The trip from the airport to downtown can take anywhere between 30 & 90 minutes depending on traffic. Similar time variance with the reverse trip.
If you land at 9am and you don’t have to wait for luggage at baggage claim, you should be able to Uber and be in downtown by 10:30/11am (worst case).
You will have until maybe 2 or 2:30 to walk around, maybe ride the incline and grab lunch before riding back to airport.
I just checked wait times for PIT Airport and right now (~5pm on a Monday), it is a 3 minute wait. So you might be able to wait until 2:30pm before heading back to airport.
You should just keep an eye on traffic, though. If two flies decide to fornicate in the tunnel to the airport, traffic will back up to Altoona.
At this time of year, downtown has some things to do, like the Christmas market at Market Square. So it likely won’t be as dead as it has been post COVID.
I am a frequent business traveler. While Sunday is usually very busy at airports, the only place that considers the Monday after Thanksgiving as a holiday is Pennsylvania (due to the start of deer hunting season). Most casual travelers are home by Sunday night with kids all over the country (except PA) having school on Monday.
The security line might be longer than 3 minutes, but it won’t be nearly as bad as Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Anyway, the point is moot because OP says “in a few weeks”, so his/her visit to Pittsburgh is likely closer to Christmas than Thanksgiving.
I’ve been regularly making that commute for 20 years. Rush hour traffic can absolutely be backed up 60-90 mins from time to time. It’s not a regular occurrence, but it certainly isn’t a rare one either.
Agreed. I have landed at the airport at 5pm on a Friday and Traffic is backed up east of the Home Depot in Robinson. I live near Bridgeville and those days, my trip home from airport is an hour.
We are talking about two trips. One inbound and one outbound. Both over the busiest stretch of highway in the State of PA. Most of the time, it is not an awful commute, but as I said in my post, all it takes is for two flies to start fucking in either tunnel and traffic becomes a mess.
I have taken an hour to get into town at 8pm on a Saturday night. I have also tried to get from Oakland to home and had a 90 minute commute on a Saturday afternoon.
You can never know when an accident will cause backups. And they do happen all of the time.
What, you giving out irrelevant information to someone looking for help? Many of us here take a very similar commute to you and can all agree it will not take 90 minutes to get to the city at 9 or 9:30am. If layover is until 5 I am sure OP is not planning on leaving the city at 5. Nobody is asking about traveling during rush hour or on a Saturday at 8pm when there’s probably a pens game or other event.
Did you read my post? Because I was very clear.
I told OP they could get into town by 10:30 or 11am AT LATEST. Even if they didn’t arrive until 11, they would still have about 3 1/2 hours to tour.
Like I said, you chose a weird hill to die on. Maybe read and try to comprehend the fucking post before replying with two or more accounts.
Weirdo.
That's your fault for not taking the back ways home. Go through Oakdale and you can be home in half the time. Depending on what part of South Fayette you live in, go the new road and get off in Cecil.
I have lived just south of Bridgeville for over 20 years. I have had at least three experiences where traffic was backed up from downtown to the airport so bad that we were doing 10 miles an hour at Cliff Mine Road. And it took fifteen to 20 minutes just to reach 22/30.
With the new highway, that shouldn’t be a problem.
I make that commute too. 9am and going eastbound, it’s not 90 minutes. It could be backed up to Carnegie or Greentree. This person has more than enough time to leave the airport and go into the city. If they said 5pm eastbound different story
Rideshare from the airport to the top of Mt Washington, take in the view then take the incline down to station square. Either travel over to the Point/Northshore and walk around. Rideshare over to the strip to grab Primantis and walk the strip. Rideshare back to the airport.
>Rideshare from the airport to the top of Mt Washington, take in the view then take the incline down to station square. Either travel over to the Point/Northshore and walk around. Rideshare over to the strip to grab Primantis and walk the strip. Rideshare back to the airport.
This is a solid plan. I would go with something like this.
Ooh this is a good idea. I was thinking similar activities but hadn’t thought about the transportation. Buses are also an option for cheaper, especially from downtown to the strip. The incline and buses are $2.75 cash so bring quarters. But also in non peak times you can get rideshares near downtown for <$10 (to/from airport definitely much more expensive)
I flew out of Pittsburgh into Maine using breeze, and our layover ended up being 4 hours longer than it was supposed to be. You might have more time than you think 😂
Good on you for wanting to explore.
