Overview
Chesapeake is a town of 245,000 people (2019) in the Hampton Roads region of Eastern Virginia. Chesapeake is a diverse city in which a few urban areas are located; it also has many square miles of protected farmland, forests, and wetlands, including a substantial portion of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
2 sights · 1 places to eat · 8 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Chesapeake
Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Historic Park
Chesapeake Arboretum
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. Summer highs reach about 89°F; winter lows dip to about 34°F. Wettest: Jul and Aug. (climate data from nearby Norfolk)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- ORF Norfolk International Airport, Norfolk — 7 mi away (major hub). Directions
- PHF Newport News Williamsburg International Airport, Newport News — 25 mi away. Directions
Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Historic Park
- Lunch Broken Egg Bistro
- Afternoon Chesapeake Arboretum
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get around
Like with most of the Hampton Roads area, it is difficult to get around Chesapeake without the use of a car. Hampton Roads Transit does service some areas of the city, which can be found here HRT. There are numerous road systems that are available to get in and out of Chesapeake. The most popular of these is the Hampton Roads belt way, which consists of I-64 (on the east side of the city), I-664 (on the west side of the city), and I-464 on the Norfolk/Chesapeake border. US-13/460/58 is the system of roads that connect Chesapeake to Suffolk and provide service to other parts of the state. US-13 connects to Northeastern North Carolina; US-460 connects to Petersburg; US-58 connects to Emporia and Southside Virginia. VA-168, also known as the Chesapeake Express way (or bypass to locals) provides service to south Chesapeake and to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and is the only toll road in the Hampton Roads area. The toll for the Express way is located on the border between Virginia and North Carolina, travellers are not obligated to pay the toll unless they stay on the road that goes through the toll station.
The Hampton roads area, especially in Chesapeake, is known for the numerous bridges and tunnels, which can be confusing to anyone not familiar with the local roads. Chesapeake has several bridges over the Elizabeth River, and it is crucial to know which one to take in order to avoid long delays or getting lost.
See
Do
- Cinema Cafe, 1864 Edinburgh Ln. Movie watching with menu service.
Eat
Eat Broken Egg Bistro
Consistently voted "best breakfast in Chesapeake," Broken Egg Bistro turns out some of the best breakfast in all of Hampton Roads. Also has a great lunch menu with a large selection of speciality sandwiches and burgers.
Sleep
Nearby
Portsmouth
City / town · 20 listings · 2 mi away
Norfolk
City / town · 42 listings · 8 mi away
Hampton
City / town · 17 listings · 15 mi away
Virginia Beach
City / town · 54 listings · 17 mi away
Carrollton
City / town · 21 listings · 18 mi away
Suffolk
City / town · 7 listings · 18 mi away
Newport News
City / town · 27 listings · 21 mi away
Carova
City / town · 3 listings · 29 mi away
My experience
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