Travel Channel

Getting There/Around

Getting There

Air

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
+1 602 273 3300
http://www.phxskyharbor.com

PHX is located three miles from downtown and services the following airlines:

Aero Mexico (+ 1 800 237 6639 / http://www.aeromexico.com)
Air Canada (+1 800 776 3000 / http://www.aircanada.ca)
Alaskan Airlines (+1 800 252 7522 / http://www.alaskaair.com)
America West (+1 800 235 9292 / http://www.americawest.com)
American Airline (+1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com)
British Airways (+1 800 247 9297 / http://www.british-airways.com)
Continental (+1 800 525 0280 / http://www.continental.com)
Delta (+1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com)
Frontier Airlines (+1 800 432 1359 / http://www.frontierairlines.com)
Hawaiian Air (+1 800 367 5320 / http://www.hawaiianair.com)
Lufthansa (+1 800 645 3880 / http://www.lufthansa.com)
Northwest (+1 800 225 2525 / http://www.nwa.com)
Southwest (+1 800 435 9792 / http://www.iflyswa.com)
United (+1 800 241 6522 / http://www.ual.com)
US Airways (+1 800 428 4322 / http://www.usairways.com)
PCA (+1 800 763 6895 / http://www.pnfnetwork.com/)
PCA

From the Airport

Shuttle:
Super Shuttle (+1 800 258 3826 / http://www.supershuttle.com) provides daily, around the clock service into downtown and beyond. Between 9a-9p shuttles exit every 15 minutes. Rides to downtown average USD7-USD10, and USD16 to Scottsdale.

Taxi:
AAA Taxi (+1 602 437 4000), Allstate Cab (+1 602 329 1017), and Discount Cab (+1 602 266 1110) are the only three taxi companies licensed to pick-up passengers at the airport. Downtown metered fares average USD9, while rides to Scottsdale generally fall between USD25-USD40.

Bus:
Valley Metro (+1 602 253 5000 / http://www.valleymetro.org) provides cheap (USD1.25) bus transportation into downtown via its Red Line. Buses conveniently exit from Terminals 2, 3, and 4 every 30 minutes and rides take approximately 20 minutes.

Car Rental:
Advantage (+1 877 5500 / http://www.arac.com)
Alamo (+1 800 327 9633 / http://www.alamo.com)
Avis (+1 800 831 2847 / http://www.avis.com)
Budget (+1 800 527 0700 / http://www.budget.com)
Dollar (+1 800 4000 / http://www.dollar.com)
Enterprise (+1 800 325 8007 / http://www.enterprise.com
Hertz (+1 800 654 3131 / http://www.hertz.com
National (+1 800 227 7368 / http://www.nationalcar.com)
Payless (+1 800 729 5377 / http://www.paylesscarrental.com)
Thrifty (+1 800 367 2277 / http://www.thrifty.com)

Train

Currently there is no direct rail service into Phoenix. Amtrak (+1 800 872 7245 / http://www.amtrak.com) services Flagstaff 138 miles to the north and Tucson 114 miles to the south and then transfers passengers into Phoenix via bus. It is a nightmarish process heavy with inconvenience that only comes recommended as a last travel option behind riding a llama.

Car

Interstate 10 bisects Phoenix in a southeast/west direction, coming from Tucson in the southeast and California in the west. Interstate 17 drops down from the north after branching off of Interstate 40 in Flagstaff.

Getting Around

Public Transit

Valley Metro (+1 602 253 5000 / http://www.valleymetro.org) services all of downtown and the surrounding suburbs as far north as Peoria and as far south as Chandler. Renewed Sunday service and 96 new buses have considerably upgraded this travel option. One-way fares cost USD1.25 and exact change is needed. For route information obtain "The Bus Book" from any tourist information desk.

DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle) is also operated by Valley Metro and exclusively services the downtown area during weekdays from 6:30a-5:30p. Stops include the State Capitol building and Heritage Square. Rides are free.

Train

Rail service is currently in the planning stage.

Taxi

Taxis are easy to track down, but due to Phoenix's sprawl and scattered attractions fares can run high. Metered fares charge USD3 for the first mile and USD1.50 thereafter. Some of the more noted companies include:

AAA Cab (+1 602 437 4000)
Alpha Cab (+1 602 232 2000)
Cactus Cab (+1 602 994 8778)
Checker/Yellow Cab (+1 602 252 5252)
Citywide Cab (+1 602 277 7100)

Car

Since many of Phoenix's main attractions, including the Phoenix Zoo, the Desert Botanical Gardens, and Scottsdale's world class golf courses are far from downtown possessing a car is a bonus rather than a hindrance. Most of the thoroughfares are laid out in a north/south, east/west direction making it easy to navigate when compared to other major cities. If possible try to avoid the downtown Interstates during morning and late afternoon rush hours.

Bike

With 495 miles of designated bike ways Phoenix is extremely bike-friendly. Most of the routes and paths stretch out over level terrain and feature underpasses at most major intersections.

Traffic Information:

To find out city traffic information go to: http://www.traffic.com

If traveling overseas, take the safety precaution of registering your trip at https://travelregistration.state.gov and for helpful, practical advice about traveling technicalities and safety standards check out http://travel.state.gov/

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