St Louis to Pittsburgh road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance
The best road trip stops on the St Louis to Pittsburgh drive are Indianapolis, Dayton OH and Columbus OH. The distance from St Louis to Pittsburgh by car is 605 miles, with a 9h4m driving time.
Planning a St Louis to Pittsburgh road trip itinerary
The St Louis to Pittsburgh drive connects the Mississippi River in Missouri to eastern Pennsylvania.
St Louis is one of America’s great crossroads cities. The major landmark is the 630ft-tall Gateway Arch, which visitors can go to the top of. Other top attractions include the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden and Busch Stadium.
Good St Louis experiences include highlight-packed trolley tours, true crime walking tours and small group tours that include going to the top of the St Louis Arch and a Mississippi River cruise.
For St Louis accommodation with personality, try the Last Hotel or the Pennywell.
Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania is a monstrously underrated city, with a series of stellar attractions. Get great views from the top of the Duquesne Incline, enjoy the globally-themed rooms at the unmissable Cathedral of Learning and become immersed in pop art at the Warhol Museum.
You can explore Pittsburgh with a hop-on, hop-off bus pass. Pittsburgh experiences include bike tours full of stories, guided whiskey-themed walks and craft beer sampling on a multi-brewery tour.
For Pittsburgh hotels with great reviews, try the Italian villa-style Priory Hotel or the often good value Drury Plaza Hotel Pittsburgh Downtown.
St Louis to Pittsburgh distance and driving time
By car, the distance from St Louis to Pittsburgh is 605 miles. That makes for a driving time of around nine hours and four minutes.
The best stops to add to a St Louis to Pittsburgh road trip itinerary are Indianapolis, Dayton OH and Columbus OH.
For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual legs of the journey.
- St Louis to Indianapolis drive.
- Indianapolis to Dayton drive.
- Dayton to Columbus drive.
- Columbus to Pittsburgh drive.
St Louis to Pittsburgh road trip attractions: Indianapolis
The capital of Indiana marries big city energy with country charm.
Top attractions in Indianapolis include the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Worthwhile Indianapolis experiences include a Fountain Square food tour and a walking tour around the city’s highlights.
St Louis to Pittsburgh drive: Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio, isn’t a massive city, but it has more than played its part in history. It was here that Orville and Wilbur Wright created the first plane capable of manned, sustained flight. The original Wright Cycle Company Shop that still stands is not where the Wright Flyer was made – that was a future incarnation of the company HQ – but it was home to their bicycle business.
In Dayton, you can also visit the SunWatch Indian Village, a recreated Native American village, and the National Museum of the US Air Force.
Best stops between St Louis and Pittsburgh: Columbus, Ohio
In Columbus, a three day attractions pass covers most of the top sights. These include the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. For other Columbus experiences, try scavenger hunts, a town tour aboard the Trolley Pub and the Legoland Discovery Center.
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