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Sonoran Desert in bloom, Phoenix

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United States of America

Travel to Phoenix

Flying to Phoenix

Many airlines fly to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport including British Airways, KLM, Delta, United, Continental, Air Canada and Air France. Nearly all international routes will require at least one connecting flight. Phoenix enjoys good weather throughout the year so there isn’t really a peak tourist season, but try to book out of school holidays to get the best deals on flights.

Flight times: 

From London - 10 hours 35 mins; from New York -- 5 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles -- 1 hour 15 minutes; from Toronto -- 4 hours 40 minutes; and from Sydney -- 17 hours.

Travel by road

Summary:

Phoenix is a car-oriented city and is built, as with many American cities, on a grid system that makes working out how to get around fairly easy. Obviously, as with all of North America, drive on the right. One quirk that European drivers may not be used to is that drivers are permitted to turn right through a red light as long as there is no traffic coming from their left, or unless it is signed as prohibited. This ‘right turn on red’ rule treats a traffic signal as a give way junction and helps to ease congestion within built up cities. Maximum speed limits in and around Phoenix are 120kph (75mph) on rural interstates, 105kph (65mph) on urban interstates and 88kph (55mph) on other roads. In business or residential districts, a limit of 48kph (30mph) applies. Drivers may drive on international licences, but must have insurance for their vehicle.

Emergency breakdown service:

The Arizona Automobile Association (tel: (1) 800 633 3332; www.aaa.com) provides insurance and breakdown recovery for members.

Routes:

The Interstate 10 connects with Los Angeles to the west, Interstate 17 connects with Flagstaff to the north, and then continues south to Tucson. These roads are all well-maintained and generally have at least two lanes available to traffic in each direction.

Driving times:

Driving time to Phoenix from Los Angeles is 6 hours; from Flagstaff is 2 hours 30 minutes; from Tucson is 2 hours; from New York is 39 hours; from Las Vegas is 5 hours 30 minutes.

Coaches:

The main coach company across the US is Greyhound (tel: 1 800 231 2222; www.greyhound.com). They operate a 24-hour coach station at 2115 East Buckeye, Phoenix. Greyhound coaches link every major city in the US as well as most of the smaller ones. Another good-value option is Arizona Shuttle (tel: 800 888 2749; www.arizonashuttle.com).

Travel by rail

Services:

There is currently no national passenger rail service to Phoenix, even thought there is still a station building.
However, it is still possible to get close to Phoenix by Amtrak train, stopping your rail journey in a nearby major city and then taking a bus or coach on the remaining leg of your trip. This can be a quicker option than travelling long distance by coach, and have the advantage over air of allowing you to soak in the scenery.

Operators:

Trains to nearby cities are run by the national rail network Amtrak (tel: (1) 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com) and then connect by Amtrak Thru-Way or Greyhound bus. The best city for you to catch the train to is dependent upon where you are travelling from, but popular options are Tuscon, Flagstaff and Maricopa because they have good Greyhound bus links (tel: (1) 800 231 2222; www.greyhound.com).

Journey times:

Journey times to nearby railway stations are around the following: average trip from New York is 57 hours; from Los Angeles is 10 hours 21 minutes; from San Francisco is 22 hours 56 minutes; from Las Vegas is 9 hours 13 minutes; from Denver is 17 hour 16 minutes.

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