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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Bettendorf
Bettendorf, Iowa
Give Bettendorf one night as a Quad Cities base, not a destination: the riverfront trail, a casino and Quad City-style pizza, then Davenport next door.
Bettendorf is the quiet Iowa half of the Quad Cities, a Mississippi river town of about 39,000 people that shares its metro with Davenport, Moline and Rock Island. There is no Amtrak stop and no interstate bus terminal, so you arrive by car or through Quad City International Airport in Moline. One night covers the riverfront, the casino and the local pizza; two nights let you add Davenport and Le Claire without moving hotels.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Bettendorf, Iowa
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, icy trails), late Jul–Aug humidity
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Quad City-style pizza, per person | $12–20 |
| Sandwich or sub | $9–14 |
| Draft beer at a bar | $5–8 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi or rideshare3.1 mi (5 km) taxi or rideshare | $12–18 |
| Museum entry | $7–15 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MLI · Quad City International Airport, Moline, Illinois
- Non-stop flights mainly from Midwest, South and Southwest markets; about 15–20 min by car to Bettendorf via I-74
Typical fares
- MLI airport → Bettendorf, taxi or rideshare
- about $25–40, 15–20 min (check)
- Bettendorf Transit local fare
- about $1–2, exact change (check)
- Channel Cat Water Taxi, summer
- small per-ride fare, bicycles extra (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical choice: the city is a grid, east–west streets are named and north–south streets are numbered from the Davenport line, with Devils Glen Road and 53rd Avenue as the main exceptions. Bettendorf Transit runs local routes and links to Davenport's CitiBus (Route 10) and Moline's MetroLINK (Route 1) from downtown. The Riverfront Parkway and Duck Creek Parkway are paved bike trails, and the Channel Cat Water Taxi carries people and bicycles between Iowa and Illinois shores in summer.
See and do
Known for
- Mississippi Riverfront Parkway trail
- Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf
- Quad City-style pizza
- Family Museum of Arts and Science
- Channel Cat Water Taxi
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Davenport | Drive I-74 or River Drive, about 10–15 min | About 20 min |
| Le Claire | Drive US 67 north along the river, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Moline and Rock Island, Illinois | I-74 across the Mississippi, about 15–20 min | About 30 min |
| Amana Colonies | Drive I-80 west, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Dubuque | Drive US 61 north, about 1 h 45 min | About 2 h |
| Muscatine | Drive US 61 south, about 45 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Utica Ridge Road and Golden Valley Drive
- Cluster of chain hotels off the I-74 Spruce Hills Drive exit; easiest with a car and the best rates.
- Downtown Bettendorf (State and Grant Streets)
- Walkable to the riverfront trail and a short drive to Davenport; few rooms, so book ahead.
- Isle Parkway
- Casino hotel connected to the Waterfront Convention Center; pick it if you want the casino and riverfront on foot.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the riverfront trail? | Where is the riverfront trail? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is there a table for two? | Is there a table for two? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the restroom? | Where is the restroom? |
| Thanks, keep the change. | Thanks, keep the change. |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No Amtrak service to the Quad Cities; the nearest station is Galesburg, Illinois.
- No interstate bus terminal in Bettendorf: Greyhound and Burlington Trailways stop in Davenport and Moline, then connect by local bus.
- Winter brings ice on the riverfront and parkway trails; summer can be humid with thunderstorms.
- Casino floors and hotel rates spike on event weekends at the Waterfront Convention Center.
Bettendorf is a low-crime suburban city and generally safe for visitors; the real risks are winter ice on the riverfront and parkway trails, deer and cyclists on rural roads, and drinking before driving — the legal limit is 0.08% and enforcement is active.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Bettendorf yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mississippi Riverfront Parkway trail
- Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf
- Quad City-style pizza
- Family Museum of Arts and Science
- Channel Cat Water Taxi
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Bettendorf Transit: www.bettendorf.org/departments/engineering___public_works/public_works_operations/transit/index.php
- Quad Cities International Airport: www.qcairport.com/
- Visit Quad Cities: www.quadcities.com/
- Wikivoyage: Bettendorf, revision 5253774 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5253774
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BettendorfBettendorf, Iowa
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Bettendorf; consulates sit in Chicago, and Washington, DC has the embassies.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/bettendorf). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.