Burlington Getting there & around

Getting there & around

A number of national carriers serve Burlington International Airport (802-863-2874; www.burlingtonintlairport.com), 3 miles east of the city center. You’ll find major car-rental companies at the airport.

Vermont Transit (802-864-6811, 800-552-8737; www.vermonttransit.com), based in Burlington, provides bus service to major Vermont towns, as well as to Manchester and Keene (NH), Albany (New York) and Boston (MA). The main terminal (802-864-6811; 345 Pine St) also serves Greyhound (800-231-2222; www.greyhound.com), which operates buses daily between Burlington and Montreal (one way $27.50, about 1¼ hours).

The Amtrak (800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) Vermonter train stops in Essex Junction, 5 miles from Burlington. The station is served by local buses run by Chittenden County Trans­portation Authority (CCTA; 802-864-2282; www.cctaride.org).

By car, it takes 4½ hours (230 miles) to reach Burlington from Boston; take I-93 to I-89. It’s another 1¼ hours (102 miles) from Burlington to Montreal.

Lake Champlain Transportation Co (802-864-9804; www.ferries.com; King St Dock) runs car ferries connecting Burlington with Port Kent, New York, at least nine times daily from late May to mid-October; there’s no service off-season. The one-way voyage takes 70 minutes and costs $13.25 for a car and driver, and $3.75/1.50 for each additional adult/child aged six to 12.

The company also operates ferries connecting Charlotte, VT with Essex, New York (south of Burlington) for as long as the lake stays unfrozen; and 24-hour, year-round service from Grand Isle, VT (north of Burlington) to Plattsburgh, New York.

The CCTA operates buses from its Cherry St terminal to Burlington International Airport. Buses depart Cherry St every half-hour or so, less often on Sunday. There are no services on major holidays. Fares to the airport and around town are $1 for adults, amd 50¢ for children aged six to 18 and seniors.

A free College St shuttle bus runs a loop route from the Waterfront Park near the Burlington Boathouse, stopping at Battery St, St Paul St, Church St Marketplace, Winooski Ave, Union St and Willard St, ending at the UVM campus. In summer, shuttle buses run every 10 minutes from 11am to 6pm.