Advice required for Tucson (airport transfer, hotel etc)

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cirdan

Engineer
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Messages
3,630
Hi All,

I'm planning to visit Tucson with some friends in October.

We're flying in but I've convinced them that we're leaving by Amtrak (as far as Dallas probably).

They're not railfans so getting them to agree to this was already a big concession.

We'd probably be spending one day seeing Tucson and a second day in Tombstone.

Are there any bus tours or transfers to Tombstone. In couldn't find any on Google. Or should we look at hiring a car for the day?

What's the best place to hire a car? Airport?

Seeing the Sunset Limited calls at Tuscon fairly early, a hotel near the Amtrak station would be ideal. Any you can recommend?

What's public transportation like in Tucson? Would it possible to get around without a car?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi All,

I'm planning to visit Tucson with some friends in October.

We're flying in but I've convinced them that we're leaving by Amtrak (as far as Dallas probably).

They're not railfans so getting them to agree to this was already a big concession.

We'd probably be spending one day seeing Tucson and a second day in Tombstone.

Are there any bus tours or transfers to Tombstone. In couldn't find any on Google. Or should we look at hiring a car for the day?

What's the best place to hire a car? Airport?

Seeing the Sunset Limited calls at Tuscon fairly early, a hotel near the Amtrak station would be ideal. Any you can recommend?

What's public transportation like in Tucson? Would it possible to get around without a car?
Unless your heart is set on Tombstone ( I find it very underwhelming), I would recommend going to Bisbee instead and take the mine tour. And yes, you'll have to rent a car for either. My 2cents from central Arizona.
 
Tombstone is a tourist attraction and has some renown for stories of it's historical place in the 'Old West', like the Gunfight At The OK Corral.

Closer to Tucson is another 'old west' tourist attraction - Old Tucson, where many Hollywood westerns were/are filmed.
Near Old Tucson is another interesting attraction the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Tucson and the university of Arizona is also one of the planet's hot beds for astronomy.
On the University of Arizona campus is the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium and major optical and radio telescopes are on top of many of the surrounding mountains.

Also on the U of A campus is the Steward Observatories Mirror lab which makes huge telescope mirrors. The mirror lab is actually under part of the U of A's football stadium.
Kitt Peak National Observatories are west of town out towards Ajo, and Kitt Peak has a visitors center and daytime tours.
 
Thank you all for your responses and helpful suggestions, which I am looking into.

Your support is most appreciated.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just saw this. I used Budget at the Sears Auto Center on North Oracle Road. I took a taxi out from the station. I believe it is cheaper than the airport (airport fees).

When I returned to Tucson, I dropped off the luggage at the station and then drove the car back to turn it in. I walked across the street and caught a bus back to the transport center which is about 3 block from the station.
 
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