Cheap Flights To Norfolk

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Cheap Flights To Norfolk

Overview
When to Go
Airport Information
Weather
Things to Do
Local Attractions
Must See Sights
Insider Tips
Getting Around

Overview

Located where the Chesapeake Bay joins the Atlantic Ocean, Norfolk is the cultural and financial center of the Virginia coast. Located just three hours from DC and 20 minutes from Virginia Beach, Norfolk offers a multitude of leisure activities and is ideally located for day trips. A nautical destination with 144 miles of coastline, visitors may take large ship cruises or small catamarans on short fishing excursions. Evening entertainment includes restaurants run by renowned chefs and an active nightlife. The presence of the largest naval base in the world attracts several international influences, especially with regard to food.

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When to Go
High Season
The best time to visit Norfolk for the warm beach weather and festivals is summertime. Due to high demand, a no-frills hotel room may fetch up to $200 in the summer, whereas it'll cost only about $69 during the low season. If traveling during summer, after July 4th is best.

Low Season
During springtime in Norfolk, crowds are thinner and hotel prices lower. Winter is quiet in Norfolk and nearby cities, with some beach hotels closing completely at this time of year.

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Airport Information
Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
Distance: Eight miles northeast of downtown
Drive time: 12-20 minutes

Norfolk International is southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina’s dominant airport and averages 180 daily domestic departures and arrivals. Nearby is the Norfolk Botanical Garden, distinguishing the airport for integrating air facilities and a delicate ecological sanctuary. The airport is served by six major airlines and six regional carriers, American, Continental, Delta and Northwest among them. Ground transportation services are available in the new arrivals terminal, as well as car rentals.

A local shuttle service, Carey VIP Airport Connection, offers authorized shuttle service throughout the Hampton Roads region. Several local taxi companies are also on-hand, with fares averaging $23 to $28 to downtown.

Alternative Airports
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) - 23 miles from Norfolk
Richmond International Airport (RIC) - 75 miles from Norfolk

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Weather
Norfolk’s weather is often a draw for visitors, especially in the spring and summer. July is the hottest month, with average daily highs reaching 87 degrees, though a cool ocean breeze helps offset some of the humid heat. There is some snow in January, giving way to springtime warmth in the high 60s and about 3.3 inches of rain, though the water temperature is generally not warm enough for swimming. The latter proves true for October as well.

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Things to Do
Norfolk Harborfest
About 500,000 people attend the annual Norfolk Harborfest, a tall-ship nautical festival held each June.  Activities include maritime events, visiting vessels, fireworks, children's activities and live entertainment. Children enjoy the illuminated dancing fountain with its 28 water jets shooting water 12 feet into the air.

Victory Rover Cruise
Located on the downtown waterfront, the Victory Rover takes visitors on two-hour narrated cruises. The tour floats past Norfolk Naval Air station, allowing views of aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, guided missile cruisers and other military vessels. Be sure to bring a camera and binoculars.

MacArthur Center Skating Rink
From mid-November through late-January, visitors can enjoy outdoor ice skating at a rink just outside MacArthur Center shopping mall. The rink concession sells appetizing pizza and salads from California Pizza Kitchen.

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Local Attractions
Chrysler Museum of Art
Offering free admission, the Chrysler Museum of Art is ranked by Wall Street Journal as one of Top 20 Museums in the Nation. It boasts an enormous Tiffany art glass collection and is home to nearly 40,000 objects, including historic Pre-Columbian, Egyptian and Islamic art.

Willoughby Harbor Marina
Maritime enthusiasts enjoy visiting Willoughby Harbor Marina, a 271-ship marina at the mouth of the James River. The area is ideal for sailboat races followed by dinner at the on-site restaurant, Sunset Grille. Bathrooms and showers make this a full-service destination for boaters. Nearby is Ocean View Beach, offering a magnificent seven-mile stretch of beaches enjoyed by sunbathers, swimmers and families with children. 

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Must See Sights
Norfolk Navy Base
Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the world, providing support and personnel to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. A 45-minute bus tour drives past aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines and assault ships. The tour also passes historic homes from the 1907 Jamestown Exposition, a 300th anniversary commemoration of the founding of the first permanent English settlement in the United States in 1607.

Historic Ghent
The Historic Ghent section of central Norfolk is a tree-lined area noted for stately homes, shopping, cultural events and a diverse artistic community. Locals go here to eat, with best bets including the Bolivian eatery Luna Maya and the No Frill Bar and Grill with its hearty soups and sandwiches.

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Insider Tips

• Featuring the largest outdoor dance floor in Hampton Roads, the Latino Music Festival serves up hot salsa, meringue and Guaguancó music. Held in late August, the festival’s live Latin music by local, regional and national artists fills Town Point Park, and delectable Latin food and drinks are served.
• For a quiet afternoon, visit the Nauticus Complex, located on the downtown Norfolk waterfront. The complex is home to Hampton Roads Naval Museum, displaying 225 years of the region's naval history. Admission to the museum is free. Nauticus also operates the Battleship Wisconsin, which visitors can tour. 
• See Norfolk by bike and do something friendly for the environment. Go Green Bikes has the equipment and maps for a cycling Norfolk vacation, and can even drop off and pick up at local hotels. Go Green Bikes rents beach cruisers for just $15 a day, while $12 a day rents a distinctive green Schwinn bike.
• In addition to local cruises, visitors can depart for multi-day large ship cruises from Norfolk from the terminal that opened in 2007 next to Nauticus, the national maritime museum. The Norfolk cruise terminal dock is at a gorgeous waterfront park rather than an industrial district like other ports. The terminal hosts Carnival and Royal Caribbean departures to Bermuda and the Eastern Caribbean, among others.

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Getting Around
While it is easy to drive and park downtown, there are convenient public options as well. Amtrak rail service arrives at nearby Newport News, and Greyhound has a bus station in downtown Newport.

The regional bus service, Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has routes within and between Hampton, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Newport News and Suffolk. HRT runs a free downtown bus service, Norfolk Electric Transit (NET), that makes several stops along a downtown route during the week, while the weekend route makes a total of nine stops to many visitor and recreational points of interest.

The TIDE, Norfolk’s light rail transit system, began construction in 2007 and is expected to open in the autumn of 2010. The system will be 7.4 miles long and run west from Eastern Virginia Medical Center through downtown Norfolk and adjacent the I-264 corridor, terminating at Newtown Road.

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