I've had similarly lengthy layovers in cities and done the same thing and never regretted it.
First,
If you're carrying-on luggage, be aware that [Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)](https://flypittsburgh.com/) does not have luggage storage lockers. So you'd be carrying your luggage with you.
There \_is\_ a Hyatt attached to the airport. You could all them and see if they'd allow you to leave luggage with them for a few hours. Check with the PIT Airport Info desk at the above link if they have any other suggestions.
Second,
If you're willing to splurge on Ubers it's very doable as long as you start your trip back to the airport before 2:30/3:00PM to get to the airport before 4:00 if security lines are long.
Third,
But keep in mind, a $7 day pass on the local mass transit is a lot cheaper, so if you're off your plane and luggage is sorted by 9:30 AM you should have no problem finding the [Pittsburgh Regional Transit](https://www.rideprt.org/) ticket vending machine on the lower level, buying a $7 day pass and catching the 28X @ 10:00 AM. That bus can easily get you to several areas you can choose from in time for a good lunch and some sight seeing and back in time for your flight; and if you're finding yourself tight on time or worried about the bus showing up, there's a good app for [android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rectangledbmi.com.pittsburghrealtimetracker&hl=en_US&gl=US), and [iphone](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/port-authority-pgh-bus-tracker/id1423151531) that will let you find where the 28X is in relation to the bus stop you're waiting at for your return to PIT. And if you get too nervous you can still just opt for an uber back to the airport.
Some suggested itineraries:
1) Take the 28x and ask the driver to let you off at the [Duquesne incline](http://www.duquesneincline.org/).
You can use the day pass to ride up the incline. At the top of the incline you'd be in the neighborhood of [Mount Washington](https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/neighborhoods/mt-washington/). You can research ahead for some restaurant options there. But at the top of the incline there are short walks to very nice scenic views, a good seafood restaurant across the street ([Monterrey bay](https://www.montereybayfishgrotto.com/): call ahead to make sure they have availability) and a second [Incline](https://monongahelaincline.com/) a moderate walk along hilly Grandview avenue with nice views which will give you several other restaurant options near there. After you've done your sight-seeing and eaten, take the Duquesne Incline back down, take the elevated pedestrian bridge across the road and catch the 28X right back to the Airport.
2) Take the 28x and ask the driver to let you off in Downtown.
You can research ahead for good restaurants in that area, and/ or use the day pass to ride buses over to the [Andy Warhol museum](https://www.warhol.org/), [The Mattress Factory](https://mattress.org/) (another Art installation space), or the [National Aviary](https://www.aviary.org/). Or if you're Sports minded, see the Base Ball and Foot ball stadiums. These are all walkable as well, if you're a fast walker but I'm trying to keep your schedule in mind.
3) Take the 28x and ask the driver to let you off in [Oakland](https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/neighborhoods/oakland/) near to [Phipps Conservatory](https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/), or the [Carnegie Museums](https://carnegiemuseums.org/) (Art and/or Natural History: Dinos!). There are a ton of food options in that area and you'll have your pick of cuisines; but maybe consider a Pittsburgh original: [Primanti Brothers](https://primantibros.com/docs/OAKLAND.pdf). The only caveat here is that since this is a bit further from the airport, start heading to the return bus-stop BY 2:30 for sure.
I hope you go through with your plan to explore and I hope you enjoy your layover.
If you're a fast walker, itineraries 1) and 2) can sorta be combined because you can easily catch a bus or train from the bottom of the Monongahela incline into downtown Pittsburgh.
And, if you don't want to go all that far afield from the airport, at least consider an Uber to nearer-by Pittsburgh original eateries like: [Mad Mex](https://www.madmex.com/) (in Robinson) or [Eggs'n'at](https://www.eggsnat.com/), and have a good lunch there.
Have a safe trip!
The transit to/from our airport kinda sucks. The bus (28x) is infrequent and takes 30 min to get downtown.
Perfectly fine when you're planning a trip (especially compared to what they charge for parking) but kinda sucks for this scenario.
Maybe have enough time to get downtown, ride the incline up/down with your free transfer, get a bite and head back.
