MO · Metro pop. 2.8M
Where the rails converge. Four Lincoln Service departures a day from Chicago, and the Arch waiting at the other end.
A postcard from the city
The Art Museum on its Forest Park hill, a plate of sticky ribs in Soulard, a red-brick storefront in a historic block, a downtown street in autumn light — St. Louis reveals itself in neighborhoods, not as a single downtown skyline.
Rails Midwest · City Guide
St. Louis sits on the Mississippi just downstream of its confluence with the Missouri — a geographical intersection that shaped its role as a major nineteenth-century rail hub. The 1894 Union Station no longer handles Amtrak trains (Amtrak left it in 1978 and has used the nearby Gateway Transportation Center since 2008) but the restored Grand Hall remains one of the most spectacular public rooms in the country and is worth a visit on its own. The city's eclectic neighborhoods — from the bohemian energy of Cherokee Street to the Italian heritage of The Hill — reward slow exploration, and the Gateway Arch dominates the skyline not just architecturally but philosophically: a monument to westward movement, to the spirit of transit itself.
Orient yourself
Where the train gets in and where the planes land — tap a pin.
Getting here & around
Flying in from abroad, connecting from elsewhere in the US, arriving by Amtrak — and then getting around once you’re here, without renting anything.
St. Louis Lambert (STL) is the direct entry — 2 European direct routes plus major US domestic service. No need to route through Chicago.
STL has two direct European links: Lufthansa to Frankfurt and, in summer, British Airways to London Heathrow — together they put both Star Alliance and oneworld networks one stop away from the Arch.
Frankfurt → STL
FRALufthansa
Up to 5× weekly in summer (check winter schedule) — Running since June 2022; five days a week in summer 2026. Winter frequency varies, so confirm the current schedule when booking.
Search fares on Kiwi.com →
London → STL
LHRBritish Airways
Seasonal summer, ~4× weekly (approx. Apr–late Oct) — Launched April 2026 as a seasonal summer route — the only nonstop between the UK and Missouri. It doesn't run in winter, so check BA's schedule close to booking.
Search fares on Kiwi.com →
Airport to train station
MetroLink Red Line runs from both STL terminals directly to downtown and to the stop beside Gateway Transportation Center (Amtrak) in ~35 minutes.
Amtrak's Texas Eagle, Lincoln Service, and Missouri River Runner all serve St. Louis at the modern Gateway Transportation Center downtown (not the 1894 Union Station, which the trains left in 1978 and is now a hotel and entertainment complex; the Gateway center opened in 2008). Four trains a day to Chicago (about 5 hours), two a day to Kansas City (about 5h 40m), and the Texas Eagle runs through to Little Rock, Dallas, and San Antonio.
Connecting on Amtrak: The Lincoln Service feeds in from Chicago (4 daily, about 5 hours), the Missouri River Runner runs west to Kansas City via Hermann (twice daily), and the Texas Eagle calls at STL on its Chicago → San Antonio run. All deliver to Gateway Transportation Center downtown.
Lincoln Service
From Chicago
5h · 4 daily departures
MetroLink light rail runs two lines (Red and Blue) through downtown, and Gateway Transportation Center has its own MetroLink stop alongside — so your Amtrak train and the light rail share a doorstep. The Red Line carries on out to Lambert airport, which is why arriving by air and leaving by rail needs no car at either end. MetroBus fills in everywhere the two lines don't.
Near Gateway Transportation Center
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LandmarkAbout 1 hour
The museum under the Arch is free; the tram capsules up are ticketed and sell out. About a 20-minute walk from Gateway station — allow time for security.
Details at gatewayarch.com→
ArchitectureHalf day
A ten-story former shoe warehouse rebuilt by artists into a building you climb through. It closes some weekdays — check the calendar. About a 17-minute walk from the station.
Details at citymuseum.org→
Outdoors2–3 hours
One of the oldest botanical gardens in the country, open daily. About 4 miles southwest of downtown — a rideshare or bus ride from the station.
Details at missouribotanicalgarden.org→Rail stop · about 1 h 35 m west by Missouri River Runner
Hermann was founded in 1837 by German settlers who wanted to preserve their culture in the New World. They planted vineyards on the slopes above the Missouri River and built a town that still reads like a Rhineland village translated into Missouri bluffs.
Stone Hill Winery — founded in 1847 — runs cellar tours and tastings in vaulted brick tunnels beneath the hilltop. The Missouri River curves just below. There's not much else happening here, which is most of the point.
The Missouri River Runner stops twice daily in each direction. One night works well: arrive on the morning or afternoon train from St. Louis, walk up to Stone Hill, eat dinner on Market Street, and take an eastbound train back the next day (check amtrak.com for times).
Take the train here
Questions travelers ask
Gateway Transportation Center, downtown — not the historic Union Station, which the trains left in 1978 and is now a hotel. The Lincoln Service, Missouri River Runner and Texas Eagle all stop there.
About five hours on the Lincoln Service, which runs four times a day in each direction.
MetroLink light rail stops beside the Amtrak station, and its Red Line runs to Lambert airport. MetroBus covers the rest of the city.
Fly direct into St. Louis Lambert (STL) — 2 nonstop European routes, plus extensive non-stop US domestic service — or connect through Chicago O'Hare (ORD) if your preferred carrier isn't available on the direct service. See the "Fly direct to St. Louis" block for the current carriers and schedules.