Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar
Cincinnati Transportation
Airport
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is a 3-concourse airport with typical passenger amenities for a midsize airport. Though Delta Air Lines abandoned CVG as a major hub in 2005, it retains frequent direct flights to Cincinnati. Recently Southwest Airlines started direct flirts from CVG to Chicago and Baltimore. Plenty of other domestic and Canadian flights remain as well. CVG AIRPORT TERMINAL MAP
Car Rentals include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty brands. When you drive across the Ohio River via the interstate freeway from Northern Kentucky into downtown Cincinnati, there is NO bridge toll. Taxis: catch them in the baggage claim area of Terminal 3 or call 859-767-3260 or use the courtesy phone near the exits of Terminals 1 and 2 to arrange for 24-hour service. One way from the airport to downtown costs about $25. You can hail a taxi at most downtown Cincinnati hotels. Less expensive Shuttles to downtown cost $14 one-way and $24 round-trip. Board outside baggage claim or call 859-261-8601 or 800-990-8841 to schedule hotel pickup.
Train Station
The gradual decline of Midwest passenger train service since 1952 led to the near abandonment of Cincinnati Union Terminal. Fortunately, it was saved from the wrecking ball and primarily converted into a museum center. Amtrak train service runs from here to Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Washington, but passengers are confined to a small waiting area in the back of the terminal at 1301 Western Avenue. Service only 3 times per week on this route:
Amtrak Cardinal: Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati-Charleston, WV-Washington, DC
The Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati corridor is planned for upgrade to 110 mph and 6 daily trains, like Amtrak Chicago-Detroit and Chicago-St. Louis corridors today. For more context on this important subject, see Interstate High-Speed Rail.
Transit
Cincinnati has a 3.6-mile streetcar route called the Cincinnati Bell Connector. The corporate sponsor, Cincinnati Bell, paid for 10-year naming rights. In Phase 1, the 18-station loop route connects Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine, Music Hall at Washington Park, JACK Casino, Aronoff Arts Center, Central Library, Fountain Square, Downtown hotels, Duke Energy Convention Center, Great America Ballpark, and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center at The Banks.
The streetcar runs from 6:30am-Midnight Monday-Thursday, 6:30 am – 1 am Friday-Saturday, 9 am – 11 pm Sunday. The standard cost is around $1 per ride. A 1-day pass costs only $2.
In the second phase, it is anticipated that the streetcar will extend northward to the University of Cincinnati and southward to Newport on the Levee in Kentucky.
Tours
Secret Passages Tour
Presented by JLG (Journey Legacy Gratitude) Tours, Secret Passage is Cincinnati’s Definitive Underground Railroad tour experience and African American Heritage tour. Book a half-, full-, or 2-day tour that includes authentic slave narratives, a re-enactment, a soul food lunch, and a moving tribute at the River Jordan. Group tours only!
PHONE: 513-563-9380
Cruises
BB Riverboats
Romance, scenery, and the city skyline for lunch, dinner, and full-day cruises
ADDRESS: 1 Madison Avenue; Covington, KY
PHONE: 859-261-8500
Celebrations Riverboats
Best for cruising the Ohio River with groups of 50- 400 passengers; continental and seafood cuisine
ADDRESS: 7612 Hamilton Avenue; Cincinnati, OH
PHONE: 513-931-6752
Delta Queen Steamboat Company
America’s oldest, continuously operating cruise line offers 3 to 11-night, all-American cruise vacations aboard genuine paddle wheelers up the Mississippi River and Ohio River. Most scenic cruises port in the New Orleans-Memphis-St. Louis-Louisville-Cincinnati-Pittsburgh corridor.
ADDRESS: 1380 Port of New Orleans Place; New Orleans, LA
PHONE: 888-888-1890
Freeways
Cincinnati Freeway Network connects Interstate Freeways 71, 74, and 75 downtown and near the riverfront. This metro area relies on an extensive freeway network and several bridges between Downtown Cincy, Northern Kentucky, the airport, and the suburbs. Since Cincy has no rapid transit, morning and evening commute hour drives to/from Downtown are daunting.