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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Coeur d'Alene
Give Coeur d'Alene 2 nights in summer for the lake and Tubbs Hill; 1 night off-season. Skip it as a base if you want ski terrain — stay in Sandpoint.
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city in Northern Idaho and the eastern edge of the Spokane metro, on Interstate 90 and on Pacific Time, not Mountain Time. The draw is a big freshwater lake with a public beach and the Tubbs Hill loop, plus a walkable downtown of shops and restaurants. Two nights covers it in summer; one night is enough in the shoulder season. Ski hills and the Silver Valley mining towns sit within an hour's drive, so many travellers use the city as a first or last stop on a Northern Idaho loop.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for the lake; Dec–Mar for nearby skiing
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug weekend crowds and peak room rates; smoke season in Aug
- Stay
- 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 $90–140 excl. bed · Mid $150–240 excl. bed · High $250+ 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 · Coeur d'Alene Police (non-emergency) 208-769-2323 · Idaho road conditions 511
- 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 | $4–7 |
| Burger and fries | $12–18 |
| Craft beer, pint | $7–9 |
| Sit-down dinner, main course | $18–35 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi or rideshare3.1 mi (5 km) taxi or rideshare | $12–18 |
| Silverwood Theme Park, one-day ticket | $60–75 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GEG · Spokane International Airport
- About 40 min west by car on I-90; the main gateway, with non-stops from Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Boise, Vancouver and Calgary (check current routes).
- COE · Coeur d'Alene Airport (Pappy Boyington Field)
- North of town; private and general aviation only, no scheduled airline service.
Typical fares
- Spokane airport (GEG) → Coeur d'Alene, shuttle
- about $45, 40–50 min (check)
- Downtown → Silverwood Theme Park, car
- about 25 min north on US-95
- City Link bus
- free on selected routes (check the current map)
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
Downtown, City Park and Tubbs Hill are walkable. City Link runs free buses on selected routes, including to the movie theatres and the casino. A car is the practical choice for Silverwood, Hayden, Farragut State Park and the Silver Valley; rideshare and taxis exist but are thin outside the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Lake Coeur d'Alene and City Park beach
- Tubbs Hill loop trail
- Downtown Sherman Avenue
- The floating green golf hole at the Coeur d'Alene Resort
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sandpoint | US-95 north by car, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Wallace and the Silver Valley | I-90 east by car, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Kellogg | I-90 east by car, about 50 min | About 50 min |
| Post Falls | I-90 west by car, about 20 min | About 20 min |
| Bonners Ferry | US-95 north by car, about 2 h | About 2 h |
| Spokane, Washington | I-90 west by car, about 40 min | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Downtown / Sherman Avenue
- Walk to the beach, City Park, Tubbs Hill and restaurants. Best for a short stay without a car.
- Riverstone
- North of the centre on the Spokane River; shops, cinema and chain hotels, 5–10 min drive from downtown.
- I-90 exits and Post Falls
- Cheaper motels and easy highway access; you will drive to everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the beach? | Where is the beach? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is there a shuttle to the airport? | Is there a shuttle to the airport? |
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Thanks, have a good one | Thanks, have a good one |
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
- Summer weekends fill the lakefront hotels: book weeks ahead.
- August can bring wildfire smoke that closes trails and ruins lake views.
- Lake water stays cold well into June; the beach is busiest Jul–Aug.
- Winter driving over Fourth of July Pass and Lookout Pass needs snow tyres or chains — check Idaho road conditions before you leave.
- The city sits on Pacific Time, unlike most of Idaho: an hour earlier than Boise and Sun Valley.
Coeur d'Alene is a low-crime city for its size and the tourist core feels safe day and night. The real risks are cold lake water, summer wildfire smoke, winter mountain passes and leaving valuables visible in a parked car at trailheads.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Coeur d'Alene yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lake Coeur d'Alene and City Park beach
- Tubbs Hill loop trail
- Downtown Sherman Avenue
- The floating green golf hole at the Coeur d'Alene Resort
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 Coeur d'Alene (official tourism): coeurdalene.org/
- Kootenai County — City Link transit: www.kcgov.us/486/Transit-Services
- Idaho State Parks — Coeur d'Alene Parkway: parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/coeur-d-alene-parkway/
- Museum of Northern Idaho: museumni.org/
- Wikivoyage: Coeur d'Alene, revision 5334920 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5334920
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Coeur d'Alene
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Coeur d'Alene Police (non-emergency)208-769-2323
- Idaho road conditions511
No embassies here; consulates sit in Seattle, San Francisco and other large cities. For a lost passport, contact your country's nearest consulate (check).
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis and rideshare.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/coeur-dalene). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.