Cheap flights to Raleigh-Durham
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Quick summary
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Airport
RDU
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Time zone
UTC-5 (UTC-4 during summer time)
Deals already spotted to Raleigh-Durham
Real flight examples detected by SniperAir, with their reference price.
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Airport and getting into town
RDU, an airport between Raleigh and Durham
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
Raleigh-Durham International Airport sits roughly 17 km northwest of downtown Raleigh and about 17 km southeast of downtown Durham, according to Wikipedia (DE). Wikipedia (EN) says it is surrounded by Raleigh to the north and east and by Cary and Morrisville to the south. Wikivoyage (EN) lists GoTriangle route 100 between the airport, the regional transit center and downtown Raleigh, and Wikivoyage (DE) also mentions a feeder bus into the city. Check routes and timetables before you travel. We give no exact journey times or fares.
Distances are approximate, based on Wikipedia (EN, DE) and Wikivoyage (EN, DE); timetables change, so check them before you go. We do not quote fares.
RDU serves both Raleigh and Durham, which form the Research Triangle with Chapel Hill according to Wikipedia (EN, FR, DE) and Wikivoyage (DE). Raleigh lies about 24 miles (39 km) southeast of Durham according to Wikipedia (EN), while Wikivoyage (EN) says about 40 km. Raleigh had 467,665 residents at the 2020 census according to Wikipedia (EN, DE) and Durham 283,506 according to Wikipedia (EN, FR, DE); the wider Triangle area has more than 2.37 million people according to Wikipedia (EN). Wikivoyage (EN) says the airport has two terminals, the first used mainly by budget carriers.
By rail, Amtrak links Raleigh with Charlotte on the Piedmont service and with the north on the Carolinian and Silver Star according to Wikivoyage (EN); Raleigh Union Station is the city's station according to Wikivoyage (EN, DE). Durham also has an Amtrak station according to Wikivoyage (EN). By road, Interstate 40 links Raleigh with Durham, Chapel Hill and Greensboro according to Wikivoyage (EN).
Landmarks and sights
The City of Oaks, a Capitol and the Duke campus
Raleigh-Durham is a planned state capital, leafy neighborhoods and the university city of Durham. Six images illustrate the Triangle; Duke's institutions and the museums are covered in the sections below.
The City of Oaks
Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and is nicknamed the City of Oaks according to Wikipedia (EN, FR, ES). It was established in 1792 according to Wikipedia (EN, FR, DE, ES) and is one of the few US cities planned and built specifically to serve as a state capital according to Wikipedia (EN, FR, ES) and Wikivoyage (EN). It is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of the Roanoke colony according to Wikipedia (EN, FR, DE, ES).
Downtown from the hills
Downtown is divided into several districts: Fayetteville Street, Moore Square, Glenwood South, the Warehouse District and the Capital District according to Wikipedia (EN). Tree-lined streets and low houses surround this small cluster of towers, and the I-440 beltway wraps the older neighborhoods according to Wikivoyage (EN) and Wikipedia (EN).
Rails at dusk
Railways shaped the city: the state's first railroad delivered the stone for the new Capitol in the 1830s according to Wikipedia (EN). Today Raleigh Union Station hosts Amtrak trains according to Wikivoyage (EN, DE), downtown, not far from the Warehouse District, one of the five downtown districts according to Wikipedia (EN).
The Capitol and its squares
The North Carolina State Capitol was built between 1833 and 1840 according to Wikivoyage (EN) and Wikipedia (EN); Wikipedia (DE) lists it among the city's three National Historic Landmarks. Today the governor has offices there and the building can be visited as a museum according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN). The original plan, a grid of streets around five squares, was based on the 1682 plan of Philadelphia according to Wikipedia (EN).
Parks, meadows and contemporary architecture
Raleigh has more than 200 recreation sites according to Wikipedia (EN), including Pullen Park, founded in 1887 and described as North Carolina's oldest public park according to Wikipedia (EN), with its vintage carousel. William B. Umstead State Park, between Raleigh, Cary and Durham, covers more than 5,000 acres, about 22 km2, according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN); the two sources give slightly different areas.
