Getting There

By Plane

The major international gateway to Virginia is Washington Dulles International Airport (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 generally are less to fly in and out of here than other airports in Virginia.

Washington Dulles is served by a number of carriers including Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca), Air France (tel. 800/321-4538; www.airfrance.com), AirTran Airlines (tel. 800/247-8726; www.airtran.com), Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), Alitalia (tel. 800/223-5730; www.alitaliausa.com), All Nippon Airways (tel. 800/235-9262; www.fly-ana.com), American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), America West (tel. 800/235-9292; www.americawest.com), Austrian Airlines (tel. 800/843-0002; www.aua.com), British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297; www.british-airways.com), British Midland Airways (tel. 800/788-0555; www.flybmi.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), JetBlue Airways (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com), Korean Airlines (tel. 800/438-5000; www.koreanair.com), Lufthansa Airlines (tel. 800/645-3880; www.lufthansa.com), Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com), Northwest/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), SAS Scandinavian Airlines (tel. 800/221-2350; www.scandinavian.net), Spirit Airlines (tel. 800/772-7117; www.spiritair.com), Swiss (tel. 877/359-7947; www.swiss.com), United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com), US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com), and Virgin Atlantic Airways (tel. 800/862-8621; www.virgin-atlantic.com).

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (tel. 703/685-8000; www.mwaa.com) is on the Potomac River 2 miles north of Alexandria. Except for Air Canada, it is mostly served by domestic carriers such as Alaska Airlines, America West, American, American Trans Air, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Midwest Express, Northwest/KLM, United, and US Airways.

Other major Virginia gateways are Richmond International Airport (tel. 804/226-3000; www.flyrichmond.com), Norfolk International Airport (tel. 757/857-3351; www.norfolkairport.com), Newport News/Williamsburg Airport (tel. 757/877-0221; www.nnwairport.com), Charlottesville/Albemarle Airport (tel. 804/973-8341; www.gocho.com), and Roanoke Regional Airport (tel. 540/362-1999; www.roanokeregionalairport.com).

With a few exceptions, most flights to them are of the "commuter" variety, and usually you'll pay higher fares to fly into them than into Washington Dulles.

You can get around Virginia by flying from one of these airports to another, but you are likely to change planes along the way. For example, you may have to fly through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Charlotte, North Carolina, to get, say, from Roanoke to Norfolk. Check with the airlines or your travel agent for the most efficient, cost-effective routing.

By Car

If you don't drive your own vehicle to Virginia, you should rent one to see the state. You'll have optimum flexibility to visit the rural beauties, including the plantations and Civil War battlefields. And, of course, two of the state's most scenic attractions, the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway, are motoring destinations. Only in northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads will you encounter serious rush-hour traffic.

Visitors arriving in Virginia by car from the northeast do so via I-95, which runs north-south across the state. 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. Be aware that both I-95 and I-81 are heavy-duty truck routes, and accidents are common, so be especially careful while driving on them. 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. Be aware that 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 Web cams 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.

Get Out of Your Vehicle & Look Around -- I don't have enough pages in this book to cover all of Virginia's charming, picturesque hamlets, villages, and towns. Don't hesitate to park your vehicle and have a look around when a charmer catches your attention. My fellow Virginians will insure that you are richly rewarded.

Driving the Civil War Trails -- One advantage of touring by car is that you can follow the state's Civil War Trails. These sign-posted driving tours follow the Shenandoah battles, the Peninsula campaign of 1862, the battles from Manassas to Fredericksburg, Lee vs. Grant as the Union drove south to Richmond in 1864, and Lee's Retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox in 1865. Check out www.civilwartrails.org.

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.

By Escorted Bus Tour

Several travel companies offer escorted bus tours of the historic sites in Virginia and Pennsylvania. These 1-week or longer tours usually start in Washington, D.C, and visit Mount Vernon, Fredericksburg, Williamsburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, the Shenandoah National Park, and Harpers Ferry. From there they go on to Gettysburg and the Amish Country in Pennsylvania before ending in Philadelphia. You'll have to pay extra to get to Washington, D.C., and home from Philadelphia, but meals, lodging, and bus transportation are included in the tour prices, which start at $1,000 per person double occupancy.

Most companies prefer that you book through a travel agent, but you can contact Tauck Tours (tel. 800/788-7855; www.tauck.com) and Mayflower Tours (tel. 800/323-7604; www.mayflowertours.com) directly to see what they're offering.

You can also make 1-day escorted bus tours from Washington, D.C., to Williamsburg with the venerable Gray Line (tel. 800/862-1400 or 301/386-8300; fax 301/386-2024; www.graylinedc.com). The 14-hour Williamsburg tour is offered 2 days a week from April through October and costs $80 for adults, $70 for children. Overnight trips from Washington, D.C., to Williamsburg also are available.