Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU); credit Ken Thomas
Durham Transportation
Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) is a midsize airport with service by Alaska, Allegiant, Air Canada, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United. Non-stop destinations from RDU include Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, NYC-JFK, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, and Nashville.
The terminals include WiFi, restaurants, cafes, shops, and business services. Rental cars are provided by Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National and Thrifty are available at the airport. Taxis from RDU Airport to downtown Durham cost about $20. Hotel shuttles also depart from the airport, so check when you make hotel reservations. Count on 30-45 minutes to reach downtown Durham.
Amtrak trains arrive daily at Durham Train Station, an impressive piece of public architecture with waiting room, vending machines and ticket sales office. Oddly, Amtrak service through Durham does not extend beyond Charlotte to Atlanta:
Carolinian: Charlotte-High Point-Greensboro-Durham-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-NYC
Piedmont: Charlotte-High Point-Greensboro-Durham-Raleigh
Amtrak Carolinian and Piedmont combine for 10 daily roundtrip trains between Charlotte and Raleigh. Various ticket discounts apply to the state-supported Piedmont line.
Durham Amtrak Station
Charlotte-Durham-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington is a U.S. High Speed Rail Corridor designated for future 110 mph service. The route is being incrementally upgraded. Depending on the arrival of federal funding, the upgrade may complete in 2025.
Durham Civil Rights Walking Tours
Durham Preservation Society has monthly tours in Spring and Summer months; one Saturday tour covers civil rights FREE
WEBSITE: http://www.preservationdurham.org
Durham Freeway Network is logical, extensive and signage is adequate. Though you have periods of fast-moving traffic, count on slow traffic between RDU Airport and Downtown during commute hours.
