Memphis travel guide
Memphis Tourism | Memphis Guide
You're Going to Love Memphis
With a population of 646 889, Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee, United States by the number of inhabitants. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. Memphis deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.
Where to Eat in Memphis
Downtown is the neighbourhood with the most restaurants in Memphis. These include popular favourites such as The Gray Canary (301 S Front St), Chez Philippe - The Peabody Memphis (149 Union Ave) and Itta Bena (145 Beale Street). If you’re looking for affordable options, Restaurant Iris (2146 Monroe Avenue) and The Majestic Grille (145 South Main Street) are great picks.
When to visit Memphis
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Memphis in July, when the average temperature is 28 °C, and the highest can go up to 33 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 0 °C, with an average temperature of 5 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in April, when precipitation is around 139 mm. In contrast, October is usually the driest month of the year in Memphis, with an average rainfall of 81 mm.
How to Get to Memphis
Plane
When flying to Memphis, you’ll arrive at Memphis Airport (MEM), which is located 13 km from the city centre. The shortest flight to Memphis from Australia departs from Melbourne and takes around 39h 26m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Memphis. The train journey from Memphis to New Orleans takes 8h 35m and costs around $86 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Chicago, expect to pay about $135 for a 10h 22m trip. The train station in Memphis is called Memphis, and is located 2.1 km from the city centre.
Car
Another option to get to Memphis is to pick up a car hire from Nashville, which is about 316 km from Memphis. You’ll find branches of Thrifty and Budget, among others, in Nashville.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Memphis, including Tornado Bus, Greyhound and FlixBus. From Nashville, the bus ride to Memphis takes 343 km and will cost you around $150. From Dallas, the ticket costs about $579 for a journey of 628 km. The most popular bus station is Memphis Summer Ave, located 15 km from the city centre of Memphis. Memphis Airways Transit Center is also a commonly used station, and is 11 km from the city centre.
Airlines serving Memphis
Where to stay in Memphis
From 5-star hotels such as the Big Cypress Lodge to great affordable options like the Holiday Inn & Suites Memphis - Wolfchase Galleria, Memphis offers a range of accommodations for every taste. Average rates range from around $248 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $275 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Comfort Inn Airport and Moxy Memphis Downtown. There are also lots of holiday rental options in Memphis, with prices from $48 to $1,610 per night. Midtown is the neighbourhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, holiday rentals in Memphis are about 41% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
East Memphis - In Memphis’s most popular neighbourhood to stay, recommended hotels include Marriott Memphis East, Hampton Inn Memphis - Poplar and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Memphis.
Downtown - Here you’ll find travellers’ favourites such as Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis, River Inn of Harbor Town and Hu. Hotel. The average nightly price for a double room in Downtown is $181.
Northeast Memphis - Sonesta Simply Suites Memphis East Poplar Pike, Extended Stay America Suites - Memphis - Germantown West and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Memphis East/Galleria have some of the best reviews among hotels in this area. A 3-star room in Northeast Memphis will cost you about $154 per night.
Where to stay in popular areas of Memphis
Most booked hotels in Memphis
Hiring a car in Memphis
Hiring a car in Memphis costs $79 per day, on average, or $159 if you want to hire it for 2 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Avis are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to hire a car in Memphis is the Hertz branch at 2495 Winchester Road, which is 12 km from the city centre.
It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 4% cheaper than airport locations in Memphis.
Expect to pay $1.55 per litre in Memphis (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between $18.60 and $24.80. The most frequently booked car type in Memphis is Full-size (Chrysler 200 or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Intermediate car hire (Class Intermediate Car or similar) is, on average, 53% cheaper than other car hire types in the city.