Raleigh: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Raleigh is a city of 482,295 people in United States (North Carolina), 99 m (325 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre. It has 3 railway stations on record, including Raleigh Union Station. Our booking partner lists 246 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Raleigh runs from about 9 h 47 min a day in late December to 14 h 38 min in late June (computed for 35.77° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Raleigh is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre, whose 10,000-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Fayetteville Regional Airport - Grannis Field (FAY, 90 km).
Flights to Raleigh: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Raleigh Union Station, North Carolina State Fair station, Raleigh Seaboard Station. Trains to Raleigh
Buses to Raleigh · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 246 places to stay in Raleigh. Of the 175 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (86), and 1 are five-star. Across 80 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8 out of 10. Guests have left 55,292 reviews in total.
Hotels in Raleigh: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Wake County Public Libraries | 3,616,782 | 2015 |
| North Carolina Museum of History | 288,800 | 2013 |
The busiest is Wake County Public Libraries at 3,616,782 visitors in 2015. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Raleigh
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Charlotte, 209 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Washington, 375 km — flights
- Virginia Beach, 267 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Greensboro, 109 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Durham, 34 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Winston-Salem, 149 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Norfolk, 242 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Chesapeake, 242 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Richmond, 224 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Arlington, 371 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Compiègne, Kingston upon Hull, Kolomna, Nairobi, Rostock, Xiangyang, Gibraltar, Shinyanga.
Common questions
Which airport serves Raleigh?
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Raleigh?
About 482,295 people live in Raleigh, across 379 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Raleigh in?
America/New_York, currently UTC-4.
What currency is used in Raleigh?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Raleigh?
Our booking partner lists 246 places to stay in Raleigh, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Raleigh?
Charlotte (209 km), Washington (375 km), Virginia Beach (267 km), Greensboro (109 km), Durham (34 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.