Rochester travel guide
Rochester Tourism | Rochester Guide
You're Going to Love Rochester
With a population of 210,565, Rochester is a must-see destination in New York State, United States. It is among the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Rochester deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.
Where to Eat in Rochester
Central Business District is the neighborhood with the most restaurants in Rochester. These include popular favorites such as Tournedos - The Inn on Broadway (26 Broadway), Dinosaur Bar-B-Que - Rochester (99 Court St) and Native Eatery & Bar (180 South Clinton Avenue). If you’re looking for affordable options, The Revelry (1290 University Avenue Suite A) and Lento (274 North Goodman St) are great picks.
When to visit Rochester
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Rochester in July, when the average temperature is 71.6 °F, and the highest can go up to 80.6 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 17.6 °F, with an average temperature of 24.8 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in August, when precipitation is around 3.5″. In contrast, February is usually the driest month of the year in Rochester, with an average rainfall of 2″.
How to Get to Rochester
Plane
When flying to Rochester, you’ll arrive at Greater Rochester Airport (ROC), which is located 4 miles from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to Rochester include Air France, Royal Air Maroc and ITA Airways. The shortest domestic flight to Rochester departs from Myrtle Beach and takes around 2h 06m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Rochester. The train journey from Rochester to Buffalo takes 1h 05m and costs around $22 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Syracuse, expect to pay about $22 for a 1h 25m trip. The train station in Rochester is called Rochester, and is located 0.7 miles from the city center.
Car
Another option to get to Rochester is to pick up a car rental from Buffalo, which is about 66 miles from Rochester. You’ll find branches of Hertz and Budget, among others, in Buffalo.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Rochester, including Greyhound, Trailways and OurBus. From Buffalo, the bus ride to Rochester takes 90 miles and will cost you around $19. From New York, the ticket costs about $41 for a journey of 340 miles. The most popular bus station is Rochester Bus Stop, located 0.6 miles from downtown Rochester. Rochester Brighton Henrietta Town Line Rd is also a commonly used station, and is 4 miles from the city center.
Airlines serving Rochester
Where to stay in Rochester
There are also lots of vacation rental options in Rochester, with prices from $36 to $2,511 per night. Central Business District is the neighborhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, vacation rentals in Rochester are about 23% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
Where to stay in popular areas of Rochester
Most booked hotels in Rochester
Renting a car in Rochester
Renting a car in Rochester costs $67 per day, on average, or $134 if you want to rent if for 2 days. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo and Dollar are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Rochester is the Hertz branch at 1200 Brooks Avenue, which is 3 miles from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 1% cheaper than airport locations in Rochester.
Expect to pay $3.90 per gallon in Rochester (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $46.79 and $62.38. The most frequently booked car type in Rochester is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Luxury rental cars (Acura MDX or similar) are, on average, 66% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.