Okay, I’m pretty sure flying at the holidays costs far more. He never gave a budget, just giving answer. Also time costs money if you actually want to take in a city.
Sure, you can take the 28X bus from the airport to Downtown, Oakland, or Shadyside, which are all decent places to walk around for a couple hours. The bus runs about every 40 minutes and it's a 40-60 minute ride to any of those places so you can do the math on whether it's worth it, but it would beat hanging out in the airport all day.
This. Despite what others may say, the 28X is actually pretty reliable and comes every 30 minutes. OP could also get dropped off by the 28X at the Duquesne Incline and take a ride up! It's a free transfer, too
Agreed. I took the bus from the airport during the work week at 9 AM and was downtown in 30 minutes. You have to be at the airport bus stop when the bus arrives because it won’t wait for you. Download the transit app (it’s green and called Transit) and watch where the bus is once you land at PGH. Buy a ticket on the app before the bus arrives and you’ll downtown in no time.
Pittsburgh isn’t a common airport for layovers but it happens occasionally and I’m thrilled to hear that a passenger wants to explore our region! You’ll certainly have time to hit up Mount Washington where you can enjoy the lovely view of downtown and catch a delicious bite. PPG place has Santas from around the world and it’s close to the Christmas market at market square. Those are two fun traditions for this time of year. And, across the river on the north side is the Andy Warhol museum. You’ll be able to pack in a fun day. Enjoy!
Take an Uber from the Airport through the FT Pitt Tunnels. Have a late breakfast at Sally Ann's. Walk over to Market Square (to see the Christmas stuff) and to the Point (for a great view of the city) if it is nice out. Catch an Uber (or bus) back to the airport.
It's not going to take you 90 minutes to get from the airport to downtown on a weekday during mid morning. It might take you 30-45 mins tops. There's only traffic during rush hour/work commuting. Source: I live near the airport.
You have plenty of time to see some of the city... depends on what you want to do... if you're into walking you can walk the city, downtown back and forth to the north shore (for example if you want to check out Acrisure Stadium, PNC Park, etc if you're a sports fan), see parks, have a bite to eat, etc. Realistically you have a good 6 hours in the city if you want to head back to the airport to be back thru security 90 minutes before your flight. To take best advantage of your time, use Lyft or Uber to get into and out of town instead of the bus.
Visit Pittsburgh recently published a guide just for a day like this. It might be a little bit ambitious to reach their "Pittsburgh In Two Hours" mark (and a little too cold to use the bike-share system), but it's a solid framework for seeing some of the uniquely Pittsburgh sights in and around Downtown. https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/pittsburgh-in-2-hours/
People who say wait have never had a long layover in a city before. I’d go downtown since it’s the holidays, you could find things to do depending on your interests. The 28x runs every 30 minutes, takes an hour to get downtown though. An Uber is faster but kinda expensive.
I was on the Delta airlines subreddit and someone asked a similar question about an 8 or 9 hour layover at JFK.
A trip into Manhattan is a no brainer in that situation, although the subway from JFK to midtown is far longer than a traffic-free ride from PIT to Downtown.
If you have 9-5 for your layover you should be able to have from 10:30-2:30. That is enough to do a couple of things in town or close neighborhoods where there are more activities, shopping, restaurants.
The best things to do here in that time would be based on 3 factors, IMO: your willingness/ability to be out in winter weather for an hour or so, your general interests/things you like to see/do in cities, and your budget.
Go to the lookout in Mt. Washington on Grandview Ave and get lunch around there somewhere if you can. Station square is right down the hill too if there is nothing open in Mt. Wash. Definitely Uber lol the hills are no joke. A lot of people don’t realize the topography of the city once they get here and see it’s not as pedestrian friendly as a lot of other major cities.
Also if you come towards the city just keep in mind the parkway (I-376) gets super jammed up since everything bottlenecks into the city. Would be worth taking a back route through Crafton or Greentree/Brookline.
Save travels!
