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If coming from wicked far…
Plane: Bradley International Airport (BDL) is not in Hartford, no matter how much they might announce that in the airport; you probably are not going to walk downtown from the tarmac. Their website lists local buses as the last option. Unless you are arriving in the middle of the night, consider this your first option. During the week, a bus leaves from the airport just about every hour starting with a bit before 5 a.m. and continues until just after midnight, arriving in front of the Old State House. The weekend hours are only slightly shorter. The rate per passenger is $1.25, but then you can transfer to a city bus to get closer to your destination.

There are also rental cars, limousines, and taxi cabs that you can take to get to Hartford. Those do not cost $1.25. One limousine company lists its rate from Bradley to the Holiday Inn in Hartford as $30 one-way. Taking a taxi to Hartford would cost you $44. The least expensive car rental (for one-day) out of Bradley appears to be around $80, not counting taxes, gasoline, and what have you, which then brings the sum closer to $100.

Take the bus.

Train: You will actually be in Downtown Hartford when arriving by train. There are cabs that hang out in front of the station, but as we’ve established, unless you’re rich, this is not the best option. Hartford is small and walkable, so even if you need to get to the deep South End, you can probably manage to walk across the street, pay your $1.25 for the bus, transfer to one heading where you need to be, and not deal with a cabbie taking bizarre routes while the meter is running. Another option, if you are just planning to go downtown, is to take the Star Shuttle. It stops near the taxi stand behind Union Station, comes every fifteen minutes, does a loop around Downtown, and is free. It also gets very little use, so you would have more room for any luggage you might be schlepping.

Greyhound/Peter Pan Bus: You would also arrive at Union Station, so pretend you took the train instead and follow those instructions.

If coming from medium far…
Depending on what time of day you want to get here or leave, it might be best to not drive into the city. Many people express an inability to find parking (we’ll get to that), or lack the desire to sit in traffic, or are not savvy to the wayward pedestrian.

One option is to use a Park & Ride. You can see a map of these locations on the CT DOT website. These fares vary by zone. For instance, the Avon Park & Ride at the Route 44 Wal-Mart Plaza will run you $2.25, whereas coming up from the Old Saybrook Railroad Station on Route 1 will cost you $4.30. Considering the cost of gas, headache of dealing with traffic, and then the cost to park, even $4.30 seems reasonable. The CTTransit website lists the Express Bus routes.

The problem with some of the Express Bus Service is that it assumes you are coming to Hartford to hop into a cubicle for the day. The Newington Express, for example, only leaves the town during a two hour period on weekday mornings, and then leaves Downtown Hartford for a shorter period in the late afternoon. My suggestion is to check the site to see how flexible the service near you happens to be.

You can also try the vanpool, which operates under the same assumption for why you might travel to Hartford. If you are using this to get to work, you can be reimbursed.

If trying to navigate the city bus system…

Good luck.

That’s not entirely fair. If you are trying to go from the Wadsworth Atheneum area to the Mark Twain House, then it’s an easy trip. Hop on one of the many buses headed up Farmington Avenue and you’ll be practically taken to Twain’s doorstep. If you want to go from visiting Real Art Ways just off of Capitol Avenue to a performance at the University of Hartford, then you have to take a remarkably inefficient trip all the way Downtown, transfer, and then head up Albany Avenue about the same distance you just traveled to catch the transfer bus. Someday someone will realize how ridiculous it is that students from a reputable art school can not easily reach a cutting edge contemporary art gallery, and then about a decade after that happens, they might adjust bus routes.

Even with at times complicated logistics, it’s not too difficult to find a bus and it’s not expensive ($1.25) to ride on said bus. There are bus routes that go along Park Street, Windsor Avenue, Capitol Avenue (this one is sporadic), Weston Street, North Main, Barbour, New Britain Avenue, Campfield Avenue, Garden Street, Vine Street, Franklin Avenue, Blue Hills Avenue, Wethersfield Avenue, Bloomfield Avenue, Albany Avenue, Broad Street, Farmington Avenue, Asylum Avenue, Granby Street, Ashley Street,  and to Westfarms Mall.

There are  Capitol Avenue and Asylum Hill Loop routes, but these are scheduled to be modified in the next few weeks. Right now, CTTransit describes these loops:

These ‘Loops’ are designed to offer the express or local rider
a connecting ride to their final destination. This free service,
operating as frequently as every five minutes, begins at
Central Row and makes stops while circulating one of two
directions past the Capitol and Asylum Hill. See Asylum Hill
and Capitol Loop schedules on this timetable.
In the morning, the Asylum Hill Loop will make stops at
Central Row North and along Pearl, Asylum, Farmington,
Sigourney, and Capitol Avenue. In the afternoon, the Asylum
Hill Loop will run in reverse beginning at Capitol and Trinity.
Other stops remain the same from the morning route except
some trips will also stop at Pearl and Lewis, Travelers and
State Street.
In the morning, the Capitol Loop will make stops at Central
Row and along Pearl, Capitol Avenue, Sigourney, Farmington
and Asylum. In the afternoon, the Capitol Loop will run in
the reverse beginning at Asylum and Union.
The bus is a free service to anyone who needs a ride to
these locations. It has been designed to offer those who are
using the commuter express services a connection to their
employer who is located outside of Central Row. There is no
need for a transfer or to swipe your pass again. Simply board
the through-service trip bus and take a seat.

