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Explore St. Louis: Arch, Forest Park & City Museum

Explore St. Louis: Arch, Forest Park & City Museum: free sample chapter

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Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. Hours, fares, closures and event dates are the facts most likely to be stale. Each is stamped with the day we checked it and the page we checked. If a fact has no stamp, treat it as "typically" and open the named official page. Where a page would not open for us, we say so.

Cover block

Promise: see the Arch, Forest Park, City Museum and Cahokia in four days, with most of the headline sights costing nothing.
Trip length: 4 days (add a 5th for a slower Day 4).
Best months: April-May and September-October. Summer works if you book the tram early.
Budget band: low. Roughly $15-$19 for the tram, $20 for City Museum, a $5 day pass per transit day, plus whatever you pay for lodging and food.
Best for: first-time visitors, families, museum fans, travelers who like points-funded flights and cheap days on the ground.

At a glance

Base: downtown for Day 1 and 3, Central West End or a Forest Park-adjacent area for Day 2.
Airport: STL has two terminals; MetroLink runs downtown. Terminal 1 station closes temporarily from October 12 with a free terminal shuttle (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Free (stamped above): Arch museum, Old Courthouse, Art Museum, Zoo, Cahokia grounds; Citygarden is free as far as we know but unverified — check the city's page.
Paid: Arch tram (from $15 adult (checked Oct 10, 2026)), City Museum (from $20 (checked Oct 10, 2026)), brewery tour (category), Day 4 tastings.
Day 4 needs a car: Hermann wine country or Ozark parks.
Big closure to remember: Art Museum is closed on Mondays.