Tucson Transportation

By Car

Unless you plan to stay by the pool or on the golf course, you'll want to rent a car. Luckily, rates are fairly economical. At press time, Alamo was charging $133 per week ($172 with taxes and surcharges included) for an economy car with unlimited mileage in Tucson.

The following agencies have offices at Tucson International Airport as well as other locations in the area. Because taxes and surcharges add up to between 25% and 30% on car rentals at the airport, you may want to consider renting at some other location, where you can avoid paying some of these fees. Among the Tucson car-rental agencies are Alamo (tel. 800/462-5266 or 520/573-4740), Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 or 520/294-1494), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 or 520/889-8800), Dollar (tel. 800/800-3665 or 866/434-2226), Enterprise (tel. 800/261-7331 or 520/573-5250), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 or 520/573-5201), and National (tel. 800/227-7368 or 520/573-8050).

Downtown Tucson is still a relatively easy place to find a parking space, and parking fees are low. There are two huge parking lots on the south side of the Tucson Convention Center, a couple of small lots on either side of the Tucson Museum of Art (one at Main Ave. and Paseo Redondo, south of El Presidio Historic District, and one at the corner of Council St. and Court Ave.), and parking garages beneath the main library (101 N. Stone Ave.) and El Presidio Park (on Alameda St.). You'll find plenty of metered parking on the smaller downtown streets. Almost all Tucson hotels and resorts provide free parking.

Lanes on several major avenues in Tucson change direction at rush hour to facilitate traffic flow, so pay attention to signs that tell you the time and direction of traffic.

No Exit! -- Until sometime in 2010, all downtown Tucson exits off I-10 are closed. Only Prince and 29th Street are open, so you'll have to use one or the other of these exits and then follow the frontage road to your cross street. Better yet, call wherever it is you're going and ask for directions.

By Public Transportation

By Bus -- Covering much of the Tucson metropolitan area, Sun Tran (tel. 520/792-9222; www.suntran.com) public buses are $1 for adults and students, 40¢ for seniors, and free for children 5 and under. Day passes are available on buses for $2.

The Ronstadt Transit Center, 215 E. Congress St., is served by about 30 regular and express bus routes to all parts of Tucson. The bus system does not extend to such tourist attractions as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson, Saguaro National Park, or the foothills resorts, and thus is of limited use to visitors. However, Sun Tran does provide a shuttle for sports games and special events. Call the above phone number for information.

By Trolley -- Although they don't go very far, the restored electric streetcars of Old Pueblo Trolley (tel. 520/792-1802; www.oldpueblotrolley.org) are a fun way to get from the Fourth Avenue shopping district to the University of Arizona. The trolleys operate on Friday from 6 to 10pm, Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 6pm. The fare is $1 for adults and 50¢ for children 6 to 12. The fare on Sunday is only 25¢ for all riders. Friday and Saturday all-day passes are $2.50 for adults and $1.25 for children.

T.I.C.E.T., or Tucson Inner City Express Transit (tel. 520/747-3778), operates five free downtown-area shuttles, only two of which are of much use to visitors. The Orange Line, which has stops near the visitor center, Old Town Artisans, and the Tucson Museum of Art, operates Monday through Friday and runs every 20 minutes between 6am and 6pm. The Red Line, which links downtown with the numerous museums at the University of Arizona, operates Sunday through Tuesday every 30 minutes between 10am and 10pm and Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 2:30am.

By Taxi

If you need a taxi, you'll have to phone for one. Yellow Cab (tel. 520/624-6611; www.aaayellowaz.com) and Discount Cab (tel. 520/388-9000; www.discountcab.com) provide service throughout the city. The flag-drop rate is between $2.80 and $2.95, and after that it's $1.60 to $1.80 per mile. Although distances in Tucson are not as great as those in Phoenix, it's still a good 10 or more miles from the foothills resorts to downtown Tucson, so expect to pay at least $10 or $12 for a taxi. Most resorts have shuttle vans or can arrange taxi service to major attractions.

On Foot

Downtown Tucson is compact and easily explored on foot, and many old streets in the downtown historic neighborhoods are narrow and much easier to appreciate if you leave your car in a parking lot. Also, although several major attractions -- including the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson Studios, Saguaro National Park, and Sabino Canyon -- can be reached only by car, they require quite a bit of walking once you arrive. These attractions often have uneven footing, so be sure to bring a good pair of walking shoes.