Indianapolis is famous for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, with a compact downtown of stadiums, museums, canal walks and the huge Children’s Museum. Hotel rates swing dramatically around race weekends and major conventions, so timing is everything for a deal.
Finding cheap rooms in Indianapolis is easier when you know where to look. We compare live hotel rates across the top booking sites and point you to the neighborhoods where hotels are cheap but the location is still great.
Rooms come in more shapes than hotels — in Indianapolis you can also compare apartments with kitchens, vacation rentals for families, B&Bs and budget hostels in one search.
Walkable to Monument Circle, the stadiums, the convention center and the Canal Walk.
An arts and dining district just northeast of downtown.
A quirky neighborhood with music venues and bars, connected by the Cultural Trail.
Closest to the Motor Speedway, with chain hotels that sell out on race weekends.
Chain hotels with shuttles, often cheaper outside event dates.
A hotel in the city’s historic Union Station, with some rooms in vintage Pullman rail cars.
Check rates at Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union StationZoom and pan the map to compare hotel prices by neighborhood; rates come live from the booking sites.
Late spring through fall is the most pleasant; May (Indy 500) and big conventions bring the highest rates, so book very early for those.
Downtown is the most convenient, with most sights, stadiums and restaurants within walking distance.
During the Indianapolis 500 in May, the Brickyard race weekend and major conventions.
Airport and suburban chain hotels usually cost the least outside big event dates.