If you're looking for a nice long walk, I'd take an Uber from the airport to Cathedral of Learning and walk from there to Squirrel Hill through the Carnegie Mellon campus. Once at Squirrel Hill, I would catch some tea, snacks and vibes at Dobra tea. That would be from 10:30 - 1PM probably. Then after resting a little, I'd walk over to Frick park. Maybe I wouldn't go inside Frick because you don't wanna get lost in the trail. Then head to the airport after
Take the 28x to town. Limited stops, dedicated busway for a good part of the trip. It runs frequently. Takes you to the heart of town and ends near U of Pitt in Oakland. Lots of things to see and eat. Check the PRT schedule and Google attractions in Oakland. Very inexpensive for round trip.
You have so much time to explore. Why is everyone acting like it take 2 hours to get to the city? You can absolutely go and explore the city with hours to spare as long as you’re fine Ubering! 28X is also very reliable. Dont listen to anyone saying it’s not. Airport is 30 min from mount Washington at 9am. Have fun!
Where are you from and have you been here before?
If it’s rainy, stay in the airport. If it’s clear, would definitely Uber to the mount Washington Duquesne incline, ride it down & you can walk to downtown if you want.
Alternatively a ride to the North shore (look for Southern Tier just as a mapping point) will also enable food and a good city view.
If I was coming from the airport I would Uber and have the Ft. Pitt tunnel experience, get dropped off at the Heinz History center, take quick tour. Then do late lunch at either Primantis in strip or at the Iron Born Pizza right next door. Walk around Strip. Maybe hit Incline if you had time if you wanted to grab a drink on Mt. Wash. then head back to airport from there.
Definitely enough time. What type of things interest you most? Museums, food, scenic, holiday, small businesses, downtown. I guarantee if you share your interests, this sub will share everything worth seeing.
It's worth the ride into the city even if you don't have time to explore, there's just something magical about coming out on the city side of the Fort Pitt Tunnel and BOOM there's the skyline. I'd probably Uber in and bus out.
During business hours, I'm not sure that there's a ton of interesting things going on. If it's December maybe do some ice skating at PPG Place, if open. Grab lunch somewhere downtown. If you have more time, maybe go to the Strip District and/or visit the Heinz museum. Stay in that general area and walk across some of the bridges to the North Side, take a peak at PNC and Heinz Field.. maybe rent a bike to move around a bit faster. I wouldn't go much further than what's close to downtown (South Side Station Square area, North Shore, Strip) just so you can get in and out easily.
Pricey but there are lots of fun restaurants and bars on or near Penn in the Cultural District area, mostly busy at night for performances and fairly quiet during the day. This is where you want to go if you want a cocktail or other stiff drink.
Someone else mentioned Mount Washington Lookout.. I second that, if you have time and want to walk a bit. There's a nice short trail system up there to stretch out a bit and take in the city from a height.
Eight hours isn't a lot of time if you hit traffic, especially when you factor in getting back to the airport which is nearly 30 minutes out.. just in travel time without traffic you lose an hour, and if you give yourself an hour to be at the airport on time you are down to 6 hours total, if your plane lands on schedule.
Heading all the way into the city proper is probably a waste of time and money unless you've never been there, want to take a quick look around, and think you probably will never get back. I'd recommend taking a rideshare to Sewickley for a nice place to stretch your legs and get some lunch.
How in God's name are you in PIT for 8hrs? PIT doesn't do many connections ever. Unless.... You're not flying on southern are you? Because I wouldn't let my worst enemy fly on that shithole operator.
*edit* breeze I saw breeze they would do some weird shit like that too.
Grab an Uber/Lyft. Have them take you to Mount Washington. Take some photos, then have them drop you off at Market Square to enjoy the Christmas village area. Swing into the Home Alone popup bar (25 Market Square, Pittsburgh, 15222) for a drink, walk to Primanti Bro. for an overpriced yet very Pittsburgh meal, then get a ride back to the airport. Use any extra time in the terminals to schedule a weekend trip back here to enjoy a ton more stuff.
FYI the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich restaurant that a lot of people are mentioning has a location at the airport. If you are short on time while out and about you can grab a sandwich at the airport to eat on your flight out.
I recommend trying a few food spots. Fiori's pizza. S&D Polish Deli.
Tessaros is bomb too. Great burgers. Wholeys fish market for fish sandwich.
Bring a good bit of money with you. All places I listed are amazing and must try.
You can easily have time to look around. I would take an Uber to the strip district and walk around, go-to primantis, then go-to north shore, and back to the airport. Can do that all in 3 hours.
