Williamsburg Transportation

The Blue Buses run about every 10 minutes and are a much welcomed sight when walking the village all day. They make several stops at locations all around the perimeter of the park. They are included with the cost of buying a ticket to the Historic Park and ride as many times as needed.

For a Christmas gift to each other, my husband and I decided to take a train trip to Williamsburg. We left Harrisburg, PA at 9AM and changed trains in Philadelphia and arrived Williamsburg at 6PM. Not the fastest means of travel but since it was a bright sunny day the trip was a delight for a change.

You don’t have to have a car to get here, though it helps. We drove of course as we were on a driving tour of Virginia at the time, and if you do the same you need to exit I-64 midway between Richmond and Norfolk(exit 238) and look for signs to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. Once you’ve parked and purchased your entry ticket (see below) you can either walk or get a shuttle to the historic area. If visiting one of the taverns in the evening we found you could drive and park within an easy walk.

You can also get here by public transport however. Amtrak serves the Williamsburg Transportation Center with a connecting train from Washington, D.C. The center is a few blocks from the Historic Area and has car rentals, and a cab stand. There’s also a Shuttle which runs between Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, Jamestown and Yorktown., which is free if you have an entry ticket for one of these attractions.

Cars are not permitted into the colonial area, however we did drive through part of it, in a permissible area during the evening.

The shuttle bus from the visitor's centre is your best choice to get there if you dont fancy the walk. The bus stops are I think more or less on the outskirts of the colonial area.

Travelling between Richmond and Norfolk on I64 - exit 238.

There are green and white signs to the Visitors Centre.

Some buildings are not open every day there is a time table telling you what is open and can be obtained from the visitor's centre or online.

Admit it. At some point or another, you've dreamed of riding one of these. They're a common sight around Williamsburg, though you will have to pay a moderate-sized fee to ride one. We opted out, though I think it probably would have been an enjoyalbe experience.

If you don't have a car you have at least two options.

BY PLANE
There is Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport (JGG) 5 miles south of the Colonial Williamsburg but it can help you if you... have your own plane or hire one.

Check airfares to the following airports:

1. Newport-News Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), 22 mi and approx. 35 min. east of Colonial Williamsburg.

2. Norfolk International Airport (ORF), 46 mi and approx. 1 hour southeast of Williamsburg.

3. Richmond International Airport (RIC) - 45 mi and approx. 1 hour west of Williamsburg.

Airport # 1 offers limited number of flights from/to some US cities (and Canada, Puerto Rico), 2 and 3 are served by all major airlines (daily flights to cities throughout the U.S. and the world).

From airport to Williamsburg:
- you can always get a taxi (expensive) or rent a car (details in the next tip),
- from 2 take an airport shuttle (details here),
- from 3 take a public bus to Amtrak (train) station and go by Amtrak.

BY AMTRAK (TRAIN)
Williamsburg Amtrak (train) station is located on walking distance, just northwest of Colonial Williamsburg, 0.4 mi north of the Wren Building of William and Mary College. From/to Richmond it takes ca 50 min. Details in my Richmond tip "If you don't have a car" here.

Amtrak goes from Newport News, via Williamsburg, Richmond to Wahington DC and futher up to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Map here.

The historic area of colonial Williamsburg include over 500 historic houses but it is only about 1 mile (1.6 km) long and half a mile (0.8 km) wide. It's mostly closed for motor traffic but open for bicycles and resgistered carriages drawn by horses.

AXIS OF COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG
We were walking along the main avenue and east-west axis of the colonial Williamsburg, the Duke of Gloucester Street, on my picture. Most of tourist attractions are located along, only the Governor's Palace is placed a little bit north. There is the Capitol at the eastern and Wren Building at the western end of the streeet. There is a shuttle bus stop and Merchants Square full of colonial stores before the westernmost Wren Building.
Follow the link below and tour the town with flash player.

Carriage rides are available in the historic area and would be a great way to see the sights. However, the historic area is only about 1 mile long and a half mile wide, so it can easily be navigated on foot. You can arrange for a carriage ride at the Visitor Center.

Shuttle buses to the Historic Area leave from the loading platform on the lower level of the Visitor Center. Shuttle buses run around the perimeter of the Historic Area, and offer return transportation to the Visitor Center. All you need to do is show your ticket to the driver on boarding.