St. Louis Downtown Trolley offers cheap travel around Washington Ave. entertainment district, SND STL opening reception & other downtown attractions

St. Louis Downtown Trolley (Photo by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Suburban Journals)

After you get settled St. Louis for SND STL, there’s a quick, easy and cheap way to get around all the downtown attractions: The Downtown Trolley. You’ll be able to pick this bus out from the standard MetroLink buses because it’s wrapped in a colorful yellow-orange-and pink design (pictured above) like an old-time trolley from Judy Garland’s  Trolley Song in the famous musical, “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

For $2 adults get an unlimited day pass to travel anywhere on the route as long as they’d like from 7 a.m. to midnight (even earlier on weekdays). This offers be a cheap and quick way to travel around downtown, including door-to-door service  to the SND STL opening reception at The City Museum (the 9-block walk to the City Museum is also a beautiful and comfortable one past many of the restaurants, bars and entertainment in the area near the hotel though, so if the weather’s good, don’t pass up the chance to learn the lay of the land), as well as check out other attractions including the Gateway Arch, City Garden, Busch Stadium, Scottrade Center and more. The Trolley also connects with several stops on Metrolink’s bus and light rail routes that can take you all over the city for cheap.

Download a PDF of the St. Louis Downtown trolly route info or view it below:

Check out more valuable information about SND STL and St. Louis:

• Get the details about plane, train, bus and car transportation to, in and around St. Louis
• Learn more about the SND STL opening reception at The City Museum
• Find out about some more local St. Louis attractions

Megabus also offers cheap transport to SND STL

Along with Greyhound, Amtrak and other transportation options offered by the newly revamped Gateway Transportation Center, Megabus is an inexpensive transportation option for travelers to get to St. Louis with most trips under $30 (some are even allegedly available for $1!) from many major Midwest and East Coast hubs, including Chicago, Columbia, MO and all the way to New York City. Their double-decker buses are also equipped with free wifi, which makes the ride feel much shorter.

Megabus arrives and leaves from St. Louis’ Union Station, located at 20th and Market Street in Downtown St. Louis. (about 1.2 miles from the Renaissance St. Louis Hotel) so it’s a quick, cheap and easy option to get in and out of St. Louis.

Parking in St. Louis

A parking meter in front of Harry's Restaurant & Bar, 2144 Market St. Post-Dispatch archives

If you park on the street, make sure you feed the meters from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Street parking in downtown St. Louis is free on Saturdays and Sundays.

St. Louis also has several public parking lots.

View this Public parking in St. Louis map in a larger map

About Gateway Transportation Center

Amtrak trains prepare to leave Gateway Transportation center in downtown St. Louis. J.B. Forbes // Post-Dispatch archives

Gateway Transportation Center  //  430 S. 15th St., St. Louis

The Gateway Center serves Amtrak, MetroLink, MetroBus, Greyhound buses and taxis.

Three Amtrak lines run through the Gateway Transportation Center daily.
• Missouri River Runner: Kansas City to St. Louis
• Lincoln Service: Chicago to St. Louis
• Texas Eagle: Chicago to St. Louis to Dallas to San Antonio

Each line makes other stops along the way; check with Amtrak to find the departure station closest to you.

Greyhound also has several routes that stop in St. Louis

The Renaissance Grand Hotel is about 1.5 miles from the Gateway Center. Take MetroLink’s Red Line or Blue Line east to the Convention Center Station ($2.25 one-way) at Sixth Street and Washington Avenue. The Renaissance Grand Hotel is at Eighth Street and Washington Avenue — walk two blocks west and cross the street to get to the hotel.

View this Gateway Transportation Center map in a larger map

About MetroLink

A MetroLink Red Line train waits for passengers at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in St. Louis. Post-Dispatch archives

MetroLink is St. Louis’ public light rail transit system. There are two lines: The Red Line and the Blue Line. In all, MetroLink has 37 stations and stretches 46 miles. The Red Line connects Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and downtown St. Louis before continuing to Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, Ill.

At Lambert-St. Louis International Airport’s main terminal, MetroLink passenger pick-up is at Exit Door 1 on the upper level, east of the American Airlines Credit Union. At Lambert’s east terminal, passenger pick-up is south of the terminal, accessible through the parking garage on all levels. Both terminals have signs to help get you to the right spot.

MetroLink tickets can be purchased at vending machines at the entrance to any station and must be validated before boarding the train. (Tickets bought at the airport stations are validated upon purchase.) A two-hour pass from Lambert is $3.75; fare for the return trip will be $2.25.

From the airport, board the MetroLink Red Line (only the Red Line goes to the airport — you can’t get on the wrong train) to the Convention Center Station; the trip will take about 30 minutes. The Convention Center Station is at Sixth Street and Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis; the Renaissance Grand Hotel is at Eighth Street and Washington Avenue — walk two blocks west and cross the street to get to the hotel.

View this MetroLink map in a larger map

MetroLink and MetroBus make many other stops in St. Louis when you’re ready to explore the city.