How To Get To Rochester

InfoInfo
Search:    

How to get around once you get here? See Public Transit or Taxi Services. Looking to get away? See Excursions or Day Trips.

  1. By Car
    1. From Buffalo
    2. From Philadelphia
    3. From Toronto
    4. From New York City
      1. Route 1 (6 hours)
      2. Route 2 (7 hours)
  2. By Plane
  3. By Train
  4. By Boat
    1. Erie Canal
  5. By Bus
    1. Greyhound
    2. MegaBus
    3. Trailways NY
    4. Chinatown Bus
  6. Unconventional Means

By Car

From Buffalo

(about an hour trip)

From Philadelphia

(about a 5 1/2 hour trip)

From Toronto

(about a 3 1/2 hour trip)

From New York City

Route 1 (6 hours)

Route 2 (7 hours)

By Plane

Rochester has a modest airport that goes by the rather grandiose title Greater Rochester International Airport, and its airport code, ROC, inspired the name of this Wiki. The advantage to being out here in the sticks is that the airport is small and generally uncrowded. The disadvantage is that to get here you'll generally have to fly through a larger hub.

The airport is served by Air Canada, American Eagle, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and U.S. Airways. ROC is probably best connected to various airports in the New York City area:

Here is the [WWW]Current list of non-stop destinations.

Up-to-the-minute information on [WWW]ROC Arrivals and Departures.

The closest airports outside of Rochester are:

By Train

[WWW]Amtrak takes about 6 hours to New York's Penn Station. Rochester's Amtrak station is served on the following routes:

The complete route of the Lakeshore Limited:

a travelogue: [WWW]http://www.trainweb.org/amtrakpix/travelogues/50104A/50104A.html

By Boat

Erie Canal

By Bus

Greyhound

[WWW]Greyhound takes 6 to 7 hours to New York City (arriving in the basement of the Port Authority) and generally stops at Syracuse or [ithaca]Ithaca and Binghamton along the way. The station is located at 186 Cumberland Street, between the Inner Loop and the Amtrak station.

The route from NYC is as follows: Lincoln Tunnel->Rt 3->Rt 46->I-80W->I-81N->I-90W->I-490W. (The Ithaca route skips Syracuse and cuts across diagonally from just north of Binghamton).

MegaBus

[WWW]MegaBus is a low-cost bus service that is a cross between a Greyhound coach and a double-decker sightseeing bus. The earlier you book, the cheaper the fare, which ranges from $1 - $50 (approx). The ride is about 7 hours long. Currently, there is only one trip available daily from Rochester to NYC and vice versa.

NYC bus stops are at Penn Station and the Port Authority.
The Rochester bus stop is on the northeast side of the RIT Inn and Conference Center in Henrietta.

MegaBus rides are also available in other Western NY cities, certain Northeast and Midwest states, and Canada.

Trailways NY

[WWW]Trailways NY
Destinations are:

Note: Bus schedule is similar to that of Greyhound.

Chinatown Bus

A "Chinatown Bus" ([WWW]GoNYCBus) to New York City picks at [WWW]733 Monroe Ave at 10:15AM every day. The trip is $40.

In New York City, the bus leaves at 9AM every day from 3 Allen Street (no longer under the Manhattan Bridge) heading through Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo.

The Chinatown Bus was awarded "Best Way to Get to NYC at 1 a.m." in City Newspaper's 'Best Of Rochester' Critics' Choice Awards in 2008.1

[WWW]BusJunction is a search engine for discount bus tickets with routes to/from Rochester. Its listings include tickets from Megabus, Bolt Bus, and several of the Chinatown bus lines.

Unconventional Means