Nashville Travel Guide

By Plane

Nashville (airport code: BNA) is served by the following major airlines: American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300); Continental (tel. 800/525-0280); Delta (tel. 800/221-1212); Northwest-KLM (tel. 800/225-2525); Southwest (tel. 800/435-9792); United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522); and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322).

Southwest is the city's largest carrier, with some 87 daily flights out of the city. Most Southwest flights will depart and arrive from the airport's Concourse C. Southwest Airlines also offers air/hotel packages. For details, visit Southwest Airlines Vacations online at www.swavacations.com, or call tel. 800/423-5683.

Memphis is served by the following airlines: American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300); Delta (tel. 800/221-1212); KLM (tel. 800/374-7747); Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525); Southwest (tel. 800/435-9792); United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522); and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322).

Northwest has a hub in Memphis and is the city's largest carrier. It's also your best bet for package deals. For details, visit Northwest Airlines online at www.nwavacations.com, or call tel. 800/225-2525.

Immigration & Customs Clearance -- Foreign visitors arriving by air, no matter what the port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. U.S. airports have considerably beefed up security clearances in the years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and clearing Customs and Immigration can take as long as 2 hours.

People traveling by air from Canada, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries can sometimes clear Customs and Immigration at the point of departure, which is much faster.

Getting into Nashville from the Airport -- Nashville International Airport (tel. 615/275-1675) is located about 8 miles east of downtown Nashville and is just south of I-40. It takes about 15 minutes to reach downtown Nashville from the airport. Many hotels near the airport offer a complimentary shuttle service, while others slightly farther away have their own fee shuttles; check with your hotel when you make your reservation.

The Gray Line Airport Express (tel. 615/275-1180) operates shuttles between the airport and downtown and West End hotels. These shuttles operate from the airport every 15 to 20 minutes daily between 6am and 11pm; in addition to the hotels listed below, a few other hotels are on call. The downtown shuttle stops at the following hotels: Hilton, Union Station, Courtyard by Marriott (Fourth and Church), Holiday Inn Express, Renaissance Nashville Hotel, Nashville Sheraton, Westin Hermitage, and Doubletree Hotel Nashville. The West End shuttle stops at the following hotels: Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel, Embassy Suites-West End, Holiday Inn Select, Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott-Vanderbilt, Guest House Inn, Hampton Inn-Vanderbilt, Hampton Inn and Suites-Elliston Place, and Days Inn-Vanderbilt. Rates are $11 one-way and $17 round-trip.

Metropolitan Transit Authority buses connect the airport and downtown Nashville. The no. 18 Elm Hill Pike bus runs between 8:13am and 5:33pm Monday to Friday (shorter hours and fewer departures on Saturday and Sunday). The adult, base fare is $1.45 each way, with exact change required, and the ride takes approximately 40 minutes. Buses from the airport leave at the ground-level curbside. Buses for the airport leave from Shelter C at Deaderick Street and Fourth Avenue. For the most current schedule information, call tel. 615/862-5950 Monday to Friday 6:30am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm.

Metered taxi fare from the airport into downtown Nashville will cost you a $20 flat rate, or a few dollars more from the airport to West End hotels. Taxis are available on the ground level of the airport terminal. For information, call the Transportation Licensing Commission (TLC) at tel. 615/862-6777.

By Car

Nashville is a hub city intersected by three interstate highways. I-65 runs north to Louisville, Kentucky, and south to Birmingham, Alabama. I-40 runs west to Memphis and east to Knoxville, Tennessee. I-24 runs northwest toward St. Louis and southeast toward Atlanta. Downtown Nashville is the center of the hub, encircled by interstates 40, 65, and 265. Briley Parkway on the east, north, and west and I-440 on the south form a larger "wheel" around this hub.

If you're heading into downtown Nashville, follow the signs for I-65/24 and take either exit 84 or exit 85. If you're headed to Music Valley (Opryland Hotel), take I-40 east to the Briley Parkway exit and head north. If your destination is the West End/Music Row area, take I-40 around the south side of downtown and get off at the Broadway exit.

Here are some driving distances from selected cities: Atlanta, 250 miles; Chicago, 442 miles; Cincinnati, 291 miles; Memphis, 210 miles; New Orleans, 549 miles; and St. Louis, 327 miles.

Memphis lies at the southwestern tip of Tennessee, bordering Mississippi and Arkansas. Interstate 40 connects Memphis with Nashville to the east and Little Rock, Ark., to the west. Interstate 55 connects Memphis with Mississippi to the south and St. Louis, Mo., to the north. Both interstates intersect with I-240, which loops around the city's north, east and southern suburbs. The western edge of downtown Memphis is the Mississippi River.

For Memphis, here are some driving distances from other cities: Atlanta, 390 miles; Chicago, 534 miles; Little Rock 135 miles; New Orleans, 395 miles; St. Louis, 284 miles.

If you are a member of the American Automobile Association (AAA) and your car breaks down, call tel. 800/222-4357 for 24-hour emergency road service. The local AAA office in Nashville is at 2501 21st Ave. S., Suite 1 (tel. 615/297-7700), and is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.

By Bus

Greyhound Lines (tel. 800/231-2222) offers service to Nashville from around the country. These buses operate along interstate corridors or local routes. The fare between New York and Nashville is about $117 one-way and $206 round-trip; the fare between Chicago and Nashville is about $77 one-way and $152 round-trip. The Greyhound bus station is on the south side of downtown Nashville at 200 Eighth Ave. S.

Greyhound service between New York and Memphis costs about $63 one-way and $136 round-trip; the fare between Chicago and Memphis is $82 one-way and $154 round-trip. The Greyhound bus station is in downtown Memphis, at 203 Union Ave.

From Atlanta, Georgia, round-trip fares are $139 to Memphis and $99 to Nashville.

By Train

Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245) serves Memphis (but not Nashville) with a route that goes from Chicago through Memphis to New Orleans on the City of New Orleans. If you arrive in Memphis on an Amtrak train, you'll find yourself at Central Station, 545 S. Main St. (tel. 901/526-0052), near Calhoun Street. This historic railway station has been completely renovated into a combination transportation center with public bus and Main Street Trolley connections and retail complex. However, the neighborhood around the station remains quite run-down. The area is not safe on foot, especially after dark. If arriving by train, you should take a cab or the Main Street Trolley to your hotel.