Getting There

By Plane

The major international gateway to Virginia is Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD; tel. 703/661-2700; www.mwaa.com), about 25 miles west of Washington, D.C. Dulles is also a regional hub for domestic flights, and fares can be less to fly in and out of here than other airports in Virginia.

Domestic carriers serving Washington Dulles include AirTran Airlines (tel. 800/247-8726; www.airtran.com), American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com), Delta Airlines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), JetBlue Airways (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com), MaxJet (tel. 888/435-9626; www.maxjet.com), Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com), Northwest Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), Sun Country Airlines (tel. 800/800-6557; www.suncountry.com), Southwest Airlines (tel. 800/435-9792; www.southwest.com), Ted (tel. 800/225-5833; www.flyted.com), United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com), US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com), and Virgin America (tel. 877/359-8474; www.virginamerica.com).

Among the major international airlines are Aeroflot (tel. 888/686-4949; www.aeroflot.ru), Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca), Air France (tel. 800/321-4538; www.airfrance.com), Aer Lingus (tel. 800/474-7424; www.aerlingus.com), Alitalia (tel. 800/223-5730; www.alitaliausa.com), ANA/All Nippon Airways (tel. 800/235-9262; www.fly-ana.com), Austrian Airlines (tel. 800/843-0002; www.aua.com), British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297; www.ba.com), Korean Airlines (tel. 800/438-5000; www.koreanair.com), Lufthansa Airlines (tel. 800/645-3880; www.lufthansa.com), Northwest/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), SAS Scandinavian Airlines (tel. 800/221-2350; www.scandinavian.net), Swiss (tel. 877/359-7947; www.swiss.com), South African Airways (tel. 800/722-9675; www.flysaa.com), and Virgin Atlantic Airways (tel. 800/862-8621; www.virgin-atlantic.com).

Also serving northern Virginia is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA; tel. 703/685-8000; www.mwaa.com), on the Potomac River 2 miles north of Alexandria. With the major exception of Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca), it mostly hosts domestic carriers such as Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), ATA (tel. 800/435-9282; www.ata.com), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com), Delta Airlines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), Frontier Airlines (tel. 800/432-1359; www.flyfrontier.com), Northwest/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), Spirit Airlines (tel. 800/772-7177; www.spiritair.com), United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com), and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com).

Virginia's other gateways include: Richmond International Airport (RIC; tel. 804/226-3000; www.flyrichmond.com), Norfolk International Airport (ORF; tel. 757/857-3351; www.norfolkairport.com), Newport News/Williamsburg Airport (PHF; tel. 757/877-0221; www.nnwairport.com), Charlottesville/Albemarle Airport (CHO; tel. 804/973-8341; www.gocho.com), Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD; tel. 540/234-8304; www.flyshd.com), and Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA; tel. 540/362-1999; www.roanokeregionalairport.com).

Many flights to these regional airports are of the "commuter" variety, and you likely will pay higher fares to fly into them than into Washington Dulles.

Immigration & Customs Clearance -- Foreign visitors arriving by air, no matter what their port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. U.S. airports have considerably beefed up security clearances in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and clearing Customs and Immigration can take as long as 2 hours.

People traveling by air from Canada, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries can sometimes clear Customs and Immigration at the point of departure, which is much faster.

Don't Stow It -- Ship It -- Though pricey, it's sometimes worthwhile to travel luggage-free, particularly if you're toting sports equipment, meetings materials, or baby equipment. Specialists in door-to-door luggage delivery include Virtual Bellhop (www.virtualbellhop.com); SkyCap International (www.skycapinternational.com); Luggage Express (www.usxpluggageexpress.com); and Sports Express (www.sportsexpress.com).

By Car

Having your own vehicle is by far the best way to see the state.

Highway I-95 runs north-south through Virginia between Alexandria and Emporia. From western Maryland and eastern Tennessee, the major highway is I-81, which runs north-south the entire length of the state through the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Highlands. Accidents are common on both I-95 and I-81, which are heavy-duty truck routes, so be especially careful while driving on them. (So many trucks slow down as they creep side-by-side uphill and then race down the other side that I seldom get to use my cruise control on I-81!)

Major western entrance points are from West Virginia via I-77 and I-64. The latter runs east-west across the state between Covington and Norfolk. In northern Virginia, I-66 traverses the state east-west between Arlington and I-81 at Strasburg. I-66 can slow to a snail's pace during rush hours in northern Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Transportation, 1401 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219 (tel. 804/786-2801; www.virginiadot.org), publishes a free list of road construction projects, and it maintains a 24-hour-a-day Highway Helpline (tel. 800/367-7623) for information about road conditions and to report emergencies. It has live webcams of key northern Virginia and Hampton Roads highways and posts road condition maps online. Call tel. 800/792-2800 to check on conditions in Hampton Roads' often-congested tunnels.

Dial tel. #77 on your cellphone to report an accident or other emergency to the state highway patrol.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation distributes a detailed state road map as well as one that highlights the scenic drives.

Most car-rental companies operate in Virginia's major metropolitan areas and at all but the smallest of airports.

By Train

Amtrak trains (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) are better for getting to and from Virginia than for getting around the state. The high-speed Acela, Metroliner service, and other northeast corridor trains connect New York to Union Station in Washington, D.C., where riders can board the Metrorail subway to Alexandria. All Amtrak trains between New York and Florida stop at Washington, D.C., and Richmond; some stop at Alexandria, Quantico, and Fredericksburg. Another train follows this route from New York to Richmond, and then heads east to Newport News via Williamsburg. From Newport News, Amtrak's Thruway bus service connects to Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Some east- and westbound trains to and from Washington stop at Charlottesville, Staunton, and Clifton Forge. From Clifton Forge, a Thruway bus connects to Roanoke.

International visitors can buy a USA Rail Pass, good for 5, 15, or 30 days of unlimited travel on Amtrak. The pass is available online or through many overseas travel agents. See Amtrak's website for the cost of travel within the western, eastern, or northwestern United States. Reservations are generally required and should be made as early as possible. Regional rail passes are also available.