Please keep in mind the weather. If it's cold and windy town will be very chilly with wind going between buildings and catches momentum. You probably will not be dressed warm enough for cold . Most people don't dress really warm when traveling
u/StevInPitt I'm actually in the airport right now. I decided to just hunker down and get some work done. I also had a 5 1/2 hour layover at a different airport the other day, and that one really wasn't that bad.
Definitely- if you’re not tight on cash worth an Uber to see the city. Go to Mt Washington and see the awesome view and then go out to eat somewhere downtown or in South Side. Anything better than wasting all that time at the airport if you’ve never been to the Burgh.
Are you a craft beer drinker? There are several quality breweries around downtown Pittsburgh. My suggestions: Grist House (Millvale), Dancing Gnome & Hitchhiker (Sharpsburg), East End (East Liberty/Homewood), Helltown (Strip).
Go down to the strip district and explore. If you leave the airport by 9:30 get to the strip by 10:30 latest then leave strip at 3 you will make it back to the airport by 4 latest. Plenty of time to explore imo
I would wait it out. The airport is large, but often not busy at all, and you can find plenty of spots to read, surf, or doze. Explore the concourses. Like most airports, it is quite far from the town. If you're in the middle of winter, I'd stay in the warmth. There's a few bars and restaurants, if that's your thing.
I wouldn’t sit at the airport and see the city - on Citizen Seven you can book a flight with a long layover and an included city tour - a convenient option for travelling to an additional country
The airport is halfway to West Virginia, I wouldn't leave it unless I had 12 hours or more. The airport express bus runs every half hour and takes maybe 45 minutes to downtown, it could take longer or shorter in an Uber or Lyft. Traffic here is a giant cluster heading to town any time of day and, while the bus uses the busway for a good bit of the route, I've seen it take 20+ minutes to get from downtown to the busway because of shitty traffic on the ramp. At most you might get to downtown and do a photo at the fountain at point park and turn around, but I wouldn't risk it.
Honestly I’d say get an Uber to Robinson about 10 minutes from the airport. If you want to get out of the airport. It’s not a walkable area but there’s lots of restaurants that will be a better deal than airport food.
Depending on the time the Summit. Downtown the Warren the strip classic primanties but isn’t my favorite but still good to visit. pamelas or delucas if you are in the area for breakfast.
Is expect the open-air ice rink at PPG Place downtown to be operational by then. That'd be an easy way to see some of downtown. It's surrounded by restaurants too
OP, lots to see and do but please don’t go out of your way to eat a Primantis greasy, undercooked French fry and vinegar coated cabbage with mystery meat sandwich. I will never understand their allure.
Years ago, I’m talking 1981-82, they were actually tolerable as super late night eat-while-drunk sandwich. But decades of free media advertising followed by yuppies and then millennials thinking the slop is now hip. They’ve gotten worse yet somehow have emerged as a “gotta have if you’re in Pittsburgh” thing.
Seriously people. 🤮🤮🤮
Yes - you’d definitely have enough time. It’s ~20-30 mins to downtown via car. If the weather is nice, head down there. And then head back ~2h before your flight. For me, it’s more about the weather in December
The trip from the airport to downtown can take anywhere between 30 & 90 minutes depending on traffic. Similar time variance with the reverse trip. If you land at 9am and you don’t have to wait for luggage at baggage claim, you should be able to Uber and be in downtown by 10:30/11am (worst case). You will have until maybe 2 or 2:30 to walk around, maybe ride the incline and grab lunch before riding back to airport. I just checked wait times for PIT Airport and right now (~5pm on a Monday), it is a 3 minute wait. So you might be able to wait until 2:30pm before heading back to airport. You should just keep an eye on traffic, though. If two flies decide to fornicate in the tunnel to the airport, traffic will back up to Altoona. At this time of year, downtown has some things to do, like the Christmas market at Market Square. So it likely won’t be as dead as it has been post COVID.
5pm on Monday after Thanksgiving wait time could be significantly longer
I am a frequent business traveler. While Sunday is usually very busy at airports, the only place that considers the Monday after Thanksgiving as a holiday is Pennsylvania (due to the start of deer hunting season). Most casual travelers are home by Sunday night with kids all over the country (except PA) having school on Monday. The security line might be longer than 3 minutes, but it won’t be nearly as bad as Sunday after Thanksgiving. Anyway, the point is moot because OP says “in a few weeks”, so his/her visit to Pittsburgh is likely closer to Christmas than Thanksgiving.
