Getting Around, Montpelier Travel, Transport and Car Rental

(Montpelier, Vermont - VT, USA)

Being such a small city, the best way to travel around Montpelier really is on foot. Although bus transport is on hand, being provided by a number of different companies, it is so simple to walk around the city and its downtown district that most visitors simply opt to use their feet. Instead, you may perhaps choose to rent a bicycle for the day or week, making use of the scenic Central Vermont Regional Path and also the Cross Vermont Trail.

Many of the top attractions radiate outwards from the Vermont State House, with plenty of parking spaces being close by for those with their own set of wheels. Choosing a rental car as your main mode of transport is perfect if you are intending to leave the city and travel around the suburbs of Montpelier and further afield.

Amtrak trains, Greyhound buses / coaches and taxis are further options available, with frequent buses regularly plying the route between downtown Montpelier and the busy Burlington International Airport.

Burlington International Airport (BTV) / Arriving by Air

Address: 1200 Airport Drive, South Burlington, Vermont (VT), 05403, USA
Tel: +1 802 863 2874
Although the Edward F. Knapp State Airport is only 4 miles / 6.5 km to the south of Montpelier, this is just a small general aviation facility with private planes and does not offer commercial flights. Therefore, if you are flying into this part of Vermont, you will find that Burlington International Airport is the nearest commercial airport, being just under 36 miles / 58 km from Montpelier and to the northwest.

From Montpelier, you can travel here in comfortably under an hour by taking Interstate I-89 for the majority of the journey. A little under one million travelers currently use Burlington's airport each year, with the principal airlines including those of Delta, JetBlue Airways, Porter, United Express and US Airways. Ground transport at the airport comes in the form of Greyhound buses, taxi operators and car rental brands, namely Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Car Rental

Montpelier resides a little to the north of central Vermont and in-between the state borders of New York and New Hampshire. Hiring a car while you are vacationing in Montpelier will allow you to travel around northern Vermont with ease, thanks to the presence of the I-89 and highways US-2, US-12 (Northfield Street), US-14 (East Montpelier Road / Maple Avenue), US-62 and US-302 (Barre-Montpelier Road). The beaches of Lake Champlain lie to the west, while the Quebec town of Stanstead, on the Canadian border, is less than two hours away to the north. Of note, at Burlington you can catch car ferries operated by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company.

Parking lots are in good supply around downtown Montpelier and a number follow the route of the Winooski River, on the western side of the city. The Capitol Plaza Parking Lot is particularly central and offers just over 60 two-hour spaces. Other parking lots are to be found next to the City Hall (Blanchard and Pitkin) and on State Street.

Book your Burlington Car Rental here.

Buses

There are a number of bus networks servicing the city of Montpelier. The Green Mountain Transit Agency (GMTA) provides bus transport around the city and its suburbs, such as Barre and Waterbury. Popular bus stops around the city include the Vermont State House, the southerly Berlin Mall, the Walmart supermarket, Heaton Woods, College Green and the Lane Shops. In nearby Burlington, the Chittenden Country Transit Authority runs further bus transport aimed at commuters heading to and from Montpelier and Waterbury.

For longer distances around Vermont and beyond, you can travel onboard Greyhound intercity buses to Concord (one hour and 30 minutes northeast), Hanover - NH (one hour and 15 minutes south), Logan (one hour west), Londonderry (two hours and 30 minutes south) and Manchester (two hours and 45 minutes southwest).

Trains

Tel: +1 800 872 7245
An Amtrak train station resides just off Junction Road, on the western side of Montpelier and close to the Green Mount Cemetery. Daily 'Vermonter' rail transport travels from the state capital to onward destinations such as St. Albans and Washington D.C., to the far southwest.

Taxis

Getting around Montpelier on bus transport is not difficult, although if you don't want to follow a timetable or particular route, then taxis are perfect for short distances or late-night travel. Notable local cab companies include Twin City Taxi, tel: +1 802 461 4746.