Indianapolis travel guide
Indianapolis Tourism | Indianapolis Guide
You're Going to Love Indianapolis
With a population of 829,718, Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana, United States by the number of inhabitants. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. Indianapolis deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.
Activities & attractions in Indianapolis
Food, Drinks, & Nightlife
Tours
Where to Eat in Indianapolis
Downtown is the neighborhood with the most restaurants in Indianapolis. These include popular favorites such as Vida (601 East New York Street), Salt on Mass (505 Mass Avenue) and Iozzo's Garden of Italy (946 S. Meridian Street). If you’re looking for affordable options, Iaria's Italian Restaurant (317 S College Ave) and Hedge Row American Bistro (350 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 150) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Commission Row (110 S Delaware Street) and Market Table - The Alexander (333 South Delaware Street) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Indianapolis.
Most popular restaurants in Indianapolis
When to visit Indianapolis
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Indianapolis in July, when the average temperature is 75.2 °F, and the highest can go up to 84.2 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 21.2 °F, with an average temperature of 28.4 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in May, when precipitation is around 5.1″. In contrast, February is usually the driest month of the year in Indianapolis, with an average rainfall of 2.3″.
How to Get to Indianapolis
Plane
When flying to Indianapolis, you’ll arrive at Indianapolis Airport (IND), which is located 8 miles from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to Indianapolis include Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines. The shortest domestic flight to Indianapolis departs from Orlando and takes around 2h 27m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Indianapolis. The train journey from Indianapolis to Washington, D.C. takes 18h 16m and costs around $132 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Baltimore, expect to pay about $165 for a 19h 46m trip. The train station in Indianapolis is called Indianapolis, and is located 0.5 miles from the city center.
Car
Another option to get to Indianapolis is to pick up a car rental from Chicago, which is about 165 miles from Indianapolis. You’ll find branches of Routes Car & Truck Rentals and Kyte, among others, in Chicago.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Indianapolis, including Amtrak, FlixBus and Busbud. From Louisville, the bus ride to Indianapolis takes 120 miles and will cost you around $76. From Chicago, the ticket costs about $36 for a journey of 180 miles. The most popular bus station is Indianapolis Washington St Bus Stopestates, located 3 miles from downtown Indianapolis. Indianapolis E Washington St, Delaware St & N Alabama St is also a commonly used station, and is 0.2 miles from the city center.
Airlines serving Indianapolis
Where to stay in Indianapolis
Average rates range from around $220 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $548 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Fairfield Inn by Marriott Indianapolis South and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Indianapolis - East. There are also lots of vacation rental options in Indianapolis, with prices from $54 to $268 per night. Downtown is the neighborhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, vacation rentals in Indianapolis are about 72% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
Where to stay in popular areas of Indianapolis
Most booked hotels in Indianapolis
Renting a car in Indianapolis
Renting a car in Indianapolis costs $65 per day, on average, or $131 if you want to rent if for 2 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Dollar are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Indianapolis is the Dollar branch at 7801 Col H Weir Cook Mem Dr, which is 8 miles from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 7% cheaper than airport locations in Indianapolis.
Expect to pay $3.90 per gallon in Indianapolis (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $46.79 and $62.38. The most frequently booked car type in Indianapolis is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Luxury rental cars (Lexus ES or similar) are, on average, 64% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.
Best car rental deals in Indianapolis
Intermediate
5 Adults, 3 Bags
$31/day
Compact
4 Adults, 2 Bags
$33/day