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Texas,
Travel - International
Air: International airports:
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) (website: www.dfwairport.com) is 27km (17 miles) from both cities (travel time – 35 minutes). The airport is the fourth-busiest in the USA and sixth-busiest in the world (2003 passenger rankings), annually serving over 52 million passengers. The airport itself is the size of Manhattan. Passenger shuttle vans provide a free transit link between terminals, while American Airlines and American Eagle passengers can use the Skylink High-Speed Train that connects Terminals A, B, C, E and DFW's future international Terminal D. Opened early in 2005, the new system keeps average ride times to five minutes, with a maximum ride time of nine minutes between the farthest distances. In addition, passengers wait an average of two minutes for the trains to arrive in the spacious stations that were contructed just for Skylink. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) no. 202 express bus runs from the North Shuttle Parking Lot to downtown; a free shuttle service is provided to the North Shuttle Parking Lot from all terminals. There are also free shuttles to the Trinity Railway Express commuter line, which links Dallas, Fort Worth and the airport. The Yellow Checker Shuttle Co. Airporter van runs to the city every 30 minutes. Taxis, shared-ride shuttles, limousines, courtesy cars and car hire are also available.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston (IAH) (website: www.houstonairportsystem.org) is 32km (20 miles) north of the city (travel time – 30 minutes). The Airport Express shuttle travels to the Galleria and downtown hotels (travel time – 45 minutes). Metro bus routes 101 and 102 operate every 30 minutes approximately 0500-2400 daily, dropping passengers off in downtown Houston. Taxis are also available, but expensive.
El Paso International Airport (ELP) (website: www.elpasointernationalairport.com) is 13km (8 miles) east of the city; it serves as a gateway to western Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Sun Metro runs daily bus services to the airport on route 33. Many hotels offer a complimentary shuttle service.
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) (website: www.sanantonio.gov/airport) is 14km (8.5 miles) from the city, with flights from Latin America and major US cities. Public buses and the more expensive SA Trans Shuttle run to the city centre (travel times - one hour and 20 minutes respectively). Taxis are also available.
Domestic airports: Dallas Love Field (DAL) is 9.5km (6 miles) from Dallas city centre. The airport is a hub for Southwest Airlines. DART bus 39 travels to downtown Dallas; shuttles and taxis are also available. Other primarily domestic airports include Amarillo International Airport, Austin Bergstrom International Airport, Corpus Christi International Airport, Laredo International Airport, Lubbock International Airport and William P Hobby Airport in Houston.
Approximate flight times: From Dallas/Fort Worth to Austin is 50 minutes, to London is nine hours, to Miami is two hours 40 minutes, and to New York is three hours 30 minutes. Flight times from Houston are similar.
Rail: Amtrak (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll-free); website: www.amtrak.com) journeys between main cities are difficult and (except for Dallas to Fort Worth) can only be made on the long-distance trains. The daily Texas Eagle service from Chicago passes through Dallas and Fort Worth on its way to San Antonio, where transfers to Los Angeles are possible on the thrice-weekly Sunset Limited, which arrives from Orlando via New Orleans and Houston. The daily Heartland Flyer links Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.
Road: Greyhound (tel: (800) 229 9424 (toll-free); website: www.greyhound.com) runs frequent services connecting Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and other major towns and cities in Texas and further afield. Bus services off the main routes are not highly developed.
Approximate bus travel times: From Dallas/Fort Worth to Oklahoma City is four hours 30 minutes, to Houston is four hours 30 minutes, to San Antonio is six hours, to Tulsa is seven hours, to Amarillo is eight hours, to Memphis is 13 hours 30 minutes, to New Orleans is 13 hours and to El Paso is 13 hours.
From Houston (tel: (713) 759 6581) to San Antonio is four hours, to Dallas is four hours 30 minutes and to New Orleans is eight hours 30 minutes.
Approximate driving times: From Dallas/Fort Worth to Oklahoma City is four hours 30 minutes, to Houston is four hours 30 minutes, to San Antonio is six hours, to Little Rock is seven hours, to Amarillo is seven hours, to Kansas City is seven hours, to Jackson is eight hours, to New Orleans is 10 hours, to El Paso is 12 hours, to St Louis is 13 hours, to Denver is 16 hours, to Chicago is 19 hours, to Mexico City is 24 hours, to Miami is 28 hours, to Los Angeles is 29 hours, to New York is 33 hours, and to Seattle is 44 hours.
From Houston to San Antonio is four hours, to Brownsville is seven hours, to New Orleans is seven hours, to El Paso is 15 hours, to Chicago is 24 hours, to Miami is 25 hours, and to Los Angeles is 31 hours. All times are based on non-stop driving at or below the applicable speed limits.
Urban: Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) (website: www.dart.org) provides a convenient light-rail service with two north–south lines passing through the city centre. DART also runs the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth; buses between the cities are operated by Greyhound (see above). DART also operates the city’s local bus network, which is well run and reasonably priced. DART services run daily 0500-0030. The McKinney Trolley runs a route between the Dallas Museum of Art in downtown Dallas to the West End Historic District. In Fort Worth, The T operates both the bus network and the Longhorn Trolley service, which runs between various tourist attractions and hotels. Most major car hire companies have offices in both cities and motor campers are available for hire. Houston’s Metropolitan Transport Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) (website: www.ridemetro.org) provides reasonably priced bus services. The METRORail light-rail system, running 12km (7.5 miles) from downtown Houston to south of Reliant Park, opened in January 2004. The train serves 16 stations with transfers to METRO buses available. This new system is a massive step forward for Houston and will hopefully relieve some of the congestion in the city, although there have been complaints about the slow speed of the trains and the short distance covered. Taxis are readily available, but can be impractical and expensive for short distances. Car hire is the best way to get around, but visitors are advised to make advance reservations as the demand is high.
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Flights
Austin, TX (AUS-Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)
Dallas, TX (DFW-Dallas-Fort Worth)
El Paso, TX (ELP-El Paso Intl.)
Houston, TX (HOU-Hobby)
Houston, TX (IAH-Bush Intercontinental)
San Antonio, TX (SAT-San Antonio Intl.)
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Cars
Austin, TX (AUS-Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)
Dallas, TX (DFW-Dallas-Fort Worth)
El Paso, TX (ELP-El Paso Intl.)
Houston, TX (HOU-Hobby)
Houston, TX (IAH-Bush Intercontinental)
San Antonio, TX (SAT-San Antonio Intl.)
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Hotels
Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Irving, Fort Worth, El Paso, Arlington, Corpus Christi, Amarillo, Plano
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Holidays
Dallas, Houston
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