Getting Around, Hartford Travel, Transport and Car Rental

(Hartford, Connecticut - CT, USA)

Due to its relatively small size and compact nature, the city of Hartford does not quite manage to boast the mass public transport options found within larger state capitals and cities, such as the metropolis of New York, roughly 115 miles / 185 km to the southwest, and the larger city of Springfield, less than an hour to the north. However, this does mean that it is easy to travel around this city

Car rental is always a popular option for those flying into Bradley International Airport and various car hire companies are based here, such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty. Hartford is extremely well-placed for those wishing to explore the whole of Connecticut, with speedy interstates (I-84, I-91 and I-384) and highways radiating outwards from the city.

Bus transport connects the majority of Greater Hartford, offering the most inexpensive way to travel around Connecticut's capital city. For many visitors to the city, the Star Shuttle will be particularly useful if you simply wish to hop between attractions, such as the Connecticut Convention Center. Alternatively, taxis are hard to beat in terms of sheer convenience, although they are understandably more expensive, especially late at night.

Bradley International Airport (BDL) / Arriving by Air

Address: 11 Schoephoester Road, Windsor Locks, Connecticut (CT), 06096, USA
Tel: +1 860 292 2000
Bradley International Airport is the nearest significant air facility and is actually only just over 15 miles / 24 km north of Hartford, being located in the town of Windsor Locks and serving both Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts. Driving here from downtown Hartford couldn't be easier and simply consists of following Interstate I-91 and exiting at junction 40 onto Highway US-20, passing by the Olds and Whipple Pond. Each year in the region of six million passengers travel in and out of this public airport, which is actually the busiest in Connecticut state. The principal airlines currently based here are Air Canada Express, AirTran Airways, American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, United Express and US Airways.

When it comes to onward transport at Bradley International Airport, Connecticut Transit buses are a popular option and connect the Windsor train station, along with the state capital, Hartford (route 34). Express bus transport to Hartford comes in the form of the 'Bradley Flyer', which follows Route 30.

Car Rental

If you would like to travel across the state border and into neighboring Massachusetts, then a rental car provides absolute freedom to do so, following your own personal timetable. Springfield is just 27 miles / 43 km away, via the I-91, which roughly follows the route of the Connecticut River. For a real cosmopolitan experience, transport yourself to Boston, MA, which is reachable in under two hours by following the I-84 and then the I-90. Alternatively, you may like to drive roughly an hour southwards to New Haven, on the coastline of Connecticut.

Book your Hartford Car Rental here.

Buses

Tel: +1 860 247 0200
Greater Hartford is easy to travel around thanks to its public transport networks. The transit station is to be found on Liebert Road and offers regular services, between two and four times an hour. Most local attractions, parks and shopping centers are linked by buses and if you are intending to use public transport for the entire day, then an affordable day pass will make sense.

In downtown Hartford, the Star Shuttle provides free transport between Monday to Friday, from 07:00 until 23:00, and again on Saturdays, starting at 15:00 in the afternoon and then finishing again at 23:00. These shuttles generally come along every ten minutes and travel to and from the Connecticut Convention Center on the Columbus Boulevard, as well as the Arts and Entertainment District, and hotels and eateries located within downtown Hartford.

If you would like to travel further afield, then Greyhound bus transport (Union Place) is on hand to take you all the way to destinations such as Amherst, Boston, Burlington, New Haven, New York City and Storrs.

Trains

Hartford's growth and status as capital of Connecticut has been helped greatly by its reliable rail connections. The Union Station is conveniently situated at Union Place, on the northern side of the city center and right next to Bushnell Park. By train (Amtrak), it is possible to travel all through the Northeast of the USA with ease, with New York City being a mere three hours away, while New Haven, to the south, is just an hour by rail. The Metro North Commuter Rail Line offers further possibilities.

Taxis

Tel: +1 860 627 3128
With the airport being so close to Hartford, it is not overly expensive to find yourself a taxi when you first arrive. If you are traveling as a group, taxi transport becomes all the more affordable, since you can share the cost of the fare, which remains the same, whether there are two passengers or four.

Serving almost 20 towns around Greater Hartford, the Yellow Cab Company of Connecticut dates back to the very end of the 19th century and is just a phone call away - tel: +1 860 666 6666. Popular destinations around the capital include Bloomfield, Enfield, Farmington, Granby, Manchester, New Britain, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Vernon, Wethersfield and Windsor Locks.