This information will be updated when changes are confirmed.

Although they are basically running these two routes free, to find out about them one has to go to the CTTransit site and access the schedules through the Express Bus Service pages. It’s kind of complicated, but is as close to crosstown service as one gets. Here is the Capitol Loop schedule and here is the Asylum Hill Loop schedule.

The actually-advertised free bus is the Star Shuttle. It’s bright yellow and blue, which sets it apart from the regular buses, though sometimes another bus will be used in its place. For able-bodied people, it’s hard to usually justify using the free shuttle because Downtown is so walkable. But if it is freezing, too hot to move, you have mobility issues, or you’re hauling luggage/children/elderly parents with you, then the Star Shuttle suddenly becomes very practical. It stops near major attractions and points of interest like Union Station, the Connecticut Convention Center, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and Bushnell Park. Their map is colorful and actually easy to figure out, and the signs along the route are no trouble to spot. I have hailed the Star Shuttle before, and since ridership is so low, it would not be surprising if you could request to make a non-designated stop along the existing route. The Star Shuttle runs late — until 11 p.m. — but has no Sunday service.

If not knowing where to pahk the cah…
There is actually a lot of parking in Hartford, but depending on where you are going, it might not be marked well. There are overpriced lots down in the bar district of Downtown; I don’t frequent the meatmarkets that are continuously being shut down for liquor license violations, so I have no set advice for anyone who wants to go there other than park somewhere else and walk or take the Star Shuttle. Parking costs so much in this area, I’m guessing, because most people going to these bars are not likely to do any homework about where they are heading, so they have no idea that reasonable parking rates exist mere blocks away.

If you pay more than $4.00 after 6p.m. to park anywhere in the city, you’ve paid too much. The Morgan Street Garage, which is a stop on the Star Shuttle route, charges a maximum of $4 on nights and weekends. I have been there several times on the weekend and at night where parking is free.

The library parking garage is another fine spot. It receives a lot of foot traffic between library patrons, people going to City Hall across the street, and random other folks visiting Downtown. For that reason, it seems safer to me than some of the surface lots. The parking here is metered. As far as I can tell, it’s free to park here after 6p.m.

For those who are making the trip during the daytime and don’t mind walking, try parking at either Riverside Park or Charter Oak Landing. There is a paved (or mostly paved, if coming from Charter Oak Landing) path that goes along the river and can give you entrance to Downtown. This parking is free, but because these are parks, expect the gates to be closed at sunset.

On-street parking Downtown is allowed basically anywhere you see the meters and is also free after 6p.m. and on weekends. The meters — if you have to pay to park — provide you with a sticker to place in your windshield that shows you have paid. If you do not want a ticket, make sure to affix the meter receipt.

Some attractions offer parking validation — free or reduced rates — but that’s something to verify by checking out each venue’s website.

Try to group errands or visits by location. The Wadsworth Atheneum, City Hall, library, and Traveler’s tower are all close together; Capital Community College and the Old State House are near each other; The Connecticut Convention Center and CT Science Center are within walking distance; all of those attractions are very close to the Riverfront. Bushnell Park and the Bushnell are next to each other, and you can get to the Legislative Office Building, State Capitol, and State Library by walking through Bushnell Park. There is free parking at the State Library, the Legislative Office Building, across from the Bushnell Theater on weekends and weekday evenings, as well as in the State Capitol parking lot (but read the signs about where visitors can park).  The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is next to the Mark Twain House and both have free parking lots. The gravel lot across from Dunkin Donuts on Capitol Avenue makes for free parking after hours, which is helpful for those wanting to visit the Red Rock Tavern/Kenney’s or La Paloma Sabanera. People have been notoriously towed from the FedEx lot on Farmington Avenue in the West End. There is an abundance of signs in that lot telling you that parking is for FedEx customers only, but in the back, there are several spots for general use after hours. Although I do not agree with their hoarding of parking spots, I do not feel the same sense of rage as others when they get towed: the policy is posted, you parked there anyway, why are you surprised you were towed?  If going to the West End, try to arrive early or plan to park on the street. The only place in the West End that has adequate parking seems to be Ichiban, which is an awesome Japanese-Korean restaurant with great food and service; consider giving them, rather than a trendy-but-snobby-coffeehouse-that-has-mediocre-food-and-lousy-service your business. If you can not be swayed to avoid that certain coffeehouse, then at the least try to carpool because parking, unless you arrive just as it opens or during a snowstorm, is always limited.

For more ideas about where to park Downtown, check this out.


If arriving on bicicleta…
You will be able to park your bike almost everywhere, and for free.

Read more about bicycle and pedestrian parking here.

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