Syracuse

Understand

Because of its proximity to Lake Ontario, Syracuse is the rainiest city in the US, if you count the number of days in which at least a tiny bit of precipitation falls. However, many of these are just short showers, and it doesn't add up to an unusual amount of water total. Still, if you're there longer than a couple of days, you are almost guaranteed to encounter some rain in this famously cloudy and wet city. Even during the drier parts of the year, you should check the weather forecast a few days before your arrival there, so you can see whether you need a rain jacket, an umbrella, or something more significant.

During the winter, you should expect snow, sometimes in very large quantities. The "lake effect" means that large amounts of snow gets dumped on Syracuse. If you'll be driving in the snow, prepare in advance to have chains or snow tires.

Get in

By train

• Routes stopping at Syracuse:

• Empire Service operating twice daily between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City including stops in Buffalo, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
• Maple Leaf operating daily between Toronto and New York City, in partnership with VIA Rail Canada. Stops between Toronto and Niagara Falls (New York) include in Oakville, Burlington, Grimsby, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls (Ontario). Stops between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City are the same as those made by the Empire Service. Border crossing processing takes place in Niagara Falls, where passengers must detrain with their baggage. Train crew members are staffed by VIA Rail within Canada, and by Amtrak within the United States.
• Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer). The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and New York City include Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, and Croton-on-Hudson.

By bus

Intercity buses stop at William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center, see "By train" above.

• Greyhound. Bus service from New York City (via Scranton, Binghamton, and Cortland), Boston (via Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Schenectady, and Utica), Cleveland (via Erie, Buffalo, and Rochester), and Toronto (via Buffalo). Very limited service to Ottawa, F Su only.

• Megabus. Service from New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, and Toronto.

By plane

Go Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)

Mostly served by Delta Air Lines/Delta Connection, United Express, and American Airlines. Limited service from JetBlue. Although an international airport, the only destinations served are domestic.

📍 1000 Colonel Eileen Collins Boulevard☎ +1 315-454-4330 (Airport Information), +1 315-454-3263 (City of Syracuse Department of Aviation)

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By car

Travel from the four cardinal directions is served by two Interstate highways.

• I-90 (New York State Thruway) from locations east (Albany, Boston) and west (Rochester, Buffalo), with service to downtown Syracuse via I-690
• I-81 from locations north (Watertown, Ottawa) and south (Binghamton, Scranton)

Get around

By car

A car is probably the best way to get around Syracuse, especially if you are going to places away from downtown. Thanks to its many Interstate highways (I-90, I-81, I-481, and I-690), nearly everywhere in the Syracuse area can be reached within a 20-minute drive. Make sure you have a map and pay attention to the street signs. There are some streets in the downtown area that go from being two-way to one-way, which is not always clear on a map.

On foot

You can walk to most of the destinations in downtown Syracuse from a parking lot or the Centro bus terminal.

By bicycle

Most of the downtown area is relatively flat, but keep in mind that the Syracuse University area has many steep hills and the residential areas surrounding downtown have quite a few hills as well. What some people will do is catch a ride on the bus downtown, placing their bike on the bike rack on the front of the bus and then use their bike once they reach downtown, thus avoiding the steep hills. E-bike rentals are available throughout the downtown area via Sync Bike Share.

By bus

The Centro Bus System provides a fair alternative to driving to most locations, with a fare of $2 within Syracuse and additional fares to outlying suburbs, such as to Auburn for $4 and to Oswego for $5. Buses can come sporadically, especially if you plan to ride the bus outside of Downtown Syracuse, so check the bus schedule online in advance. If you have to transfer to another bus, be sure to ask the bus driver for a transfer card so that you don't get stuck paying double fares for the same trip. Centro offers discounts for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and children. The buses are accessible to people with disabilities and the bus drivers are instructed to let a person with a physical disability on before letting other passengers on.

By taxi

There are several taxi services listed in the Syracuse phone book that you can choose from. It will usually take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes for a taxi to come pick you up but it can be useful if you missed the last bus of the day. At the airport there is usually no wait, as there is a well-frequented taxi stand at the end of Terminal A. Ride-hailing services including Lyft and Uber are also available.