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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Memphis
Give Memphis 2 nights: one for Beale Street and the river, one for Graceland or the Civil Rights Museum. Skip July–August heat.
Memphis is a music and civil-rights city on the Mississippi, in the southwest corner of Tennessee. Downtown holds Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum and the river bluffs; Graceland sits 15 minutes south by car. Sights are spread out, so a car or rideshare covers more than the trolley and buses do.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (extreme heat and humidity)
- 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 $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 |
| Barbecue plate (pulled pork or ribs) | $12–22 |
| Beer: draught in a Beale Street bar / can at a store | $6–9 / $2–4 |
| 5 km rideshare3.1 mi rideshare | $12–20 |
| MATA bus ride | $1–2 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
| Museum entry (Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio, Graceland) | $15–80 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MEM · Memphis International Airport
- About 15–20 min by car to downtown; no international passenger flights despite the name. MATA route 64 runs to the airport.
Typical fares
- MEM airport → downtown, rideshare
- about $25–35, 15–20 min (check)
- Main Street Trolley
- about $1–2 a ride, day pass about $3 (check)
- Rideshare downtown → Graceland
- about $18–25, 15 min (check)
Get around
A car or rideshare is the practical way to reach Graceland, Midtown and East Memphis. Downtown is walkable, and the Main Street Trolley runs along Main Street. MATA buses cover the city but thin out in the evening and some routes change at night and weekends.
See and do
Known for
- Beale Street and the blues
- Graceland (Elvis Presley's mansion)
- National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel
- Sun Studio
- Memphis-style barbecue
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Graceland | Car or rideshare south on Elvis Presley Blvd, about 15 min from downtown | About 30 min |
| Tunica, Mississippi (casinos) | Car south on US-61, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| Clarksdale, Mississippi (blues) | Car south on US-61, about 1 h 30 min | About 1.75 h |
| Nashville | I-40 east, about 3 h 30 min by car; Vonlane luxury coach also runs the route | 3.5–4 h |
Sleep
- Downtown (Beale Street and South Main)
- Walk to Beale, the river and the Civil Rights Museum; loudest at night, priciest parking.
- Midtown (Cooper-Young, Overton Square)
- Local bars and restaurants; 10–15 min by car to downtown.
- East Memphis
- Quieter, near the zoo and botanic garden; car needed for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the trolley stop? | Where is the trolley stop? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| One ticket, please | One ticket, please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| To this address, please | To this address, please |
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 heat and humidity are severe: heat indices can pass 38 °C (100 °F) by day and stay near 29 °C (85 °F) at night.
- Some MATA bus routes change after dark and at weekends: confirm the return trip before you go out.
- Parking near Beale Street, FedExForum and AutoZone Park costs more and fills up on event nights.
- Check opening days before you travel: several museums close one day a week (the Civil Rights Museum closes Tuesday, the Blues Hall of Fame closes Sunday and Monday).
Downtown and Midtown are busy and generally fine by day; use normal city care at night, stay in lit areas and take a rideshare rather than walk far after dark. Car break-ins are the more common problem — leave nothing visible.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Memphis yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Beale Street and the blues
- Graceland (Elvis Presley's mansion)
- National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel
- Sun Studio
- Memphis-style barbecue
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Memphis Travel (official): memphistravel.com
- Amtrak — City of New Orleans: www.amtrak.com/routes/city-of-new-orleans-train.html
- National Civil Rights Museum: www.civilrightsmuseum.org/
- Sun Studio: www.sunstudio.com
- Beale Street: www.bealestreet.com
- Wikivoyage: Memphis, revision 5298303 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5298303
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Memphis
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
Most countries: consulates in Atlanta, Chicago or Houston, embassies in Washington, DC. Check your country's list before you travel.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis and rideshares.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/memphis). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.