Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

Memphis International Airport (www.memphisairport.org; 2491 Winchester Rd) is 19km (12mi) southeast of downtown via I-55. Try City Wide Cab Company (tel: 901 324 4202) or Yellow Cab (tel: 901 577 7777). The Downtown Airport Shuttle (DASH; tel: 901 522 1677) serves most downtown hotels. Greyhound (tel: 901 523 1184; 203 Union Ave) runs frequent buses to Nashville (4hrs); Little Rock, AR; and New Orleans, LA (8-10hrs). Central Station (tel: 901 526 0052; 545 S Main St), the Amtrak terminal, has been restored to its original 1914 splendor. The City of New Orleans bus goes to Chicago, IL (10hr) and New Orleans, LA (9hr).

Getting around

If you wanted to explore Memphis beyond the downtown and Beale St areas, the easiest way is by car. Rental agencies are located at the airport.

Memphis is easy to get around by bicycle, provided you're not visiting during the sweltering summer, but rentals are hard to find. Cycling isn't part of the local culture, and there are no bike lanes or other special provisions for riders.

Local buses are run by the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA; tel:9017227171; www.matatransit.com). The Main Street Trolley (tel:9012746282) runs vintage trolley cars on a loop from the Amtrak station to the Pyramid via Main St and Riverside Dr.