The distance from Detroit to St Louis by car is 529 miles, with an 8h driving time. The best road trip stops on the Detroit to St Louis drive are Toledo OH, Indianapolis and Casey IL.
Planning a Detroit to St Louis road trip itinerary
The Detroit to St Louis drive connects the biggest city in Michigan and the Gateway to the West in Missouri.
5 great Detroit experiences to book
- 🏛️ Discover why Detroit is America’s most architecturally underrated city on a specialist architecture walking tour.
- 🍔 On a downtown Detroit food tour, taste Motor City’s specialities.
- 🚁 See the Detroit skyline – and Canada – from above on a helicopter ride.
- 🍸 Take a Detroit bar tour – and learn the city’s history while hopping between bars.
- 👻 Encounter murder and mystery on a Detroit ghost tour.
Detroit has a rich motors and Motown history, plus massively underrated architecture – the Guardian building is one of the all-time great Art Deco buildings. The Michigan Science Center, Detroit Institute of Arts and Detroit Historical Museum cover science, art and heritage, while the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is the birthplace of the Model T Ford.
Top things to do in Detroit include the excellent architecture walking tours, the Sealife Michigan Aquarium and the Legoland Discovery Centre. For a quick escape, however, head to Belle Isle in the Detroit River, where you’ll find the Belle Isle Aquarium and Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
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 Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, plus the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Old Courthouse in the city.
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.
5 great St Louis experiences to book
- 🌆 Take a small group tour of the Gateway Arch – including tickets to the top.
- 🚢 Combine a visit to the Gateway Arch with a river cruise.
- 📸 At the Museum of Illusions, get reels of cool social media photos.
- 👻 Discover the dark side of St Louis on an evening ghost tour.
- 🍽️ On a food and history walking tour, learn about the flavours and stories of St Louis.
Detroit to St Louis distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Detroit to St Louis is 529 miles. That makes for a driving time of around eight hours. The quickest route is via the I-79, US-24, I-69 and I-70.
The best stops to add to a Detroit to St Louis road trip itinerary are Toledo OH, Indianapolis and Casey IL.
Best stops between Detroit and St Louis: Toledo OH
The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, really embraces the scale and scope of its subject. The aim is to show how the Great Lakes have shaped America’s cultural, economic and political history, covering everything from the Underground Railroad to Prohibition-era rum-runners.
The highlight of the visit is the Col. James M. Schoonmaker, once an iron ore freighter plying its trade on the lakes, now a museum ship.
Other Toledo experiences include Toledo Zoo.
Detroit to St Louis drive: 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.
Indianapolis to St Louis road trip attractions: Casey, Illinois
Casey, Illinois, is possibly the silliest town in the US. It has decided that its niche is going to be making Big Things, and displaying them by the side of the road. That means you can see the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, the World’s Largest Pitchfork, the World’s Largest Golf Tee and several other record-breakers.
Not all are officially the biggest on the planet, but you can also see the Big Rocking Horse, the Big Taco and the Big Anvil.
More Detroit and St Louis road trips
- Getting to Detroit: What to see on the Cleveland to Detroit drive, Columbus to Detroit drive, Philadelphia to Detroit drive and Pittsburgh to Detroit drive.
- Road trips from Detroit: The best stops on the Detroit to Indianapolis drive.
- Getting to St Louis: The best stops on the Indianapolis to St Louis drive.
- Road trips from St Louis: The best stops on the St Louis to Cleveland drive, St Louis to Columbus drive, St Louis to Philadelphia drive and St Louis to Pittsburgh drive.
