Getting to Memphis

If you are coming directly to the state from overseas, it is more likely youll arrive by plane at the Memphis International Airport. For those visitors who dont wish to fly, Memphis is easily accessible by train, bus and car. Though not extensively served by rail, Memphis is on Amtraks City of New Orleans run, from Chicago to New Orleans. By bus, Greyhound operates extensively across the state of Tennessee. Interstate highways and rail link Memphis by car, coach and train, respectively, from Canada and Mexico via various cities across the country.

By car

Memphis is a major crossroads of the south. Drivers trying to reach Memphis by car will likely be travelling on either I-40 (for those coming from east or west of Memphis) or I-55 (for those coming in from north or south of Memphis). I-40 comes from Dallas in the west through Little Rock, Arkansas, and from Nashville in the east; I-55 runs from St Louis in the north and Jackson, Mississippi in the south. I-55 has links to New Orleans in the south and Chicago in the north. From Nashville, I-65 runs north to Louisville, Kentucky, and south to Birmingham, Alabama. I-24 runs northwest towards St Louis and southeast towards Atlanta.

By rail

Amtrak, the countrys official passenger train company (phone: +1 800 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com) has a limited service to Memphis, although the City of New Orleans train does connect Memphis with both Chicago (journey time: ten hours 25 minutes) and New Orleans (journey time: eight hour, 45 minutes). Trains run to Memphis Central Station at 545 South Main Street (phone: +1 901 526 0052), and reservations are necessary for priority seating and sleeping accommodation.

By bus

Greyhound (phone: +1 800 231 2222; website: www.greyhound.com) ushers passengers in from Mexican and Canadian border cities via Memphiss bus terminal at 203 Union Avenue (phone: +1 901 523 9253). Coach services operate to and from Memphis and around the country; coaches depart from the coach station, for destinations such as Nashville, New York and Chicago.

By air

Memphis International Airport (phone: +1 901 922 8000; website: www.memphisairport.org), 14kms southeast of downtown Memphis, is the citys only international airport, and is served by almost all major domestic airlines. The airport also serves a number of international airlines, and is a major hub for Northwest/KLM, which provides daily transatlantic flights to Amsterdam. Flights take approximately ten hours 50 minutes from London to Memphis; two hours 35 minutes from New York; four hours from Los Angeles; three hours 10 minutes from Toronto; and eighteen hours 10 minutes from Sydney.

Memphis airport

Memphis International Airport is the worlds busiest cargo airport and a bustling passenger terminal handling around nine million passengers per year. About 14kms southeast of the city, the airport handles flights from seven passenger airlines. Airport facilities include bureaux de change, banks, ATMs, travel agencies, restaurants, car hire and duty free shops.

Memphis airport transportation

Rental car service is available at the airport and is generally the preferred method for travelers to get to their destination. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise and National all have offices at the airport. For travellers arriving at the airport and seeking other means of getting to their hotels, taxis, limousines, and shuttles are all options. The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA website: www.matatransit.com) offers an hourly public bus service from the lower outer drive near Terminal C to the city. Alternatively, taxis are located outside the terminal, and depending on traffic, rides to the city downtown can range from 30 to 60 minutes.