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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Billings
Billings, Montana
Give Billings 1–2 nights as a Yellowstone or I-90 stop, not a destination: the Rims, Pictograph Cave and a downtown evening fill a day.
Billings is Montana's largest city and the main airport and hospital hub for the eastern half of the state. It sits on I-90 at the junction with I-94, about 2 hours from the Beartooth Highway turnoff, so most travellers use it as an overnight or a meal stop on the way to Yellowstone. The sights are spread across a wide, car-dependent city: sandstone Rims trails, a 2,000-year-old pictograph site, a small downtown museum cluster and a minor-league ballpark. Two nights covers it; one night is enough if you only want a bed and dinner.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Billings, Montana
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (cold, wind, snow); late Jul–Aug wildfire smoke
- 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 $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–190 excl. bed · High $190+ 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 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–18 |
| Burger and fries | $12–20 |
| Draught beer in a downtown brewery | $5–8 |
| MET Transit bus fare | $1.25 |
| Rideshare, downtown to Westend | $12–20 |
| Museum entry (Moss Mansion, Yellowstone Art Museum) | $12–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BIL · Billings Logan International Airport
- On the Rims about 3 km north of downtown; served by Allegiant, American, Alaska, Delta, Frontier and United, with Denver, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis the main hubs. Cape Air links smaller Montana towns.On the Rims about 1.9 mi north of downtown; served by Allegiant, American, Alaska, Delta, Frontier and United, with Denver, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis the main hubs. Cape Air links smaller Montana towns.
Typical fares
- Airport (BIL) to downtown
- about 10 min by car; rideshare roughly $15–25
- MET Transit bus
- $1.25 exact fare, weekdays and Saturdays only
- Rental car, one day
- $50–130 before fuel
Get around
A car is the practical choice: sights are 5–25 km apart and MET Transit runs only nine weekday/Saturday bus lines with no Sunday service. Downtown is walkable on its own. Taxis use fixed zones; Uber and Lyft operate. A paved trail network runs along the Yellowstone River and the Rims.A car is the practical choice: sights are 3.1–16 mi apart and MET Transit runs only nine weekday/Saturday bus lines with no Sunday service. Downtown is walkable on its own. Taxis use fixed zones; Uber and Lyft operate. A paved trail network runs along the Yellowstone River and the Rims.
See and do
Known for
- The Rims sandstone cliffs
- Pictograph Cave State Park
- Pompeys Pillar and the Lewis and Clark signature
- MontanaFair and the NILE rodeo
- Beartooth Highway gateway to Yellowstone
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pompeys Pillar National Monument | I-94 east to exit 23, then a short drive on the access road | About 45 min each way |
| Pictograph Cave State Park | Drive southeast of Lockwood on Colburn Rd | About 20 min each way |
| Laurel | I-90 west about 16 kmI-90 west about 9.9 mi | About 20 min |
| Hardin and Crow Agency | I-90 east about 70 kmI-90 east about 43 mi | About 1 h |
| Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway | US-212 southwest via Laurel and Columbus | About 2 h to Red Lodge |
| Miles City | I-94 east about 230 kmI-94 east about 143 mi | About 2.5 h |
Sleep
- Downtown (26th–30th St, 1st–6th Ave)
- Walkable to museums, restaurants and bars; best for one night without a car.
- Westend / Shiloh Crossing
- Chain hotels, Rimrock Mall and easy I-90 access; best with a car or a family.
- The Heights
- North of MetraPark on Main St; cheaper motels, 10–15 min drive to downtown.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the airport shuttle? | Where is the airport shuttle? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is this road open in winter? | Is this road open in winter? |
| How far is Yellowstone from here? | How far is Yellowstone from here? |
| Do you take reservations? | Do you take reservations? |
| Where is the nearest gas station? | Where is the nearest gas station? |
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
- Winter driving: I-90 and the Rims roads ice up and can close; check Montana road conditions before leaving.
- Summer wildfire smoke can cut visibility and air quality for days — check air quality if you have breathing issues.
- Distances are long: Yellowstone's northeast entrance via the Beartooth Highway is a full day each way, not a day trip.
- Downtown bars and the brewery strip are quiet on Sundays; several restaurants close Sunday and Monday.
Billings is a normal mid-size US city: violent crime is concentrated in a few pockets and the main risks for visitors are winter road ice, long empty drives and summer wildfire smoke. Lock the car, keep valuables out of sight and avoid walking alone at night away from downtown.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Billings yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The Rims sandstone cliffs
- Pictograph Cave State Park
- Pompeys Pillar and the Lewis and Clark signature
- MontanaFair and the NILE rodeo
- Beartooth Highway gateway to Yellowstone
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Billings — official tourism site: www.visitbillings.com/
- Wikivoyage: Billings, revision 5326351 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5326351
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BillingsBillings, Montana
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 Billings; consulates are in Denver, Seattle and San Francisco, embassies in Washington, DC.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/billings). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.