Arriving in Pensacola
Most people arrive in Pensacola by plane, by car or by bus. The following is some useful information for getting to Pensacola.
By Air
Pensacola Regional Airport (IATA: PNS). Currently served by six airlines providing direct service to Houston George Bush Intercontinental, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Memphis, Charlotte, Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. From the airport, you can rent a car, order a cab, or use the Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) bus system. You can get car rental online for your trip to Pensacola.
Taxi cabs are authorized to charge an additional $1 to pick up anyone from the airport, and there is an $11 minimum charge for the use of a taxi from the airport. However, due to the large size of Pensacola and the high cab fares, taxis are an expensive way to travel the city.
Bus route 63, by ECAT, services the airport every sixty minutes on weekdays, beginning at 6:10 AM and ending at 5:10 PM. On weekends, bus route 63 arrives every two hours, beginning at 8:10 AM and ending at 4:10 AM. Route 63 ends at the Penacola Junior College campus; from there, the bus becomes route 43, traveling to the University of West Florida, or you can get off and wait for route 41 (Bayou Blvd, Cervantes, and 12th Ave), route 42 (ECAT central station), or route 58 (downtown via 9th Ave, then to NAS Pensacola and the Naval Hospital.)
Mobile Regional Airport (IATA: MOB). Located an hour's drive from Pensacola, in Alabama, Mobile Regional Airport is usually more expensive than landing at PNS, but can occasionally save you a couple-hundred dollars on flights. Typically, any flight that requires a layover in Atlanta will be cheaper at Pensacola; if a flight doesn't require a layover in Atlanta, it may be cheaper to land at Mobile. From Mobile, rental cars are available at the airport, or a Greyhound bus can take you to Pensacola for about $20. To get to the Greyhound station via Mobile's public transportation system, use van route 19, which connects with bus route 1, which connects with bus route 9, which will take you to the Greyhound station.
By Car
By car, Pensacola is located about three hours west of Tallahassee and three hours east of New Orleans via I-10, and three hours south of Montgomery via Hwy 29 and I-65. Interstate 10 travels east-west through Pensacola, and is the easiest way into the city. However, the I-10 corridor through the Southeast U.S. is considered one of the most boring stretches of road in the nation; nothing but pine trees for miles and miles.
Highway 90 is a smaller road that travels parallel to I-10, and meanders through many small towns. If you don't mind a slightly longer drive in exchange for better scenery, Highway 90 may be worth the extra driving time. Travellers on 90 should note that the road forks in Pensacola; the local name of the northern fork of Highway 90 is Nine Mile Road, and it mostly avoids the city. The southern fork goes by many names; Mobile Highway, Cervantes Street, and Scenic Highway. It's longer, and travels through the heart of Pensacola, but the view of Pensacola Bay from the bluffs along Scenic Highway is one of the nicest vistas in town.
Highway 29 is a rural highway that connects Pensacola with Interstate 65. If you're travelling south the Pensacola, through Alabama, using Highway 29 as a shortcut from I-65 can save you about two hours.
Interstate 110 is a six mile long north-south interstate spur that connects I-10 with downtown Pensacola. Be careful of the heavy construction on this road.
By Bus
Greyhound offers service to Pensacola from their station on Pensacola Boulevard, just off of I-10. Their station is open seven days a week, from 5:15 AM to 7 PM, and from 9:30 PM to 11:45 PM. The Greyhound route through Pensacola is east-west, and travels along I-10. Anyone wishing to travel north will have to make a transfer in Mobile, Panama City, or Tallahassee. From the Greyhound station, city bus service from ECAT is available via route 50, though you will have to walk to Pensacola Boulevard, and cross the busy street. The ECAT bus arrives heading southbound to the ECAT central bus station every thirty minutes after the hour, from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM. Do not take the northbound ECAT route 50 that arrives twenty minutes after the hour; the northbound bus will add another hour to your travel time.
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