Omaha

Introduction

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. The city has about 400,000 inhabitants, but the total metropolitan area is over twice as big.

Weather

Omaha, due to its latitude and location far from moderating bodies of water or mountain ranges, displays a humid continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters. July averages 24.8 °C, with moderate, but sometimes high humidity and relatively frequent thunderstorms, usually rather violent and capable of spawning severe weather or tornadoes; the January mean is -4.8 °C. The lowest temperature recorded in the city was -36 °C on January 5, 1884, and the highest 46 °C on July 25, 1936. Average yearly precipitation is 780 mm, falling mostly in the warmer months. What precipitation does fall in winter usually takes the form of snow, with average yearly snowfall being around 67 cm.

Getting There

By Plane

Eppley Airfield (OMA) near Omaha is Nebraska's largest airport. It offers flights to/from Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis, Memphis, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Cincinnati, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, St. Louis, Houston, Newark and Charlotte.

By Train

The California Zephyr, operated by Amtrak, travels between Chicago, Illinois and Emeryville (San Francisco), California, stopping in Omaha.

By Bus

Check Greyhound buses for options.

Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website