the Tom Sawyer, a replica 19th-century paddle steamer. Its one-hour sightseeing cruise is narrated by National Park Service captains, who explain how the Mississippi shaped the country and still drives the local economy. By the time you’re back on dry land, lunch will be calling.
Lunch: Crown Candy Kitchen
Answer the call at Crown Candy Kitchen, which has been serving St. Louis since 1913 and has barely changed since. The striped awning, wooden booths and soda fountain are all still in place. Order the Heart-Stopping BLT with a chocolate malt, then pick your afternoon.
City Museum and the Busch Stadium each deserve an unhurried visit, so choose one rather than rushing both.
Afternoon: City Museum or Busch Stadium
Energy to burn? Then make it the City Museum. Sculptor Bob Cassilly and a crew of artisans turned a vast former shoe warehouse into a climbable adventure built from salvaged pieces of the city, and grown-ups are just as welcome to scramble through it as children.
Expect underground tunnels, an aeroplane suspended in mid-air and a slide that plunges ten storeys. The gift shop stocks knee pads, which tells you all you need to know.
Sports lovers should head to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Holding a treasured spot in baseball history, the stadium has played host to countless iconic moments from the sport’s history. Either secure a game ticket to experience the game-day magic, or book a tour to explore areas of the ballpark that may not be regularly accessible.
It’s also home to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, which boasts one of the largest team-specific collections of artefacts and memorabilia in baseball. Explore the team’s legendary past across seven interactive galleries, where you can walk through the franchise’s history from its grassroots beginnings to unforgettable moments.
Evening: Soulard
Spend the evening in Soulard, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in St. Louis, where streets of red-brick row houses hide bars with courtyards and pavement tables. At one end sits the Anheuser-Busch brewery, whose tours finish in the biergarten with a beer on the house.
When dinner comes round, Stew’s Food and Liquor is known for craft cocktails and Asian-inspired dishes – based right in the heart of the historic district.
Then find a band, whether at Hammerstone’s, a snug bar in the neighbourhood, or at Broadway Oyster Bar and Old Rock House just south of downtown, which host live funk, soul, country and rock throughout the week.
Day two: T-ravs and rare orchids
Morning: Forest Park
Start day two in Forest Park, which, at approximately 1,300 acres, is 500 acres larger than New York’s Central Park, and where most of what’s on offer is free.
You won’t cover it all in one morning, so choose between the Saint Louis Zoo, open year-round and regarded as a leader in conservation and research; the Saint Louis Art Museum, which houses one of the country’s leading collections; and the Missouri History Museum, which tells the city’s story from its founding in 1764 through the 1904 World’s Fair.
If you’d rather stay outdoors, there are more than 30 miles of trails to walk, and from spring to autumn you can hire a paddle boat or kayak at the Boathouse. Whichever you pick, you’ll work up an appetite.
Lunch: The Hill
Arrest that appetite on The Hill. Italian immigrants settled the neighbourhood in the 19th century, and it remains the place to eat toasted ravioli, the beef-filled, deep-fried pasta locals call t-ravs.
The dish is said to have been born in the 1950s when a cook accidentally dropped ravioli into a fryer, and Charlie Gitto’s serves what it bills as the original.
Afterwards, stock up at Marconi Mercato, an Italian market and cafe, or settle in for a game of ‘bocce’, Italy’s answer to pétanque.
If your trip falls on a weekend, Square One Brewery & Distillery in Lafayette Square makes a good alternative, serving brunch until early afternoon. It sits in a restored historic building, has one of the best patios in town and claims to have invented pumpkin beer.
Afternoon: Missouri Botanical Garden or a game
The Missouri Botanical Garden is both a peaceful retreat and a working centre of plant science, with around 27,000 varieties to discover. Time your visit well, and you might catch the Orchid Show in late winter or the Japanese Festival in early September.
Hockey fans, meanwhile, should check the fixtures. St. Louis was once named the ‘Ultimate Sports City’ by ESPN The Magazine, and it’s easy to see why. In winter, the St. Louis Blues, 2019 Stanley Cup winners, take to the ice at Enterprise Center, where the concession stands serve local flavours from Sugarfire Smoke House, Steve’s Hot Dogs, Chicken Out and Ices Plain & Fancy.
Evening: BBQ and the Delmar Loop
Whichever you choose, save some space for dinner tonight, because no visit is complete without proper barbecue. Local tradition leans towards meat that is grilled and then sauced, with pork steaks a St. Louis speciality, but Pappy’s Smokehouse in Midtown goes the Memphis route with dry-rubbed, slow-smoked ribs that the Food Network once named the best in America. Or maybe stop by Salt + Smoke for some BBQ, bourbon, or beer.
Wash it down at Urban Chestnut’s biergarten, also in Midtown, which is a good place to sample the city’s craft beer. Schlafly’s downtown Tap Room is another reliable stop.
Finish on the Delmar Loop, one of the liveliest streets in St. Louis, where independent shops, restaurants and music venues line Delmar Boulevard and you can dig for vinyl or bowl in a retro alley. Brass stars in the pavement honour St. Louis names including Tina Turner and Maya Angelou, and neon signs glow once the sun goes down.
Blueberry Hill is the landmark here: Chuck Berry played its Duck Room for 209 months in a row. Further along Delmar Boulevard, The Pageant and Delmar Hall bring in national touring acts, so check what’s on before you arrive.
If you’ve somehow kept room for dessert, call in at Fitz’s before the show for a root beer float made with soda from its own retro bottling line, which you can watch in action.
Beyond the city
With more time, St. Louis makes a natural starting point for a bigger trip.
Route 66 runs straight through it and celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Start at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, the Mother Road’s original crossing of the Mississippi, now open only to people on foot. The mile-long bridge bends by 22 degrees halfway across, and in winter you may spot bald eagles from it.
Before leaving town, stop at Ted Drewes, a frozen custard stand on the original route, whose ‘concretes’ are so thick they are handed over upside down.
Then head west to Route 66 State Park, where the visitor centre occupies a former roadhouse filled with road signs and vintage photographs. Further along, the famous Meramec Caverns is the oldest tourist attraction on Route 66, with glistening stalactites and stalagmites in a cave that stays a cool 16C year-round.
Missouri’s wine country and Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal are also both within easy reach for day trips. Or cross into Illinois for the Great River Road, which winds north of Alton between the Mississippi and soaring limestone bluffs.
Look out for the Piasa Bird, a creature from Native American legend painted on the cliffs, then stretch your legs in Pere Marquette State Park or browse for antiques in Alton and Grafton.