Houston
Getting There/Around

add to Travel Bag (NEW)  

Getting There

Air

George Bush Intercontinental Airport ( IAH )
+1 281 230 3100
http://www.fly2houston.com/

IAH is located 35 miles north of Houston.

William B. Hobby Airport ( HOU )
+1 713 640 3000
http://www.fly2houston.com

HOU is located seven miles from downtown.

IAH services the following airlines:

Aero Mexico ( +1 800 237 6639 / http://www.aeromexico.com )
Air Canada ( + 800 268 0024 / http://www.aircanada.ca )
Air France ( +1 800 871 1366 / http://www.airfrance.com )
Alaskan Airlines ( +1 800 252 7522 / http://www.alaskaair.com )
America West ( +1 800 235 9292 / http://www.americawest.com )
American Airline ( +1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com )
British Airways ( +1 800 247 9297 / http://www.british-airways.com
Continental ( +1 800 525 0280 / http://www.continental.com )
Delta ( +1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com )
Frontier Airlines ( +1 800 432 1359 / http://www.frontierairlines.com )
Lufthansa ( +1 800 645 3880 / http://www.lufthansa.com )
Southwest ( +1 800 435 9792 / http://www.southwest.com )
United ( +1 800 241 6522 / http://www.united.com )
US Airways ( +1 800 428 4322 / http://www.usairways.com )

HOU services the following airlines:

American Airlines ( +1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com )
Delta ( +1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com )
Southwest ( +1 800 435 9792 / http://www.southwest.com/ )
Jet Blue ( +1 800 538 2583 / http://www.jetblue.com )
Comair ( +1 800 221 1212 / http://www.comair.com )
AirTran ( +1 1 800 247 8726 / http://www.airtran.com )
Atlantic Southeast ( +1 404 766 1400 / http://www.flyasa.com )
American Trans Air ( +1 800 435 9282 / http://www.ata.com )
Southwest Airlines ( +1 800 435 9792 / http://southwest.com )

Airport Parking:
Park N' Fly ( +1 800 763 6895 / http://www.pnfnetwork.com )

From the Airport

Car Rental:
Advantage ( +1 800 777 5500 / http://www.arac.com/ )
Alamo ( +1 800 462 5266 / http://www.alamo.com )
Avis ( +1 800 230 4898 / http://www.avis.com )
Budget ( +1 800 527 0700 / http://www.budget.com/ )
Dollar ( +1 800 800 4000 / http://www.dollar.com )
Enterprise ( +1 800 325 8007 / http://www.enterprise.com )
Hertz ( +1 800 654 3001 / http://www.hertz.com )
National ( +1 800 227 7368 / http://www.nationalcar.com )
Thrifty ( +1 800 331 3550 / http://www.thrifty.com )

Taxi:
If money is not a concern a taxi presents the quickest option to downtown. Passengers are charged the cheapest fare between a flat rate and a metered rate. Most rides, factoring in traffic, take an hour. Some of the more noted cab companies are:

Fiesta ( +1 713 236 9400 )
Liberty ( +1 713 695 6700 / www.libertycab.net/ )
Square Deal ( +1 713 659 5105 )
United ( +1 713 699 0000 / www.unitedcab.com )
Yellow Cab ( +1 713 236 8877 / www.yellowcabhouston.com )

Shuttle:
Express Shuttle ( +1 713 523 8888 / +1 877 615 4577 / http://www.coachusa.com ) is the popular choice with most arriving passengers. Call well in advance to know the Shuttle service operating hours and total cost.

Bus:
Bus service, via the METRO ( +1 713 635 4000 / http://ridemetro.org ), is the ideal choice for the budget minded. All rides are reasonably priced. The buses run from 4:30a-12:45a and can be found on the south side of Terminal C.

Train

Amtrak ( +1 800 872 7245 / http://www.amtrak.com ) pulls into downtown Houston's train station ( 902 Washington Avenue ) three times a week. The Sunset Limited services between Los Angeles and Orlando but does not possess a solid reputation for arriving on time. The station's surrounding area leans towards the seedy side. Stemming your walking radius is recommended.

Bus

Greyhound ( +1 800 231 2222 / http://www.greyhound.com ) ushers passengers in from all over the country via Houston's city bus terminal.

Highway

Driving options into downtown are many, highlighted by Interstate 610 ( I-610 ). Better known as the loop it completely surrounds Houston's outer rim, making it a good choice for bypassing rush hour situations. Interstate 10 ( I-10 ) accesses downtown from an east/west direction. And Interstate 45 ( I-45 ) runs north/south, making it the popular route for drivers traveling from Dallas.

Getting Around

Car

Because of Houston's staggering sprawl a car is necessary. Its web of Interstates give Houston the stunning distinction of being one of the very few cities in the last ten years to see traffic congestion subside, making it easy to negotiate even for visitors who loathe city driving. However, Houston's strange need to pin two and three names to its Interstate system creates confusion. Interstate 45, for example, goes by North Freeway to the north, Gulf Freeway to the south, and the Pierce Elevated through downtown. Your best bet is to disregard the names and only pay attention to the Interstate numbers.

Public Transit

The METRO ( +1 713 635 4000 / http://www.ridemetro.org ) services all of Houston via 100 bus lines. Geared towards weekday commuters service extends as far north as the Bush Intercontinental Airport and as far south as Clear Lake near Galveston Bay. On weekends, however, service is far more limited in range. Call ahead for further details.

The Metro Trolley ( +1 713 635 4000 ) offers free transportation in the downtown area only. Trolleys pass every 12 minutes.

The Uptown Shuttle ( +1 713 621 2011 / http://www.uptown-houston.com/ ), a bus decorated as a trolley car, provides free service up and down Houston's famed Post Oak Boulevard. It stops at or near most of the strip's popular restaurants and shops.

Taxi

Taxis are quick, but pricey. Charges are heavy for every mile. So, check before you get into one.

A1 Hidalgo Cab ( +1 281 706 0094/ http://www.hidalgocab.com/ )
Yellow Cab Services ( +1 713 224 4445 / http://www.yellowcabhouston.com )
A1 Houston Taxi ( +1 713 722 8888 / http://www.a1houstontaxi.com )

Bike

Thanks to Houston's ambitious Bikeway Program ( http://www.houstonbikeways.org ) the city provides around 227 miles of bike paths and on-street bike lanes.

Traffic Information

To find out city traffic information go to http://www.traffic.com/

If traveling overseas, take the safety precaution of registering your trip at https://travelregistration.state.gov and for helpful, practical advice about traveling technicalities and safety standards check out http://travel.state.gov/