Hampton Roads, Virginia travel guide: things to do, food & where to stay

Overview

Hampton Roads is a region that encompasses the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metropolitan area in southeastern Virginia surrounding a body of water with the same name. It is home to two important living history museum: Colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown Settlement. The region has many beaches, waterways, and hiking and biking trails.

Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage

Plan your trip

Best time to visit & weather

Most comfortable: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. Summer highs reach about 90°F; winter lows dip to about 32°F. Very hot (Jul) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Aug and Sep. (climate data from nearby Newport News)

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 — 10 mi away (major hub). Directions
PHF Newport News Williamsburg International Airport, Newport News — 13 mi away. Directions

Hampton Roads is served by Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Norfolk and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) in Newport News.

Full “Get in” guide ↓

Budget & where to stay

No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.

Sample 3-day trip

Day 1: Colonial Williamsburg — Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, Anderson's Blacksmith Shop & Public Armoury, Apothecary.
Day 2: Virginia Beach — Cape Henry Lighthouse, First Landing Cross, Association for Research and Enlightenment.
Day 3: Norfolk — Chrysler Museum of Art, Nauticus - National Maritime Center, West Freemason Street Area Historic District.

Built from the best-covered destinations in this region; open each for its own day plan.

Places in Hampton Roads

Colonial Williamsburg

City / town · 67 listings

Virginia Beach

City / town · 54 listings

Norfolk

City / town · 42 listings

Williamsburg

City / town · 34 listings

Newport News

City / town · 27 listings

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

City / town · 25 listings

Carrollton

City / town · 21 listings

Portsmouth

City / town · 20 listings

Hampton

City / town · 17 listings

Smithfield

Place · 16 listings

Chesapeake

City / town · 11 listings

Gloucester Courthouse

City / town · 11 listings

Suffolk

City / town · 7 listings

Understand

Hampton Roads has an important role in the early history of the United States, from the first English settlements in the New World in the 17th century, to the battlegrounds of the American War of Independence, and the American Civil War. See From Plymouth to Hampton Roads and From St. Augustine to Hampton Roads for a historical approach to the region.

In 2020, it had about 1.8 million inhabitants. It comprises the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, and York, plus the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg. The US federal government also includes Currituck County, North Carolina in its definition of the metropolitan area.

Visit Coastal Virginia tourism website

Cities

Virginia law sharply distinguishes between cities and towns. Municipalities incorporated as "cities" are completely separate from counties; "towns" are located within counties. All of the locations listed below are in fact cities except for the towns of Carrollton, Gloucester Courthouse and Smithfield.

Carrollton (Virginia) — a bedroom community for Norfolk
Chesapeake
Gloucester Courthouse
Hampton
Newport News
Norfolk
Portsmouth
Smithfield, known for Smithfield Ham
Suffolk
Virginia Beach, the largest city of Virginia and Hampton Roads, known for its beaches
Williamsburg, the home of Colonial Williamsburg (a living history museum), one of America's oldest colleges, and a Busch Gardens

Other destinations

Place Virginia Peninsula

is the region between the York and James rivers.

Maps

Place Yorktown

Famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Charles Cornwallis, which ended the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781.

Maps

Get in

By plane

Hampton Roads is served by Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Norfolk and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) in Newport News.

By train

Amtrak has stations in Williamsburg, Norfolk, and Newport News.

By bus

Greyhound stops in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk, and Williamsburg. Megabus stops in Hampton.

See

Colonial Williamsburg is a living history museum in the historic district of the town of Williamsburg that recreates Virginia's 18th-century capital as it appeared preceding and during the American Revolution

The Jamestown Settlement is another living history museum in the Williamsburg area.