Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), 14 miles east of Williamsburg (tel. 757/877-0221; www.nnwairport.com), is served by AirTran, Delta, and US Airways. The major car rental firms have desks at the airport, and taxis await each incoming flight.

More flights arrive at Richmond International Airport, about 45 miles west of town via I-64. Norfolk International Airport is about the same distance to the east, but traffic on I-64 can cause delays in ground transport to Williamsburg during rush hours, especially on summer weekends when beach traffic funnels through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

By Car -- The main drag is I-64, which runs down the center of the Peninsula between Richmond and Hampton. When traffic on I-64 comes to a standstill, as it often does on summer weekends, you can take the mostly four-lane U.S. 60, which parallels it. The two-lane John Tyler Highway (Va. 5) also runs between Richmond and Williamsburg, passing the James River plantations. The scenic Colonial Parkway connects Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Va. 199 runs around the southern side of Williamsburg, and when combined with I-64 forms a beltway around the town.

By Train & Bus -- Both Amtrak trains (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) and Greyhound buses (tel. 800/231-2222; www.greyhound.com) arrive at the local Transportation Center (tel. 757/229-8750), at Boundary and Lafayette streets within walking distance of Williamsburg's Historic Area.

Colonial Rent-a-Car (tel. 800/899-2271 or 757/220-3399; www.colonialrentacar.com) has a booth at the center. Cab service is provided by Historic Taxi (tel. 757/258-7755), Williamsburg Taxi Service (tel. 757/254-2190), and Yellow Cab of Williamsburg (tel. 757/722-1111).