Tampa

Introduction

Tampa is situated on the north shore of Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. The metropolitan area of which it is a part, is usually referred to as the "Tampa Bay Area". The largest city in the greater West Central Florida region, it is also the county seat of Hillsborough county. A 2008 estimate^[1] puts the city's population at 340,882. To the west of the bay lies Saint Petersburg, a popular tourist destination, while Bradenton is on the southern shore of the Bay Area.

Neighbourhoods

• Downtown Tampa
• New Tampa
• North Tampa
• East Tampa
• West Tampa
• South Tampa

Sights and Activities

• Busch Gardens - Based on African themes, the park is full of animals, live shows and thrilling rides. The park claims to have some of the tallest, longest and fastest roller-coasters in America: Kumba, SheiKra, Gwazi and the inverted Montu. And for those looking for a more relaxed type of entertainment, the safari will take them across the wild life of Africa, with more than 2,500 animals to see.
• Museum of Science and Industry - Aiming to combine fun and science, MOSI includes 450 hands-on activities, including an IMAX theatre, a butterfly garden, Disasterville and the Sky Trail ropes course.
• Florida Aquarium
• Tampa Museum of Art
• Tampa Theatre
• Lowry Park Zoo
• Ybor City State Museum

Events and Festivals

• Gasparilla Pirate Festival
• Guavaween

Weather

Tampa has a tropical climate with warm to hot weather and humid conditions year-round, though there are some seasonal differences regarding temperatures. Summers last from May to October with average highs of 29-32 °C and nights in the 20-24 °C range. This is also the wettest time of the year, especially from June to mid-September with an average amount of 150-200 mm a month, accounting for around 60% of the annual amount of 1,150 mm in just 4 months. From November to April, temperatures are a much more pleasant 22-27 °C on average during the day with nights mostly between 12 °C and 16 °C. It's mostly dry and sunny with occasional rainshowers though. This obviously is the best season if you want to do more than just lazying around.

Getting There

By Plane

Tampa International Airport (IATA: TPA, ICAO: KTPA, FAA LID: TPA) is located around 11 kilometres from Tampa's CBD. A few dozen of airlines serve the airport, mainly on domestic routes, but there are a few interesting alternatives on international routes, like the one to London Gatwick Airport.

By Train

The Silver Service/Palmetto, operated by Amtrak, travels between New York and Tampa.

By Car

By Bus

Greyhound offers bus connections throughout Florida and some further beyond.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

There are numerous car rental facilities at both the airport as well as several places in Tampa itself, including downtown. 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

There is a trolley bus system in Tampa, which has the following lines running in the CBD area:

• The purple line runs north-south from I-275, through downtown to the northern end of Harbor Island. It has service every 10 minutes at 17 stops, Monday through Friday from 6:00-9:00am and 3:00-6:00pm.
• The green line runs only on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:00am-2:00am. It has service every 10 minutes at 17 stops along the Hillsborough River (west side of CBD), the northern tip of Harbor Island, and along Channelside Drive.

HART provides bus services throughout Hillsborough County. The TECO Line Streetcar has streetcars from Dick Greco Plaza downtown to Centennial Park in Ybor City with 8 stops along the way and is useful for travellers.

By Foot

Unfortunately, Tampa is not very pedestrian-friendly. Ybor, Downtown, and SoHo are the only areas you can really get around on by foot. Plan to rent a car, if you're flying in.

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• The University of Tampa
• The University of South Florida
• Argosy University/Tampa
• South University-Tampa
• Keiser University

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are hundreds of big and small post offices in Tampa. 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