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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Spokane
Give Spokane 2 nights: Riverfront Park and the falls on day one, a Centennial Trail walk or a Palouse drive on day two. Skip if you want big-city nightlife.
Spokane is the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis, the hub of the Inland Empire at the north edge of the Palouse wheat country. Downtown is compact and walkable around the Spokane River falls, with a riverfront park, a 1911 arch bridge and a growing food and brewery scene. It is a practical stop on I-90 and the Amtrak Empire Builder, and a base for the Palouse, Coeur d'Alene and the Idaho Panhandle. Two nights covers the centre; add a night if you want a Palouse or lake day.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, dry), Dec–Feb (cold, snow)
- 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 $120–200 excl. bed · High $220+ 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 |
| Craft beer at a brewery | $6–9 |
| Casual lunch (sandwich, burger) | $12–20 |
| Sit-down dinner, main | $18–35 |
| 5 km taxi or rideshare3.1 mi taxi or rideshare | $12–20 |
| STA bus ride | $2 (check) |
| Museum entry | $8–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GEG · Spokane International Airport
- About 7 mi / 11 km west of downtown off I-90; STA route 60 bus to downtown, about 25 minAbout 7 mi / 6.8 mi west of downtown off I-90; STA route 60 bus to downtown, about 25 min
Typical fares
- GEG airport → downtown, STA route 60
- about $2, about 25 min (check)
- GEG airport → downtown, taxi
- $25+ before tip (check)
- Amtrak Empire Builder, Spokane → Seattle
- about $40–90 coach, 7–8 h (check)
Get around
Downtown is walkable and the skywalks help in winter. STA buses cover the city and the Valley; ask the driver for a 2-hour or all-day pass before you put money in the fare box. A car is the practical choice for the Palouse, Coeur d'Alene and the airport. I-90 crosses town east–west; there is no completed north–south freeway, so allow extra time cross-town.
See and do
Known for
- Riverfront Park and Spokane Falls
- Monroe Street Bridge
- Centennial Trail
- Gateway to the Palouse
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'Alene, Idaho | I-90 east, about 35 min by car | About 45 min |
| Palouse wheat country (Colfax, Pullman) | US-195 south from I-90, about 1 h to Colfax | 1–1.5 h |
| Cheney | I-90 west then SR-904, about 30 min by car | About 40 min |
| Dayton and Pomeroy | US-195 south then US-12 east, about 2 h to Dayton | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Downtown / Riverside
- Walk to Riverfront Park, the falls and the skywalk shops; best for a short stay without a car.
- Kendall Yards
- Riverside neighbourhood west of downtown on the Centennial Trail; newer hotels and food, 15–20 min walk to the core.
- Spokane Valley / Liberty Lake
- Cheaper chain hotels east along I-90; you need a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the bus stop? | Where is the bus stop? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
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
- Washington's E-DUI law: no holding a phone while driving, even stopped at a light; first-offence fine about $136 and an insurance mark.
- Older residential neighbourhoods have uncontrolled intersections — yield to cross traffic.
- Winter brings snow and ice; summer afternoons can pass 35 °C with cool nights, so keep a jacket handy year-round.
- Some downtown blocks are quiet after dark; stick to lit streets and the skywalk routes.
Spokane is generally safe for visitors in the day; downtown is quiet after dark in places, so use lit streets and the skywalk routes, and keep car doors locked at trailheads.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Spokane yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Riverfront Park and Spokane Falls
- Monroe Street Bridge
- Centennial Trail
- Gateway to the Palouse
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 Spokane: www.visitspokane.com/
- Spokane International Airport: spokaneairports.net/
- Spokane Transit Authority: www.spokanetransit.com/
- Amtrak — Spokane station: www.amtrak.com/stations/spk
- City of Spokane — Riverfront Park: my.spokanecity.org/riverfrontspokane/
- Wikivoyage: Spokane, revision 5326477 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5326477
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Spokane
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 Spokane; most countries have embassies in Washington, DC, and consulates in Seattle.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/spokane). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.