City in Pottawatomie County, Iowa, U.S.
Photo: Jared Winkler, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Council Bluffs is a city in Southwest Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Omaha. It is known for its casinos and ties to the transcontinental railroad. It is sometimes called "Iowa's Leading Edge."
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Pottawattamie County Jail
One of the last lazy Susan style-rotary jails in existence.
A nice view of the Missouri River as well as mountain bike trail.
Mormon Trail Historic Site has a museum and monuments to the migration that the Mormons took.
Details the beginnings of the Union Pacific Railroad and the role it played in westward expansion and has artifacts dating back to the 1860s.
House museum.
Billed as the world's largest weekly group bicycle ride. Every Thursday night in the summer, hundreds of cyclists ride the Wabash Trace through Iowa to a restaurant in Mineola, Iowa to consume thousands of tacos and margaritas. The trail begins in the parking lot of Lewis Central High School.
Sports bar. Nine different deep-fried appetizers (the "combo" is sized for one person), plus hamburgers and chicken sandwiches. Kids' menu.
Free breakfast and high-speed Internet. 5 mi from Eppley Airfield.
Free breakfast and Internet.
By car
Visitors from an easterly city, like Des Moines will continue west on I-80, or from the west through Omaha until crossing over the Missouri River.
By bus
Omaha Metro operates the blue and yellow routes to Council Bluffs.
By train
Amtrak serves neighboring Omaha via its California Zephyr route, running between Emeryville (in the San Francisco Bay Area) and Chicago.
Omaha Metro has two routes that serve Council Bluffs: blue and yellow. The blue route stops at the Iowa Western Community College, Mall of the Bluffs. The yellow route goes to the Mid America Center.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Omaha · International · OMA
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Council Bluffs and United States.
Find the cheapest countries to fly to from the US and UK in 2026. Compare realistic round-trip flight deals, budget airlines, and prime booking windows.
8 min read
Find the best time to visit Hawaii in 2026. Compare whale seasons, big-wave surf, dry shoulder months, hotel rates, and island microclimates.
8 min read
Discover the best places to visit in April. Compare Dutch tulip fields, Thailand's Songkran water festival, Roman spring gardens, and cherry blossoms.
6 min read
A practical guide to travelling with medication and refrigerated drugs like insulin and GLP-1s. Learn airline rules, customs papers, and cooling tips.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.