Planning a Trip

Visitor Information

For information specific to the Historic Area, contact the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (tel. 800/447-8679 or 757/220-7645; www.colonialwilliamsburg.com). Open 365 days a year, the foundation's visitors center is both a font of information and the beginning of any visit here.

The best source for general information about the hotels, restaurants, and activities not operated by the foundation is the Williamsburg Area Convention & Visitor Bureau, 421 N. Boundary St., Williamsburg, VA 23187 (tel. 800/368-6511 or 757/253-0192; fax 757/253-1397; www.visitwilliamsburg.com). The bureau sells one of the best maps of the area. It shares offices on Boundary Street between Lafayette and Scotland streets, 2 blocks north of the Historic Area, with the Williamsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5pm.

The Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association (tel. 800/446-9244; www.mywilliamsburgvacation.com) publishes "Williamsburg Great Entertainer Magazine," a visitors guide. It also operates a hotel and motel reservation service.

Getting There

By Plane -- Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (tel. 757/877-0221; www.nnwairport.com), 14 miles east of Williamsburg, is served by AirTran, Delta, and US Airways. Avis (tel. 800/331-1212), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131), and National (tel. 800/328-4567) have desks at the airport.

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 -- Williamsburg is on I-64 about halfway between Richmond and Norfolk. For the historic area, take Exit 238 (Va. 143) off I-64 and follow the green signs south to Va. 132 and Colonial Williamsburg. The visitor center will be on your left as you approach the town. U.S. 60 is the old highway paralleling I-64; it's known as Richmond Road west of the Historic Area and as York Street/Pocahontas Trail to the east. The scenic John Tyler Highway (Va. 5) runs between Richmond and Williamsburg, passing the James River plantations. Va. 199, which forms a beltway around the southern side of the city, joins I-64 at Exit 242 east of town; this is the quickest way to get to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. The scenic Colonial Parkway connects Williamsburg to Jamestown and Yorktown. It runs through a tunnel under the Historic Area. You can get on and off the parkway at the Colonial Williamsburg visitor center.

By Train & Bus -- Amtrak trains (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) and Greyhound/Trailways 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 the historic area.

From Virginia Beach, you can take the Boomerang (no phone; www.i64info.com), free summertime shuttles which leave the transit kiosk at Atlantic Avenue and 24th Street daily at 8 and 8:30am, arriving at the Colonial Williamsburg visitor center 90 minutes later. The return trips depart at 7:35 and 8:35pm. The shuttle is free, but you must get a ticket at the kiosk on the day of travel (it opens at 7am). Reservations are not accepted; it is strictly first come, first served. I strongly encourage checking the website before going to the kiosk for a ticket. The Boomerang also runs in the morning from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach, returning the same evening.

Orientation & Getting Around

City Layout -- The 1-mile long by 1/2-mile wide restored Historic Area is at the center of Williamsburg. The 99-foot-wide Duke of Gloucester Street is this area's principal east-west artery, with the Capitol building at the eastern end and the Wren building of the College of William and Mary at the west end. Merchant Square shops and services are on the western end of Duke of Gloucester Street, next to the college. The visitor center is north of the Historic Area.

Richmond Road (U.S. 60 West) runs northwest from the Historic Area and is Williamsburg's main commercial strip, with a selection of motels, restaurants, and shopping centers, including the area's outlet malls. On the east side of town, York Street/Pocahontas Trail (U.S. 60 East) goes out to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Bypass Road joins these two highways on the north side of the Historic Area.

Getting Around -- Since few cars are allowed into the Historic Area between 8am and 10pm, you must park elsewhere. The Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center has ample free parking and operates shuttle buses to and around the Historic Area.

Since traffic as well as the heat can be stifling during the summer, the easiest way to get around outside the Historic Area is by public bus service operated by Williamsburg Area Transport (tel. 757/259-4093; www.williamsburgtransport.com). The buses run Monday through Saturday about every hour from 6am to 8pm, to 10pm during the summer months. Fare is 25¢. Exact fare is required. For visitors, the Blue, Gray, and Yellow lines are the most useful. The Blue Line runs west from the Transportation Center to the Williamsburg Soap & Candle Factory via Richmond Road (U.S. 60 West), thus passing a majority of the area's motels, chain restaurants, and shopping centers. The Gray Line operates east from the Transportation Center to Busch Gardens via Lafayette Street and Pocahontas Trail (U.S. 60 East). During summer, the Yellow Line links the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center to the Transportation Center and Busch Gardens.

The land is flat here, so getting around via bicycle is a great idea. Bike and stroller rentals are available from Easter through October at the Woodlands Hotel & Suites, at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center (tel. 757/229-1000;).

Yellow Cab (tel. 757/722-1111) and Williamsburg Taxi (tel. 757/566-3009) are based at the Transportation Center.