Cincinnati: Getting there & around

Tourists are always shocked when they arrive at the airport and are greeted by 'Welcome to Kentucky'. The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport lies 12mi (19km) southwest of downtown on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. It's a huge, important air crossroads; Delta has made the airport its hub. It has also been ranked number one for on-time arrivals for many years. Cheaper tickets into Ohio, however, can usually be found via Columbus, 2 hours away.

TANK (Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky) has airport service on its 2X route from downtown Cincinnati. Jet'port Express has a shuttle that departs the airport for primary downtown hotels every 30 minutes. Taxis charge a flat fee between downtown Cincinnati and the airport; they'll take one to four passengers (or grudgingly take five). Taxis also have flat fees to many other locations outside the city centre.

The Greyhound bus station is within a mile of downtown. The beautiful Amtrak station, at the Cincinnati Museum Center, has three trains a week departing to Indianapolis and Chicago. Tickets purchased in advance are cheaper, sometimes significantly. Unfortunately, no trains connect Cincinnati with Cleveland.

Aside from your own two feet, the best way of getting around town is by the public bus, known as the Queen City Metro. Taxis are relatively easy to find, especially at hotels. The most romantic mode of transport, however, has to be a riverboat cruise along the Ohio, though carriage rides through downtown are a close second. If bridges make you nervous or you just want a different perspective on trans-riverine transit, take one of the ferries that regularly ply the Ohio.