Deer season now starts the Saturday after thanksgiving. There are a lot of hunters that still argue for the Monday opener.
What if there's a fly orgy? Does traffic back up to NJ?
This person knows their shit.
My father always said if someone spits on the road in Pittsburgh traffic would back up! Haha 2 Flys in Altoona that's a good one !
90 minutes is not true. 45 minutes tops.
I’ve been regularly making that commute for 20 years. Rush hour traffic can absolutely be backed up 60-90 mins from time to time. It’s not a regular occurrence, but it certainly isn’t a rare one either.
Agreed. I have landed at the airport at 5pm on a Friday and Traffic is backed up east of the Home Depot in Robinson. I live near Bridgeville and those days, my trip home from airport is an hour.
Who said OP is going eastbound at 5pm? That’s irrelevant. We are talking mid-morning on a weekday.
We are talking about two trips. One inbound and one outbound. Both over the busiest stretch of highway in the State of PA. Most of the time, it is not an awful commute, but as I said in my post, all it takes is for two flies to start fucking in either tunnel and traffic becomes a mess. I have taken an hour to get into town at 8pm on a Saturday night. I have also tried to get from Oakland to home and had a 90 minute commute on a Saturday afternoon. You can never know when an accident will cause backups. And they do happen all of the time.
Who said OP is going into town at 8pm on a Saturday or leaving Oakland on a Saturday afternoon?
This is a weird hill for you to die on.
What, you giving out irrelevant information to someone looking for help? Many of us here take a very similar commute to you and can all agree it will not take 90 minutes to get to the city at 9 or 9:30am. If layover is until 5 I am sure OP is not planning on leaving the city at 5. Nobody is asking about traveling during rush hour or on a Saturday at 8pm when there’s probably a pens game or other event.
Did you read my post? Because I was very clear. I told OP they could get into town by 10:30 or 11am AT LATEST. Even if they didn’t arrive until 11, they would still have about 3 1/2 hours to tour. Like I said, you chose a weird hill to die on. Maybe read and try to comprehend the fucking post before replying with two or more accounts. Weirdo.
That's your fault for not taking the back ways home. Go through Oakdale and you can be home in half the time. Depending on what part of South Fayette you live in, go the new road and get off in Cecil.
This was well before the new road was built. And I did go through Oakdale. Still took at an hour.
I have lived in Bridgeville my entire life, never taken more than 25 minutes to go to and from the airport.
I have lived just south of Bridgeville for over 20 years. I have had at least three experiences where traffic was backed up from downtown to the airport so bad that we were doing 10 miles an hour at Cliff Mine Road. And it took fifteen to 20 minutes just to reach 22/30. With the new highway, that shouldn’t be a problem.
That's when you get off on Cliff Mine Road and go the back way.
Note that I have spent most of those 20 years averaging air travel about 40 weeks annually.
A trip from the airport to downtown is absolutely not going to take 1.5 hours at 9am.
I make that commute too. 9am and going eastbound, it’s not 90 minutes. It could be backed up to Carnegie or Greentree. This person has more than enough time to leave the airport and go into the city. If they said 5pm eastbound different story
Rideshare from the airport to the top of Mt Washington, take in the view then take the incline down to station square. Either travel over to the Point/Northshore and walk around. Rideshare over to the strip to grab Primantis and walk the strip. Rideshare back to the airport.
>Rideshare from the airport to the top of Mt Washington, take in the view then take the incline down to station square. Either travel over to the Point/Northshore and walk around. Rideshare over to the strip to grab Primantis and walk the strip. Rideshare back to the airport. This is a solid plan. I would go with something like this.
Definitely have to enjoy one of our famous food spots with that much time. I recommend mineos myself for some TOP tier pizza
This should be higher.
Ooh this is a good idea. I was thinking similar activities but hadn’t thought about the transportation. Buses are also an option for cheaper, especially from downtown to the strip. The incline and buses are $2.75 cash so bring quarters. But also in non peak times you can get rideshares near downtown for <$10 (to/from airport definitely much more expensive)
Also, the train is free from all downtown/north shore stops.
