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Indianapolis

Travel Guide North America USA Midwestern United States Indiana Indianapolis

Introduction

Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana and the state capital. It home to several great sights and has good nightlife. The city has a little over 800,000 inhabitants, though the total metropolitan area has over twice as many people within its area.

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Sights and Activities

Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest one in the world! Activities rang from Dinosaurs to creating your own dreams. There are also activities for adults, which include changing art exhibits. Address: 3000 N. Meridian St, Phone: (317) 3322.
Indianapolis Zoo is a great zoo located just south and west of downtown. It also features an aquarium with dolphins and an amazing botanical garden. The zoo is open year round and is a lot of fun for the whole family. Address: 1200 West Washington Street, Phone: (317) 630-2001.

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Events and Festivals

The Indianpolis 500, usually called the Indy 500, is one of the most important auto races held every year in the USA. If your planning to attend this event make sure to have tickets and a hotel room far in advance.

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Weather

Indianapolis has a humid continental climate. Summers from June to September see average highs of 26 °C to 29 °C with nights mostly between 15 °C and 19 °C. Winters from December to early March have highs of 2-4 °C with nights well below zero. The alltime highs are 41 °C and -33 °C! Precipitation averages a little over 1,000 mm a year with most of it falling from April to August, though there is not a particular wet or dry season; winters are just somewhat drier and snow is possible from late October to early April, though mostly falls from December to February with 6 to 9 inches a month (16 to 23 centimetres).

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Getting There

By Plane

Indianapolis International Airport (ND) is about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from the central business district of Indianapolis. It has a range of flight with destinations including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cancun, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Saint Louis, Tampa, Toronto and Washington, D.C..

To/from the airport
Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) operates the Green Line Downtown/Airport Express daily from 5:00am to 9:00pm. From 5:00am to 9:00am and noon to 9pm the service runs every 15 minutes. From 9:00am to noon the service runs every 20 minutes. The express service costs US$7 per passenger. The boarding/debarking point is located at the the Ground Transportation Center, which is found on level 1 of the parking garage. IndyGo Route 8 bus also connects the airport with downtown Indianapolis. Unlike the Green Line Express, Route 8 bus is a slower & cheaper bus route that makes frequent stops along Washington St. The fare for Route 8 is currently US$1.75 for single ride.
At the Ground Transportation Center there are also services like taxis, limousines, car rental facilities and shuttles.

By Train

The Cardinal/Hoosier State, operated by Amtrak, travels between New York and Chicago, also stopping in Washington DC, Cincinatti and Indianapolis.

By Bus

Greyhound has buses throughout the US.

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Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) serves the city and surroundings.

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Sleep

Budget

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
The Indy Hostel	4903 Winthrop Ave.	Hostel	86
Americas Best Value Inn	3740 N. Highschool Rd	Hotel	-
Motel 6 Indianapolis South	5151 Elmwood Avenue I-465 at South Emerson Avenue, Exit #52 Indianapolis,	HOTEL	-

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Learn

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Keep Connected

Phone

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are hundreds of big and small post offices in Indianapolis. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.

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