ethne

We hope to be visiting Charleston at the end of November travelling by Greyhound.
Which is the best area of the city to stay in? The Historic district is mentioned a lot but what about the waterfront? We are looking for somewhere that is easy to walk to everything and/or public transport.We prefer B&Bs to hotels and I have seen that there are plenty of recommendations on the forum.
I presume that wherever we decide to stay we'll have to get a cab to and from the Greyhound station? That usually happens!
Does Charleston get very booked up in October and are we better to book soon?
Thanks for any help.

Gretchen

You'll want to stay in the historic district which is the waterfront.
What is your budget for a B&B--look at the recommendations. October is a great month to visit but still hurricane season--anything "can" happen but usually doesn't.

Gretchen

But you also say "November". Still good.

volcanogirl

Bookmarking.

kathleen

Here's the link to the free trolley around the historic district

http://historictoursofcharleston.com...ASH_101710.pdf

When you find a place to stay in the historic district (which I too recommend), then see if the trolley route is nearby. Charleston is great for walking, but at the end of the day, you may want a free trolley ride that brings you close to home.

I'm not sure but I believe the greyhound stop will require a cab ride into town.

Myer

There's almost nothing commercial below Broad Street.

We stayed in a hotel a few blocks above Broad. Excellent location.

kathleen

I checked on the possibility of getting a local area bus from the greyhound station into downtown historic district and there is a bus, though I feel certain that the ride in by cab would be better and probably quicker to your hotel.

Here's the greyhound and bus info link

http://www.ridecarta.com/riding-cart...traingreyhound

The free DASH trolley does not extend beyond the downtown area. I've never ridden the area buses, but I have ridden on the DASH trolley several times. When we have visitors from out of town we sometimes park in the parking garage near the visitors center, pick up info for them, catch a trolley into the heart of town, sight see all day, then catch the trolley back to parking. The quick trolley ride is enjoyable even if it's usually packed with visitors.

This method also works fine for tourists who have a car and want to park at the visitors center to pick up Charleston info first. Plus, upper King St (near visitors center) has many, many restaurants, so eating there after sightseeing works out well too.

Daniel_Williams

Hi ethne,

I got around without a car no problem staying at the Vendue Inn in the Historic District; I'd recommend aiming for south of Calhoun on the downtown peninsula. Charleston is one of the best places I've been in the South for those of us that like to get around without a car; walkable, steeped in historic and quasi-semitropical charm, with parks with beautiful views along the Ashley and Cooper riverfronts. The DASH trolley was great for getting from the area of my hotel up to the Visitor Center area. Take the ferry out to Fort Sumter; a highlight of my visit!

Best wishes, Daniel

jill_h

We stayed in the Historic District and loved it!

Meeting Street Inn
173 Meeting Street
(843) 723-1882
(800) 842-8022

We enjoyed these restaurants:
Toast – 155 Meeting Street (843) 534-0043
Poogan’s Porch – 72 Queen Street (843) 577-2337; res’v recommended
Hominy Grill – 207 Rutledge @ Cannon (843) 937-0930
Il Cortile Del Re – 193 King Street (843) 853-1888
South End Brewery – 161 East Bay Street (843) 853-4677
Vickery’s (Mt. Pleasant) – 1313 Shrimp Boat Lane, Mt. Pleasant (843) 884-4440
Harris Teeter (picnic lunches) – 290 East Bay Street (843) 722-6821
Ladles Soups - 3125 Bees Ferry Road (great when visiting the plantations)

Caveat: DO NOT USE this shuttle service - www.thecharlestonchauffeurcompany.com for the following three plantations (Drayton, Magnolia & Middleton). Very unreliable (from reviews and hotel staff).
We found it less expensive to rent a car for the day from Enterprise and more convenient because we could move from plantation to plantation at our leisure; Enterprise picked us up at our hotel; cost was ~$30 for the day and discounted ~5% because of their deal with our hotel;
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 398 Meeting Street, (843) 723-6215.

have fun!

iris1745

We have stayed at this inn a few times and thought it was a good location. harbourviewcharleston.com

DebitNM

We stayed here in September for 5 nights. Great location, nice CLEAN rooms, lovely patio area, very good breakfast and nice complimentary wine hour with hors d'ouvres which changed daily as did the breakfast items. Helpful, friendly staff too.

If you are a "senior" call on the phone to get discount, it doesn't show on website booking.

http://www.indigoinn.com/

JanetKMR

I'm following all of these threads as it is likely we will be staying downtown on future Charleston visits.

suewoo

All good recommendations.

The bus/train station is in an industrial part of North Charleston. Your best bet is to take a cab. Google Charleston cab companies and put the numbers in your phone so you can call if there are no taxis when you arrive. Do the same for Savannh.

Just so you know, bus riding in the States outside of major metropolitan areas is not at all like EU/UK. They are slow and not always comfortable. Taking the bus from Charleston to Savannah might just cost more than renting a car. It will take much longer as well.

ethne

Thanks you everybody for your most helpful ideas and advice.After reading it all I think we may opt to spend an extra night in Charleston.It sounds perfect for us without a car.
Thanks suewoo for your suggestion of car versus bus.I'm afraid that we don't drive in the USA!We did a few days after 9/11 in Boston & New England(nightmare!!) and in Nebraska(better) but the wrong side of the road in the wrong side of the car at our age makes for far too many arguments!
We have travelled through over 20 states by bus and train since then and have not had any problems.We are sure it will be the same in the South.
Thanks again for the help.