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Arriving and Departing:
By Air:
Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) is the major airport serving Palm Beach
County. It is located 3 miles southwest of the West Palm Beach central Business
District and is easily accessible from I-95. PBIA is one of the largest medium
hub airports in the United States with a total of 24 airlines serving the airport.
About 205 flights arrive and depart daily from PBIA with more than 5.8 million
passengers going through the airport each year.
In addition, PBIA offers many other services including Customs Port of Entry,
Immigration, private aircraft maintenance, air cargo and international air.
For general airport information, call 471-7420
target="_blank">More Info
There are also
three local executive airports serving the Palm Beaches. They are:
Boca Raton Airport - A 5,200-foot runway in South Palm Beach County with
easy access to I-95.
Lantana Airport - A 3,500-foot runway in Central Palm Beach County.
North County Airport - A 4,300-foot runway in the northwest section of
Palm Beach County.
Flying time to Palm Beach is 2 3/4 hours from New York City and 2 3/4 hours
from Chicago.
Transfers Between the Airport and Town:
By Bus:
Route 10 of Tri-Rail Commuter Bus Service ( 800/874-7245) runs from the airport
to Tri-Rail's nearby Palm Beach airport station daily.
CoTran Route 4-S operates from the airport to downtown West Palm Beach every
two hours at 35 minutes after the hour from 7:35 until 5:35.
Taxi and Airport shuttle are the most reliable ways to travel from the airport
to one's destination in the Palm Beaches.
By Car:
A car is essential for travelling around the vast area. Public transportation
outside the city centre is limited. Amtrak and Greyhound offer service in and
out of West Palm Beach, and Tri-Rail has service stopping near towns and airports
between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The Tri-Rail tracks parallel Interstate
highway 95, which takes the train considerably east or west (depending on the
destination) of the city centres.
A shuttle bus system is necessary to transport riders from the train to the
populated areas.
I-95 runs north-south, linking West Palm Beach with Miami and Fort Lauderdale
to the south, and with Daytona, Jacksonville, and the rest of the Atlantic coast
to the north. To get to central Palm Beach, exit at Southern Boulevard or Okeechobee
Boulevard. Florida's Turnpike runs from Miami through the far western part of
West Palm Beach before angling northwest to Orlando.
Major Highways:
Interstate 95 is a six lane, busy highway that always seems to be undergoing
major construction. An alternate route is the Florida Turnpike which runs west
of the population centres. The advantage of this toll road, is that it is far
less crowded and is less cluttered by construction. Route 1 was the main (two
lane) highway in the early days. It is slow going on Route 1, though it has
been widened.
By Taxi:
Palm Beach Transportation 689-4222 provides taxi and limousine service from
PBIA. Reserve at least a day in advance for a limousine. Wheelchair-accessible
vehicles are available.
Tri Rail:
Tri-County Commuter Rail Authority (Tri-Rail) serves Palm Beach, Dade and Broward
counties with north and south bound train service seven days a week. The trains
make 18 stops between Mangonia Park and Miami. Tri-Rail stations are served
by dedicated shuttle buses, interconnecting county transit buses or Metrorail.
Tri-Rail is an enjoyable way to travel to many popular attractions and destinations
in all three counties.
In addition to providing a commuter rail system, Tri-Rail offers service to
all three county airports and supplies service to many special events, such
as the Superbowl and the Coconut Grove Art Festival. With numerous festivals
and sporting events throughout South Florida, Tri-Rail offers safe, comfortable
and economical transportation to many of these events. For details, schedule
information and rates, call 1-800-TRI-RAIL or click here for More Info
Bus:
Palm Tran, a countywide bus system, runs from Boca Raton to Palm Beach Gardens
and into the Western Communities and the Glades. The pink and aqua collared
buses provide residents and visitors with an affordable mode of transportation.
For more information on specific routes and time schedules, call Palm Tran at
233-4BUS in the north county and 930-4BUS in the south county.
Palm Tran's downtown Shuttle Loop System offers free transportation between
office buildings, restaurants, businesses and parking facilities located within
downtown West Palm Beach. The shuttle runs Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.
until 4 p.m. along Clematis Street. Palm Tran makes numerous stops in downtown
West Palm Beach with a vehicle scheduled to stop every 10 minutes.
The Downtown Transfer Facility (Banyan Blvd. and Clearlake Dr., West Palm Beach),
off Australian Avenue at the west entrance to downtown, links the downtown shuttle,
Amtrak, Tri-Rail (the commuter line of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties),
CoTran (the county bus system), Greyhound, and taxis. For more information,
call the Downtown Development Authority at 833-8873.
Greyhound/Trailways
The Greyhound terminal in West Palm Beach is located in the Seaboard Train Station
at 201 South Tamarind Avenue. The station provides convenient access to passengers
and easy connection with other modes of travel, including Amtrak, local public
transit and Tri-Rail.
Greyhound offers approximately 25 schedules a day to destinations such as Orlando,
New York City, Atlanta and other cities nationwide.
For schedule and route information, contact Greyhound at (800) 231-2222, or
click here for More Info
Rail:
Amtrak departs from the historic Seaboard Train Station at 201 S. Tamarind Avenue,
in downtown West Palm Beach, to destinations throughout the United States. For
further information, call 832-6169 or 1-800-USA-RAIL. More Info
CSX Freight Lines and FEC, provide daily service to the Palm Beaches. CSX Freight
Lines and FEC were Palm Beach County's first method of mass transportation.
FEC is Florida's East Coast Railroad system.
Roads:
There are several major highways that provide direct access through the Palm
Beaches. The Florida Turnpike, U.S. Highway 1, Military Trail, State Road 7
and I-95 are heavily travelled, especially during peak traffic hours morning
and evening.
Water:
The Port of Palm Beach ranks fourth among Florida's deep water ports in container
import and export activity. Docking facilities include 25 berths along 5,160
feet of bulk heading, two slips, four wharves and six Ro/Ro ramps. Storage includes
nearly 200,000 square-feet of warehouse space for bulk and breakbulk cargoes,
along with 43 acres of open storage and a 100,000 square-foot cold storage warehouse.
The Port of Palm Beach is centrally located, giving Port users access to all
major transportation arteries serving South Florida. The Port of Palm Beach
plays a dominant role in exporting high-value general commodities. For more
information, call 842-4201.
Trolley:
The city offers free trolley rides between Clematis Street and CityPlace. The
three trolleys are encircled with brass rails. Each seats 26 passengers on two
benches facing outward. The trolleys were designed without sides so that pedestrians
can jump on and off without making the trolleys stop. In November, 2000, it’s
first month of operation, ridership numbers recorded by drivers of the trolleys
was: 31,730 passengers. The trolleys have continued to increase in popularity.
By Bus:
Palmtran ( 233-4287) buses require exact change. Service operates from 5:25
AM to 8:55 PM. Call for schedules, routes, and rates for multiple-ride punch
cards.
By Car:
U.S. 1 threads north-south along the coast, connecting most coastal communities,
while the more scenic Route A1A ventures out onto the barrier islands. The interstate,
I-95, runs parallel to U.S. 1 but a bit farther inland.
A non-stop four-lane route, Okeechobee Boulevard carries traffic from west of
downtown West Palm Beach, near the Amtrak station in the airport district, directly
to the Flagler Memorial Bridge and into Palm Beach.
The best way to get to Lake Okeechobee from West Palm is to drive west on Southern
Boulevard from I-95 past the cut-off road to Lion Country Safari. From there
the boulevard is designated U.S. 98/441.
Have you been to West Palm Beach and know about some more great highlights worth a mention? Add details for other visitors to read about.
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