Norfolk

Understand

Norfolk has always been a Navy town, home to the world's largest naval base.

Town Point Park is a waterfront park area right downtown that hosts several festivals and events throughout the year.

Granby Street is the main downtown thoroughfare, lined with restaurants and bars.

Ghent is a historic district adjacent to downtown. Filled with historic homes, tree-lined streets and beautiful old churches, it is a good mix of residential and business. Colley Avenue and 21st Street are the main shopping and dining areas, with dozens of locally-owned boutiques, shops, antique stores, restaurants and bars. The Naro theater on Colley Avenue is the region's sole movie theater with indie flicks.

Ocean View is Norfolk's beach community, and features relatively uncrowded beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. During the 1950s and 1960s, Ocean View was in its prime and was a major beach destination for families and sailors. During the following decades, the beach community fell into a bit of a slump, succumbing to crime. The city has been turning things around and now Ocean View is on its way to becoming one of the region's most sought-after neighborhoods.

Neighboring cities are Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth.

Climate

The climate is humid subtropical with cool winters and long, hot, and humid summers. In the summer months heat indices average around 94°F during the day and 74°F at night. On some particularly hot and sweltering days, the temperature can climb as high as 107°F during the day and 81°F at night.

Tourist information

• Visit Norfolk website

Get in

By plane

• Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) is another option which may save you money. It is about 20 minutes north of the city in Newport News, Virginia.

By car

Hampton Roads is only second in the state to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. for horrendous traffic, especially during the summer season when many tourists throughout the United States and Canada flock to the beaches of Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Be aware of the alternative of I-664/Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel instead of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, where back ups of more than 40-50 minutes usually occur, long before rush hour even begins.

Route 460 is an alternative to the heavily used I-64 route. 460 extends from Petersburg, VA (just south of Richmond, VA) to Chesapeake (a suburb city to the Hampton Roads area) and you can easily connect from 460 onto the major beltway at the I-664 and I-64 interchange.

Interstate 64 will bring you to Norfolk from points west.

By train

Amtrak runs one daily passenger train into the Norfolk train station via the Northeast Regional route. An alternative way into Norfolk is another spur of the Northeast Regional route which terminates at Newport News. Amtrak runs Thruway buses from the Newport News train station to Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

By bus

Greyhound runs many buses through Norfolk daily. The Greyhound Bus Stop is in downtown Norfolk.

In addition, there are Chinatown buses that run through Norfolk. These buses come from New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and other locations in the Northeastern USA.

By boat

Norfolk is accessible by private boats via the Intracoastal Waterway, from the Elizabeth River and the Chesapeake Bay. Overnight docking is available at [https://watersidemarina.com/ Waterside Marina] in downtown Norfolk.

Get around

By bus

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) operates the bus service in Norfolk. There are many routes in Norfolk, and the service can get you to almost any spot in Norfolk. Most buses run seven days a week early morning to late evening, and are relatively reliable. The fare is $2.00 for a single trip. $4.50 will get you an all-day pass which is usable on most buses, the ferry, and Tide Light Rail. Certain express buses cost more ($4.00 single, $2.00 supplement on a regular all-day pass, $7.50 for an all-day express pass). Bus drivers do not carry cash, so be sure to bring the exact fare for each rider.

By boat

Hampton Roads Transit runs a passenger ferry from Portsmouth. Service is seven days a week and runs every half hour with more frequent service during rush hours. The fare is $2.00 one way, and $4.50 for an all-day pass. The ferry's crew does not carry cash, so be sure to bring the exact fare for each rider.

There is also a privately run boat taxi that will take you around the Norfolk and Portsmouth waterfronts. The fare is 7 dollars per person. Call 757-439-8294 and the captain will pick you up anywhere on the waterfront.

By light rail

The Tide Light Rail, a light rail line, extends from the Newtown area at the Norfolk/Virginia Beach border to Downtown Norfolk and Sentara Hospital by the Midtown Tunnel. The Tide runs seven days a week every half hour with service increasing to every ten minutes during rush hours. The Tide is air-conditioned and has free WiFi access.

The fare is $2.00 one way, and $4.50 for an all-day pass which is usable on the Tide, the ferry and HRT buses. All-day passes, multiple-day passes, single ride and multiple ride tickets are sold at vending machines, which are located at every station. The ticket vending machines accept cash, debit cards and credit cards. The light rail is operated on the honor system, meaning that there is no one to check your ticket before you get on the Tide. However, the trains are monitored by uniformed police officers who will check for tickets. Riding the light rail without a valid ticket can cost you a $250 fine.

By car

If you must drive around the city, a good map and/or a local with knowledge of the roads is an absolute necessity. Stay on interstates for as long as possible, for once you leave, any signage is the responsibility of the city, not VDOT, and it shows. If your directions tell you to follow US 58, US 460 or state route 337 through the city, be prepared for a nerve-wracking drive. Directional signage (i.e., US 460 east, turn left) is virtually non-existent, and what signage does exist is more often than not inadequate or even incorrect. If there is a difference between signage and a map, the map is correct. Routes can and do change direction and shoot off onto side streets at a moment's notice, often without any signage advising travelers as to which road to follow. It is much easier than you might think to miss a turn and end up in a dangerous area.

Learn

Norfolk has three public and one private universities, plus a community college:

Stay safe

Crime levels have lowered since the 1990s, but is still higher than the national average. Use caution at night, especially alone, as there's been a recent spike in violence in the Granby Street area at night. Make sure to lock your car doors, as car theft is not uncommon.

As the city is close to sea level, intense rain or high winds often can cause localized flooding on roads especially near the downtown area.

Go next

• Virginia Beach
• Take the ferry to Portsmouth
• Take a cruise from Norfolk to Bermuda or the Caribbean. Ships depart from the downtown waterfront.