Charleston, SC Public transportation?
We are staying in the historic district of Charleston and wanted to take public transportation from airport and around town before picking up a rental car for Myrtle Beach, is this wise?
It’s really, really easy to get from the airport to the center of town — you won’t be using public transportation, but rather shuttle vans that wait outside the main entrance. You can choose between going in a shared shuttle with other people and waiting for a few minutes for the shuttle to fill up (if I remember correctly, this was $15 per person) or you can take a private one with just you that will leave immediately (I think this was about $20.) You just walk out of the main entrance at the airport (it’s pretty small) and head over to a booth where you’ll see a bunch of minivans lined up.
As for public transportation within Charleston, it’s really pretty dismal. There’s the bus system (CARTA), but I lived in Charleston for almost four years and never actually knew anyone who’d ever used it; it’s pretty poorly-funded. You can call for a cab, but you’ll be waiting a while for it to show up, and it’ll likely be expensive.
That’s the bad news. The good news, however, is that if you’re just staying in the main downtown area of Charleston, you won’t need any transportation — everything is pretty walkable. You can stroll along the Battery, up and down King Street with its shops and boutiques, and into Marion Square, a lovely park. You can wander Rainbow Row, and head down to the French Quarter with all its art galleries. The historic part of Charleston is immensely walkable, and you wouldn’t actually WANT a car (parking can be a little tricky.)
If, however, you’re staying somewhere outside of the main part of town, or if you’d like to visit some of the outlying areas (the beaches, for example), might I suggest just renting a car at the airport? All the big names are there, and that way you’d have your own set of wheels. Come to think of it, you wouldn’t even have to rent it at the airport — a couple of the chains have a location in downtown Charleston (on Meeting Street, if I remember correctly).
Hope this helps a little — have a wonderful trip. Charleston is a beautiful city and I’m terribly jealous!
Fun Facts about Charleston, SC from www.charlestonhome.com
