Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
IATA Code: IAHLocation: The airport is sited 22 miles (35km) north of Houston.
Time: GMT -6 (GMT -5 from March to November).
Contacts: Tel: +1 281 230 3100.
Transfer between terminals: The TerminalLink automated people mover connects Terminals B, C, E and the International Arrivals Building. There is also an underground inter-terminal train that connects the five terminal buildings.
Transfer to the city: Numerous shuttle services, including minibuses and limousines, are available from the airport to downtown Houston and a variety of other destinations, including the Gulf Coast resort city of Galveston. SuperShuttleshared-ride service picks up from any home or business. Metro's Airport Directbus departs from across from the Downtown Transit Center from 5.30 am to 8pm.The 30-minute nonstop journey departs every 30 minutes and costs $30 return, or $15 one way. The Houston Metro offers public bus services from the south side of Terminal C, including an express airport bus. Courtesy vans are operated by various hotels and there are courtesy telephones in the baggage claim area.
Taxis: Metered taxis are available outside each terminal; journeys cost from $30 to $90 depending on destination. A $2.75 departure fee will be added to the meter, plus $1 should the journey be between 8pm and 6pm.
Car rental: The airport is served by major car rental companies who operate from a Consolidated Car Rental Facility, reached by shuttle bus from the terminals. Companies represented include Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty.
Facilities: Facilities at the airport include dozens of food and beverage establishments from formal dining to fast food. There are also many newsstands and speciality shops throughout the airport. Duty-free shops are available in the international terminal. ATMs and currency exchange are available throughout the airport, as are business services including fax, photocopying and Internet facilities. Disabled facilities are good.
Parking: There is lots of parking available at the airport terminals and at off-airport sites. A free shuttle service connects the parking facilities to the terminals. Note that all vehicles entering the A/B and Terminal C garages will be searched by security personnel.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.fly2houston.com/iah
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Houston
The massive metropolis of Houston, sprawling across the Gulf Coast plain of East Texas from its busy port, is almost twice the size of the entire state of Rhode Island. Even with this heavy urban concentration, though, Houston is green and lush, sited at the end of a belt of forest coming down from the north, and characterised by marshlands and bayous lined with cypress trees in the southern reaches.
Houston, named after former Republic of Texas president Sam Houston, is hot and humid. To make life more bearable in the close-packed downtown area much activity has gone underground. The city centre sports an air-conditioned seven-mile (11km) pedestrian tunnel system full of restaurants and shops. Unlike most cities, downtown in Houston is the hub of residential development, so it remains busy and bustling long after dark.
Texas' largest city is not generally a sought after tourist destination, being concerned more with business than pleasure and leisure. Computer manufacture, gas and oil, and a huge concentration of medical institutions account for most of the economic activity, but all those hard-working citizens have to play sometimes, and there are some good attractions like excellent museums, the amazing Astrodome sports pavilion, some wonderful theatres and, thanks to the cosmopolitan mix of its residents, some ethnically diverse cuisine on offer in its many restaurants and neighbourhoods. For visitors the absolute 'must-see' in Houston is the famed Space Center, mission control for the US space programme.