Durham, city of tobacco and medicine
Durham owes its rise to tobacco: the American Tobacco Company was founded there according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN), and the last cigarette was made there in 2000 according to Wikivoyage (EN). The old factories are now homes, shops and offices. The Durham Bulls ballpark, opened in 1994 according to Wikipedia (EN), recalls the 1987 film Bull Durham according to Wikivoyage (EN). Duke and its hospital are now the city's biggest employers according to Wikipedia (EN).
Duke chapel and gardens, in text
On the Duke campus the neo-Gothic chapel, finished in 1935, dominates the skyline according to Wikipedia (EN); Duke Chapel and the Nasher Museum of Art are listed among Durham's main sites according to Wikipedia (EN). The Sarah P. Duke Gardens cover about 55 acres, roughly 22 hectares, with about 8 km of paths according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN). We do not quote fares.
Museums and culture
Art, science and state history
North Carolina Museum of Art
Opened in 1956, the museum is described by Wikipedia (EN) as the first major museum collection in the country formed by state legislation and funding. It sits in west Raleigh according to Wikipedia (EN) and, according to Wikivoyage (EN), has a sculpture garden and outdoor summer programs. We do not quote fares.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The natural sciences museum, in the heart of downtown, has an interactive wing, the Nature Research Center, with a three-story multimedia globe and a large aquarium according to Wikivoyage (EN). Opening hours change, so check them before you go.
Nasher Museum of Art and Museum of Life and Science
In Durham the Nasher Museum of Art is Duke University's art museum according to Wikipedia (EN); Wikivoyage (EN) describes it as showing work from the classical to the contemporary. The Museum of Life and Science, on 84 acres according to Wikipedia (EN), has a butterfly house and interactive exhibits according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN).
Performing arts and events
Downtown Raleigh has a large performing arts complex with the state symphony and an opera theater according to Wikivoyage (EN) and Wikipedia (EN). On the first Friday of each month, downtown galleries and shops stay open late according to Wikivoyage (EN). In Durham the Full Frame documentary festival takes place in April according to Wikivoyage (EN) and the Eno River Festival has run since 1980 according to Wikipedia (EN); check the dates.
Food and drink
Carolina barbecue, Southern cooking and food trucks
North Carolina barbecue
According to Wikivoyage (EN), no visit to North Carolina is complete without trying local pork, which comes in two main styles: Lexington style, made from the pork shoulder with a tomato and vinegar sauce, and Eastern style, made from the whole hog with a vinegar sauce. Both are available around Raleigh according to the same source.
Southern breakfast and local drinks
Homemade biscuits and grits are among the breakfast classics according to Wikivoyage (EN). Very sweet iced tea, Cheerwine and Sundrop are considered local drinks according to the same source. Downtown, the City Market area around Moore Square and the Glenwood South district concentrate restaurants and bars according to Wikivoyage (EN).
Markets, breweries and food trucks
Wikivoyage (EN) mentions a large state farmers market and a lively food truck scene, with gatherings downtown; many small breweries also serve craft beer. In Durham, Brightleaf Square, set in a restored tobacco warehouse, groups shops and restaurants, and Ninth Street near the campus has cafes, bookstores and boutiques according to Wikivoyage (EN). We name no individual address.
Getting around
Mostly by car, with buses and regional trains
By car
Wikivoyage (EN) and Wikivoyage (DE) recommend a car: the city is spread out and ringed by the I-440 and I-540 beltways. Wikivoyage (EN) says Raleigh enforces parking and towing particularly strictly, so read signs carefully, and expect special rates during major events according to the same source.
By bus
GoRaleigh serves the city, with a free downtown circulator, the R-Line, according to Wikivoyage (EN); GoTriangle links Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, the airport and Research Triangle Park according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN). In Durham, GoDurham and the Duke University shuttle complete the network according to Wikivoyage (EN). We do not quote fares.
