The city, then the bridge
Before you board in St. Louis
On a St. Louis cruise you sleep in Missouri, and Viking has berthed across the river at Alton, Illinois, with bags trucked over from the hotel. Confirm the berth on your itinerary.
- Alton, Illinoiswhere Viking has berthed for its St. Louis sailings
- Freethe museum under the Gateway Arch; the tram has started at $15 for adults
- 2 daysViking gives St. Louis on the Odyssey (days 13 and 14)
- 9 am–5 pmthe Old Courthouse, daily
- BerthAlton, Illinois, across the river
- AirportSTL; no published time or fare
- All-aboardYour line confirms the time
- Nights beforeOne, two to see the Arch
- Best forThe Arch, Forest Park, the Botanical Garden
In short
St. Louis in thirty seconds
Viking labels the turnaround St. Louis (Alton) because the ship has berthed in Alton, Illinois. Confirm the berth on your own itinerary before you plan the morning.
In a 2022 on-board report, guests stayed at a St. Louis hotel and their bags were trucked across the river to the ship. Ask Viking how guests make the last leg now.
St. Louis is where Viking's lower and upper river meet: Big Easy to the Gateway City ends here, and Heartland of America starts here.
Give the city a day, or two if you can. The Arch takes an afternoon; Forest Park and the Botanical Garden fill a second day.
The berths
St. Louis on the label, Alton on the ship
Both lines put St. Louis on the itinerary and Alton, Illinois, in the plan.
Plan the hotel in St. Louis, as Viking's 2022 guests did at the Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza, and expect the ship to be a short transfer across the river. Viking doesn't name the hotel on its itinerary pages, so confirm it in your documents.
St. Louis on the Mississippi. Open the St. Louis card on the river map for the lines, the season and nearby calls.
Getting there
From STL to the hotel
Neither the airport nor the lines publish a time or fare for the run to downtown or to Alton. With Viking Air the transfer is covered; without it, settle the price before you ride.
Fly into
St. Louis Lambert International Airport STL
No distance, time or fare to downtown or to Alton is published, so confirm how your line handles the last leg.
- Line transfer
- Taxi
A pre-booked car
If you've booked your own flights, a pre-booked car to the hotel is the calm option. No taxi, MetroLink or ride-hail fare is published, so agree the price first.
Side by side
- Line transferWith the lineTime—Cost—Viking Air buyers
- TaxiA pre-booked carTime—Cost—Guests on their own flights
What the lines say about transfers
- VikingGround transfers with a Viking Air purchase; luggage was trucked from the hotel to the ship in a 2022 report.
The day before
A day in St. Louis before Alton
The Arch is the anchor. The other five are optional. Where a price appears, it is what Viking charged for the excursion in 2022.
The night-before planner
How many nights before you board?
Where are you coming from?
And for St. Louis itself?
- 01
Gateway Arch National Park
The museum under the Arch is free. Tram tickets to the top have started at $15 for adults, including a $3 park entrance fee; confirm the current price. The visitor center and museum run 9 am to 6 pm in spring, fall and winter, and until 8 pm Friday and Saturday in summer. The last tram leaves an hour before closing.
Source 1 Source 2 - 02
- 03
Missouri Botanical Garden
Viking has included a Missouri Botanical Garden tour in its St. Louis stay. Check hours and admission with the garden if you go on your own.
Source - 04
- 05
Anheuser-Busch or the National Blues Museum
Viking offered the brewery tour at $89 and the blues museum at $99 in 2022.
Source - 06
Dinner on The Hill
Viking's 2022 list included Favazza's Dinner on The Hill at $189 as an evening excursion.
Source
Extra days, booked ahead
Things to do in St. Louis
A spare day here is usually an Arch day. Viator tours cover the rest of the city.
Viator is an affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Your line’s included excursions stay with the line. Disclosure.
Where to stay
Where to sleep before the ship
Our St. Louis hotel hub has three. The Ritz-Carlton is the luxury benchmark, and the Chase Park Plaza is the one Viking has used.
Downtown and the Arch riverfront
Gateway Arch National Park and the Old Courthouse are here, and Forbes describes the Four Seasons as near the Arch.
Forest Park
Viking's Odyssey spends day 14 on the park, and the Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza, where Viking's 2022 guests stayed, is the hotel here.
Clayton
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis stands in Clayton, Missouri, a drive from the Arch.
All three St. Louis pre-cruise hotels
Hotel links go to Booking.com; Seabound Journeys may earn a commission at no cost to you. Affiliate disclosure. Prefer us to book the nights with the cruise? Say so in your brief.
The lines
Who starts a cruise in St. Louis
Boards at Alton (for St. Louis)
Lines with published itineraries that start or end here. Names that are linked open our review.
Calls here mid-cruise
When
Viking's Heartland of America dates are listed for 24 August and 7 September 2027 and 25 July 2028, and ACL calls the upper river best from summer through early fall. Arch hours extend in summer, with 8 pm closings on Friday and Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Your checklist
Sorted before boarding day
0 of 5 done
Why trust this page
The Seabound standard
Sources, read at the source
Every fare, berth and timetable here was checked on October 22, 2026, at the line, port or hotel wherever they publish it. Where they don’t, we name the source we used, or say nothing is published.
Paid placements
No line or hotel pays to appear here or to rank higher. Affiliate links are labelled, and they never decide what we recommend.
Advisors, not a booking engine
A Seabound Journeys advisor reads your brief, compares the lines for your dates and answers you personally. CLIA-affiliated, Florida Seller of Travel ST15578.
Have us plan it
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- Usually the same fare as booking direct, and our advice costs you nothing.
- We compare the lines sailing from St. Louis for your dates, side by side.
- Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.
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Quick answers
St. Louis river cruise questions
Why does my Viking cruise say Alton, not St. Louis?
Because Viking has berthed at Alton, Illinois, and labels it 'St. Louis (Alton)'. In a 2022 on-board report, guests stayed at a St. Louis hotel and their bags were trucked across the river to the ship.
How long do I need in St. Louis?
Viking's Odyssey gives two full days, one on the Arch and one on Forest Park. The Arch museum is free and the tram has started at $15, so one afternoon covers the highlights. Forest Park and the Botanical Garden fill a second day.
Can I book the Arch tram ahead?
Yes, and the National Park Service says summer tickets often sell out and recommends advance reservations. The last tram leaves one hour before closing.
Does St. Louis work as an embarkation city?
For Viking, yes, with Alton as the berth: it starts Heartland of America to St. Paul and ends Big Easy to the Gateway City. ACL's 23-day cruise lists St. Louis on day 14, and ACL signed a five-year agreement to call at Alton.
Which hotel did Viking use?
The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza, according to a 2022 on-board report. Your own hotel will be named in your Viking documents.
How we checked this page 9 sources
Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 22, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
- Travel Agent Central: On site, Viking Mississippi from St. Louis to Hannibal
- KSDK: Alton is new port of call for American Cruise Lines
- Viking: Mississippi River Odyssey (Australia site)
- Viking: Mississippi itineraries and fares
- ACL: Complete Mississippi River Cruise
- Gateway Arch National Park: pricing
- NPS: Gateway Arch operating hours
- Forbes Travel Guide: St. Louis
- cruiseweb.com: Viking Heartland of America from St. Louis (Alton)