Richmond (Virginia)

Introduction

Richmond is the capital of Virginia, United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. The population within the city limits is just over 200,000, with an estimated population of about 1,270,000 for the Richmond Metropolitan Area — making it the third largest in Virginia.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Richmond has a humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and generally mild winters. The coldest weather normally occurs from late December to early February, and the January daily mean temperature is 3.2 °C. The July daily mean temperature is 26.2 °C. Precipitation is rather uniformly distributed throughout the year. Annual snowfall, is usually light averaging 27 cm per season. Hurricanes passing near Richmond have produced record rainfalls. In 1955, three hurricanes brought record rainfall to Richmond within a six-week period. The most noteworthy of these were Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane that brought heavy rains five days apart. And in 2004, the downtown area suffered extensive flood damage after the remnants of Hurricane Gaston dumped up to 300 mm of rainfall. Damaging storms occur mainly from snow and freezing rain in winter and from hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms in other seasons. Damage may be from wind, flooding, or rain, or from any combination of these. Tornadoes are infrequent but some notable occurrences have been observed within the Richmond area.

Getting There

By Plane

Richmond International Airport (RIC) has flights to/from Toronto, Orlando, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Freeport, Cincinnati, New York, Minneapolis, Detroit, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Cleveland, Houston, Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Philadelphia.

By Train

Several Amtrak trains travel to and from Richmond, Virginia:

• The Carolinian/Piedmont between New York and Charlotte, North Carolina.
• The Northeast Regional between Boston and Newport News, Virginia.
• The Silver Service/Palmetto between New York and Tampa/Miami.

By Car

By Bus

Check Greyhound buses for options.

By Boat

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.

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

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 Website