Roads
The big interstates nearby are I-64,
which is nice, rural, and rarely crowded; I-81, which
is terrifyingly full of tractor-trailers exceeding the speed
limit; I-66 to the north, which is prone to traffic
jams; and I-95, which seems to be one continual
gridlock all the way to Florida.
Other major highways
include U.S.
29, which,
although it slows down considerably in the commercial strip
in Albemarle County called Seminole Trail, is actually a
pretty speedy way to go north and south. Ditto for Rt.
250 east and west.
You can check road status
by clicking Road
Conditions for a
state-run interactive site that shows the location of
construction and accidents, and kinds of weather that may
slow your travel. You can get some of this info by dialing
800-367-ROADS or simply 511.
Planes
The Charlottesville-Albemarle
Airport (CHO),
although long scorned as puddle-jumper central, is now
famous for its direct jets to several fat hubs. It's located
about 20 minutes north of downtown in a scenic place called
Earlysville. Currently, there are nearly 60 daily departures
and the same number of arrivals. Website shows some pretty
competitive fares to top
destinations.
Carriers: United Express, U.S. Airways Express,
Delta Connection, and Northwest.
Direct to: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, New York (LaGuardia),
Washington (Dulles), Charlotte, Philadelphia
Parking: hugs the terminal, $7-9/day
Amenities: snack bar, mountain views
Little-known fact: one free hour of parking with
purchase at snack bar/gift shop.
Other airports
With gobs of flights to near and far places,
Washington
Dulles (IAD), two
hours north of town (unless I-66 is backed up), draws many
travelers who might otherwise depart from Charlottesville.
Take your pick from many parking options. If you don't want
to spring for $15/day for convenient parking, allow at least
20 extra minutes to get from the vast economy parking
($9/day) lots to the beautiful single-terminal
airport.
A comfortable mid-size
airport, Richmond
International (RIC)
often offers competitive fares to domestic cities. The drive
is a simple hour and 20-minute shot east on never-jammed
I-64.
Other airports
occasionally used by Charlottesville travelers include
Reagan
National (DCA)
(2hrs), Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) (2hrs 30min), and
Norfolk
International (ORF)
(2hrs 45min). Less likely: the skimpily served
Shenandoah
Valley Regional Airport
(SHD), aka "Weyers
Cave," about 45 minutes northwest of downtown
Charlottesville.
Trains
Charlottesville is
incredibly blessed as one of America's smallest cities to
have passenger service in three different directions. Even
if the provider, Amtrak,
is always teetering on the edge of financial disaster, the
rails score points for romantic, affordable, kid-friendly
travel.
Departures per day: 2.85 (no joke-- the Cardinal
comes through only six times a week; the Crescent comes
through twice a day)
Location: 810 W. Main in the heart of midtown
National reservations: 800-872-7245
Charlottesville station (CVS): 296-4559
Counter hours: 6am-9pm
Parking: onsite lot
Service: The Charlottesville station (CVS) is served by two
trains whose service was just renewed by Congress,
The
Crescent,
which runs between New York and New Orleans, and
The
Cardinal,
which runs between Washington, D.C. and Chicago.
Hook Tip: Because the trains run infrequently,
connecting is a chore, so if your desination is farther
north than New York or anywhere south, the best bet becomes
one of the following stations:
Richmond's
Staples
Mill Station (RVR)
Location: 7519 Staples Mill Road in Henrico County
Drive time: 1 hour. Go east on I-64 to Exit 185 and
head West on Staples Mill Road for one mile. Don't look for a grand
place-- it's a shoebox hidden off the right side of the road. But
it does have nearly 14 daily departures and once the Staples Mill Road
exit on I-64 is completed it won't be hard to miss.
Parking: onsite lot
Phone: 804-553-2903
Bonus: Richmond actually has a second Amtrak station,
the historic 1901 Main
Street Station (RVM),
with eight daily departures.
Washington's
Union
Station (WAS)
Location: Four blocks north of the U.S. Capitol
Drive time: 2 hours (if you're lucky)
Parking: adjacent garage
Phone: 202-371-9441 (undependable)
HookTip: You can avoid inside-the-Beltway traffic by
driving up to Vienna on I-66 and parking at the
Metro station for $3.75/day (with a $10 minimum,
unfortunately). From there, take the Metro's
Orange Line to Metro Center and transfer to the Red Line
to Union Station. If you're heading northeast, stay on the
Orange Line all the way to New Carrollton, Maryland, where
you can still catch most north-bound trains and save enough
on the ticket to pay for lunch.
Taxis/Limos/Vans
Typical taxi ride downtown to CHO: $23
Typical taxi ride Ivy/Keswick to CHO: $33
Typical limo ride downtown to CHO: $65
Typical towncar ride to RIC: $150
Typical limo ride to RIC: $300
Typical towncar ride to IAD: $200
Typical limo ride to IAD: $300
Sample fares above do not include gratuities. Most limosines
are desribed as 8-passenger vehicles but will feel crowded
with more than 6. Also, limos have ordinary-sized trunks, so
families or other heavy luggage users may want a van for
about the same price.
Shuttles
All of the pricier hotels (and even the Days Inn) have
free airport shuttles in Charlottesville.
Rental cars
Inside Charlottesville's airport terminal, we have
Avis
434-973-6000, Hertz
434-297-4288, and National
434-974-4664. Enterprise
also has two locations: 151 Seminole Court, 434-974-7488, and
Pantops Shopping Center, 434-979-5566, plus various indie rental
services elsewhere in town.
Buses
Greyhound.
The station is very conveniently located midway between the Amtrak
station and the Downtown Mall and has 14 or 15 buses per
day.
Typical trip A: $22 each way to Dulles Airport with
the bus leaving Charlottesville at 9am and arriving two and
a half hours later. Return from Dulles at 7pm and roll into
Charlottesville at 9:30.
Typical trip B: $119 round-trip to NYC takes 9-10
hours with about five daily departure times.
National reservations: 800-229-9424
Charlottesville station: 7:30am-10pm daily; 295-5131
Parking: none onsite
Starlight
Express.
Nonstop roundtrips from Charlottesville to NYC every weekend. The
luxury bus offers BMW seats, music, and treats along the way. Trips to
New York leave from 1117 E. Market St. (three blocks east of the
Downtown Mall) at 6am and arrive half a block from the corner of 9th
Ave. and 13th St. in the Big Apple at noon. Return trips leave at
5:30pm and arrive in Charlottesville at midnight. Occasional Friday
night departures.9.
Reservations: 434-295-0782
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