Train, bike and on foot
Amtrak links Raleigh with Durham and Charlotte according to Wikivoyage (EN). The American Tobacco Trail, a former railway line turned bike path, starts in downtown Durham according to Wikivoyage (EN). Durham is best explored on foot neighborhood by neighborhood according to the same source.
Budget and precautions
A knowledge-economy metro, a variable budget
Price level
Raleigh-Durham is a university and technology region: the offer runs from simple restaurants to pricier tables, and Wikivoyage (EN) notes that Durham has taken on a higher-profile and more expensive identity. The currency is the US dollar (USD). We publish no figures: sources are dated or disagree.
Flights and alerts
Wikivoyage (EN) presents RDU as a well-served airport, with a strong Delta presence and Southwest. SniperAir tracks flight prices to RDU and compares them with the route's history, but it does not sell or book tickets.
Precautions
Wikivoyage (EN) describes Raleigh as safer than the average US city of its size, while advising you to stay in busy, well-lit parts of downtown after dark. As anywhere, use cash machines in busy places. Foreign visitors should check US entry requirements for their nationality.
When to go
Four seasons: spring and fall are the most pleasant
Winter (December to February)
Cool, with frosty nights according to Wikipedia (EN); snowfall is modest on average, but freezing rain and ice sometimes disrupt traffic according to Wikipedia (EN).
Spring (March to May)
A good time for parks, gardens and Pullen Park; Wikipedia (EN) describes spring as mild overall. The Full Frame festival is held in April according to Wikivoyage (EN).
Summer (June to August)
Hot and humid: about 48 days a year reach 32 C or more according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN). Thunderstorms are frequent according to Wikipedia (EN).
Fall (September to November)
Often pleasant and drier, with the downtown trees changing color. Wikipedia (EN) does warn of very heavy rain from tropical systems, mostly from August to early October.
Raleigh has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa, according to Wikipedia (EN), with four seasons according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN). Sources give very different monthly means and rainfall totals from one language to another, so we do not quote them: check the forecast before you travel.
By length of stay
What to do in Raleigh-Durham by length of stay
The essentials
Downtown Raleigh on foot, the Capitol, a downtown museum and a barbecue or Southern dinner.
Culture and discoveries
Add the state art museum, the Duke campus and gardens in Durham, and Pullen Park.
Going further
Allow time for Umstead State Park, a trip to Chapel Hill and a Triangle festival depending on the season.
In pictures
Raleigh-Durham in pictures
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions about flights to Raleigh-Durham
How do I get from RDU airport to downtown Raleigh or Durham?
RDU is about 17 km from each downtown according to Wikipedia (DE); a GoTriangle bus is an option according to Wikivoyage (EN), to be checked. Taxis and rental cars are the other options.
When is the best time to visit Raleigh-Durham?
Spring and fall are the most pleasant; summer is hot and humid, with about 48 days at 32 C or more according to Wikipedia (EN).
What is there to see in Raleigh and Durham?
The Capitol and museums in Raleigh, the Duke campus and gardens, the Nasher Museum and the former tobacco district in Durham according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN).
How far apart are Raleigh and Durham?
About 24 miles (39 km) according to Wikipedia (EN); Wikivoyage (EN) says about 40 km.
What should I eat in Raleigh-Durham?
North Carolina barbecue, biscuits and grits for breakfast, sweet iced tea and the food trucks according to Wikivoyage (EN).
How long should I stay in Raleigh-Durham?
Three days cover downtown Raleigh, a museum and a day in Durham; add a day for Umstead State Park or Chapel Hill.
How much does a flight to Raleigh-Durham usually cost?
The price depends mostly on your departure city, the season and how early you book. The opportunities section above shows real examples of fares SniperAir has already detected to this destination.
How do I get alerted when a flight to Raleigh-Durham drops below my budget?
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