Sacramento Airport Mini Guide
Sacramento Airport
Sacramento is the state capital of
California and a city with a population of over 2.5m. Its popularity, despite its inland location, comes from its position on the junction of the Sacramento and American Rivers and its unusual Mediterranean style climate. The city is gaining a reputation as the home of fine cuisine in California with several top chefs owning or running restaurants in the town, including a national TV chef. The city is also home to some excellent museums and galleries including the Crocker Art Gallery, renowned as the best of its kind in Western USA.
How do I get to Sacramento?
Ten miles from the city is Sacramento International Airport which serves flights to and from most major US cities as well as
Canada,
Hawaii and Mexico. There are no flights outside of North America so European travellers must first travel to a major US destination, usually
New York, and continue their journey from there. Getting from the airport to the city can be achieved by local bus, called Yolobus, taxi, hotel shuttles or rental car.
What is the airport like?
It’s undergone a radical overhaul over the next few years and only recently, a brand new Terminal B has opened replacing the original, tired terminal. The new terminal is beautiful and a vision in glass and white painted steel. Both terminals have concourses leading off them and are placed on corners of a rough square which holds the parking and car rental facilities.
What do I Need to do When I Arrive at the Airport?
Both terminals disembark passengers via jet bridges onto the concourses and a walk of up to a hundred metres can be expected from the outer gates to the security checkpoints. If you struggle with mobility, assistance is available as long as you forewarn your airline well in advance. You’ll need to find out the number of your reclaim belt from the overhead screens then drop down a level to collect your bags. There’s no dedicated information desk but if you need help, there’s plenty of staff around who are able to offer directions.
For transport to your destination, you’ll need to either wait outside the terminal for the Yolobus or taxis or if hiring a car, let your company know you’ve arrived using one of the courtesy phones on the concourses or in reclaim and then take the shuttle bus from outside the terminal to the rental can building.
What Can I Expect at the Airport on the day of my Departure?
Sacramento Airport has a great range of shops and restaurants dotted through both terminals, especially since the opening of the new Terminal B. Landside and airside you’ll have fashion stores, gifts, electronics, golf accessories, music stores and more. The food available at the airport tries to go some way towards replicating the delicious food of the city and as well as snacks and take away, there are a couple of good restaurants such as Gordon Biersch, Le Bou and Lemon Grass. And when you’ve finished your retail and culinary experiences, you’ll be able to use the internet for free there on the airport’s Wi-Fi system.