Car rental Indianapolis

Indy is a city in love with cars, so renting a car in Indianapolis is the best way to get around. There are more interstate highways criss-crossing here than in any other city in the whole US, so the routes are well-connected, allowing you to easily find your way from A to B.

It’s not only a great place to drive, but also the perfect starting point if you want to indulge in a US road trip, or stay a little closer to home in the surrounding states.

Look at the city on a map and it’s like the center of a wheel, with spokes flying out in all directions. The I-70 goes east to Ohio and west to Illinois and Missouri, while the I-65 leads north to the energetic city of Chicago and the more tranquil Lake Michigan - or south to Louisville, Kentucky.

Alternatively, take the I-74 interstate, which runs south-east to Cincinnati, Ohio, or north-west to Peoria in Illinois.

If you’re looking to head north, there’s the I-69, which will carry you towards Michigan and, skirting around the north of Detroit, to the border with Canada. Indianapolis is a gateway city that really will get you places.

Much of the city itself is on a grid system, making navigation simple. It’s circled by a huge beltway, the I-465 or USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway, which runs for 85 kilometers and is a great way to get around the city itself.

As in the rest of the US, you will drive on the right-hand side in Indianapolis. Speed limits vary from area to area and signs are posted in miles per hour. There’s a limit on the interstates of 70mph (113km/h), falling to 55mph (88km/h) when traveling through urban areas.

City roads have a limit ranging from 20 to 30mph (32 to 48km/h), although it’s sometimes lower in school zones. Your best bet for parking is in garages, or by using the abundance of metered parking – especially prevalent downtown. Most of these charge from 7am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday. There’s also free parking next to meters outside of these hours and on Sundays only.

As you might imagine in a city that loves cars as much as Indianapolis, the roads can be quite busy, particularly at the busier times. Make sure you plan your routes in advance and leave some extra time for travel.

For many, Indianapolis is indelibly associated with the iconic motor race to which it lends its name. While that’s quite the spectacle, it’s a city with so much more to offer. In recent years especially, Indy has upped its game, with its downtown area becoming an increasingly attractive place to spend time - with culture galore and wonderful green spaces. Indianapolis car rental gives you the chance to see it all.

Discover downtown

Downtown Indianapolis is the place to get a real sense of the city’s buzz. Independent boutiques line Massachusetts Avenue – known to the locals as ‘Mass Ave’ – while there are art galleries in abundance, a plethora of theaters and, away from the chains, some fine independent restaurants. There are new openings all the time, running the gamut from no-fuss pizzerias to vegetarian establishments - and places embracing the ‘locavore’ movement with a focus on produce grown in Indiana.

The best-known restaurant in town is St. Elmo Steakhouse, serving delicacies since 1902 and a magnet for celebrity diners. It’s so popular that it has expanded, opening several spin-off restaurants nearby to mop up its overspill.

For an elevated diner experience, the proudly independent Milktooth on Virginia Avenue is a winner. Overwhelmed with awards, there’s not much that’s not worth recommending – but go for the Dutch baby pancake or perhaps the sourdough chocolate pearl sugar waffle.

The race is on

The need for speed is nowhere more evident than at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the preeminent tourist attraction in town. Tickets for the main event, the Indy 500, can be as rare as hen’s teeth – even though the circuit’s permanent seating capacity sits at a whopping 257,325 and can be expanded to 400,000.

If you can’t get one, or you’re here at a different time of year, the tour is still worth taking.  There’s a museum with the cars in which some famous races were won, plus the unfeasibly huge trophy. If racing’s not your thing, try catching a football game at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the world-famous Indianapolis Colts.

Midwest Museums

There are some fascinating off-beat museums in the city, including the world’s largest children’s museum. Open since 1925, it covers nearly 30 acres and features dinosaurs (including the one you can’t miss even before you enter the building), natural history, science, culture, history and art. The permanent collection is brilliant, while temporary and traveling exhibits keep things fresh. The Dinosphere is always popular, but Dale Chihuly’s glass artistry and the haunted house are winners too.

For a different slant on the city, there’s a museum and library dedicated to Kurt Vonnegut, author of the seminal Slaughterhouse Five, among other classics, and a son of Indianapolis. It’s a decidedly skewed take on his career – which seems fitting – focussing on his rejection letters and etchings. There’s also a replica of his office.

For one last blast of culture, the Indianapolis Museum of Art - recently rebranded as Newfields - has a huge and well-curated collection that covers many areas. Expect Chinese rarities, tribal art from Africa and pieces from Seurat, Gauguin, Matisse, Hopper and Picasso. There are also some brilliant Asian Edo period works, including a Hokusai.

Indianapolis car rental means you can explore every corner of a city that’s constantly surprising. Hidden art troves, new-wave restaurants and superb transport links makes this a place to treasure.