Getting Around

By Car

Phoenix and the surrounding cities that together make up the Valley of the Sun sprawl across more than 400 square miles, so if you want to make the best use of your time, it's essential to have a car. Outside downtown Phoenix, there's almost always plenty of free parking wherever you go (although finding a parking space can be time-consuming in Old Scottsdale and at some of the more popular malls and shopping plazas). If you want to feel like a local, opt for the ubiquitous valet parking (just be sure to keep plenty of small bills on hand for tipping the parking attendants).

Because Phoenix is a major tourist destination, good car-rental rates are often available. However, taxes and surcharges on rentals at Sky Harbor Airport now run 50% or more, which pretty much negates any deal you might get on your rate. Expect to pay anywhere from $160 to $250 per week ($225-$370 with taxes) for a compact car in the high season.

All major rental-car companies have desks at Sky Harbor Airport's Rental Car Center, which is separate from the airport terminals and is served by a free shuttle bus. Be sure to leave time in your schedule to get from the Rental Car Center to the correct terminal for your flight. There are also plenty of other car-rental offices in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Rental-car companies at the airport include the following: Advantage (tel. 800/777-5500 or 602/244-0450), Alamo (tel. 800/462-5266 or 602/244-0897), Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 or 602/261-5900), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 or 602/261-5950), Dollar (tel. 800/800-3665 or 866/434-2226), Enterprise (tel. 800/261-7331 or 602/225-0588), E-Z Rent a Car (tel. 800/277-5171 or 602/273-1177), Fox Rent a Car (tel. 800/225-4369 or 602/275-9700), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 or 602/267-8822), National (tel. 800/227-7368 or 602/275-4771), Payless (tel. 800/729-5377 or 602/681-9589), and Thrifty (tel. 800/847-4389 or 877/283-0898).

For a bit more style while you cruise from resort to golf course to nightclub, Rent-a-Vette, 1215 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 888/308-5995 or 480/941-3001; www.exoticcarrentalsphoenix.com), charges $229 to $349 per day for a Corvette. It also rents Porsche Boxsters, Porsche 911s, Hummers, and a variety of Mercedes.

By Public Transportation

Unfortunately, Valley Metro (tel. 602/253-5000; www.valleymetro.org), the Phoenix public bus system, is not very useful to tourists. It's primarily meant to be used by commuters. However, if you decide you want to take the bus, pick up a copy of the Bus Book at one of the tourist information desks in the airport (where it's sometimes available), at Central Station at the corner of Central Avenue and Van Buren Street, or at any Fry's supermarket. Local bus fare is $1.25; express bus fare is $1.75. One-, 3-, and 7-day passes, and a monthly pass, are also available.

Of slightly more value to visitors is the free Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH), which provides bus service within the downtown area Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 11pm. These buses serve regular stops every 6 to 18 minutes; they're primarily for downtown workers, but attractions along the route include the state capitol and Heritage and Science Park. In Tempe, Free Local Area Shuttle (FLASH) buses provide a similar service on a loop around Arizona State University, including Mill Avenue and Sun Devil Stadium, from Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm; another loop operates Monday through Thursday from 7am to 1am and Friday from 7am to 10pm. For information on both DASH and FLASH, call tel. 602/253-5000.

In Scottsdale, you can ride the Scottsdale Trolley (tel. 480/421-1004; www.scottsdaletrolley.com) shuttle buses between Scottsdale Fashion Square, the Fifth Avenue shops, the Main Street Arts district, and the Old Town district. These buses run daily from 11am to 9pm, with service every 10 minutes. Between mid-January and mid-April, free shuttles serve many of the area's resorts, including, among others, Camelback Inn, Sanctuary on Camelback, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, and Renaissance Scottsdale Resort. These trolleys operate daily from 11am to 9pm, with service every 10 minutes, and will take you to Scottsdale Fashion Square. From there you can take the Scottsdale Trolley to other shopping districts.

By 2009, Valley Metro's new METRO light-rail system should be up and running. This new rail line will run down Central Avenue, through downtown Phoenix, and east to Tempe and Mesa. Attractions along or close to the line include the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Historic Heritage Square, Phoenix Museum of History, Arizona Science Center, Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Zoo, Hall of Flame Firefighting Museum, Tempe's Mill Avenue shopping district, and Arizona State University Art Museum. There will also be a bus connection to the airport. For more information, contact Valley Metro (tel. 602/253-5000; www.valleymetro.org).

By Taxi

Because distances in Phoenix are so great, the price of an ordinary taxi ride can be quite high. However, if you don't have your own wheels or had too much to drink and the bus isn't running because it's late at night or the weekend, you won't have any choice but to call a cab. Yellow Cab (tel. 602/252-5252; www.aaayellowaz.com) charges $2.50 for the first mile and $1.80 per mile thereafter. Discount Cab (tel. 602/200-2000; www.discountcab.com) charges $2.95 for the first mile and $1.80 per mile after that.