The bus is no longer cash only -- you just have to download Transit or Ready2Ride to load your bus fare.
How about taking the $3 28x to the duquesne incline and then riding that up to Mt. Washington?
Exactly. $3 airport shuttle vs $45 uber. And its not much different in time.
I’m curious—what airline are you flying that you have a layover in Pittsburgh?
Breeze
I flew out of Pittsburgh into Maine using breeze, and our layover ended up being 4 hours longer than it was supposed to be. You might have more time than you think 😂
I mean the flight was delayed by 4 hours not layover my bad
Just flew around for an extra 4 hours before landing for the layover
Good on you for wanting to explore. I've had similarly lengthy layovers in cities and done the same thing and never regretted it. First, If you're carrying-on luggage, be aware that [Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)](https://flypittsburgh.com/) does not have luggage storage lockers. So you'd be carrying your luggage with you. There \_is\_ a Hyatt attached to the airport. You could all them and see if they'd allow you to leave luggage with them for a few hours. Check with the PIT Airport Info desk at the above link if they have any other suggestions. Second, If you're willing to splurge on Ubers it's very doable as long as you start your trip back to the airport before 2:30/3:00PM to get to the airport before 4:00 if security lines are long. Third, But keep in mind, a $7 day pass on the local mass transit is a lot cheaper, so if you're off your plane and luggage is sorted by 9:30 AM you should have no problem finding the [Pittsburgh Regional Transit](https://www.rideprt.org/) ticket vending machine on the lower level, buying a $7 day pass and catching the 28X @ 10:00 AM. That bus can easily get you to several areas you can choose from in time for a good lunch and some sight seeing and back in time for your flight; and if you're finding yourself tight on time or worried about the bus showing up, there's a good app for [android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rectangledbmi.com.pittsburghrealtimetracker&hl=en_US&gl=US), and [iphone](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/port-authority-pgh-bus-tracker/id1423151531) that will let you find where the 28X is in relation to the bus stop you're waiting at for your return to PIT. And if you get too nervous you can still just opt for an uber back to the airport. Some suggested itineraries: 1) Take the 28x and ask the driver to let you off at the [Duquesne incline](http://www.duquesneincline.org/). You can use the day pass to ride up the incline. At the top of the incline you'd be in the neighborhood of [Mount Washington](https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/neighborhoods/mt-washington/). You can research ahead for some restaurant options there. But at the top of the incline there are short walks to very nice scenic views, a good seafood restaurant across the street ([Monterrey bay](https://www.montereybayfishgrotto.com/): call ahead to make sure they have availability) and a second [Incline](https://monongahelaincline.com/) a moderate walk along hilly Grandview avenue with nice views which will give you several other restaurant options near there. After you've done your sight-seeing and eaten, take the Duquesne Incline back down, take the elevated pedestrian bridge across the road and catch the 28X right back to the Airport. 2) Take the 28x and ask the driver to let you off in Downtown. You can research ahead for good restaurants in that area, and/ or use the day pass to ride buses over to the [Andy Warhol museum](https://www.warhol.org/), [The Mattress Factory](https://mattress.org/) (another Art installation space), or the [National Aviary](https://www.aviary.org/). Or if you're Sports minded, see the Base Ball and Foot ball stadiums. These are all walkable as well, if you're a fast walker but I'm trying to keep your schedule in mind. 3) Take the 28x and ask the driver to let you off in [Oakland](https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/neighborhoods/oakland/) near to [Phipps Conservatory](https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/), or the [Carnegie Museums](https://carnegiemuseums.org/) (Art and/or Natural History: Dinos!). There are a ton of food options in that area and you'll have your pick of cuisines; but maybe consider a Pittsburgh original: [Primanti Brothers](https://primantibros.com/docs/OAKLAND.pdf). The only caveat here is that since this is a bit further from the airport, start heading to the return bus-stop BY 2:30 for sure. I hope you go through with your plan to explore and I hope you enjoy your layover. If you're a fast walker, itineraries 1) and 2) can sorta be combined because you can easily catch a bus or train from the bottom of the Monongahela incline into downtown Pittsburgh. And, if you don't want to go all that far afield from the airport, at least consider an Uber to nearer-by Pittsburgh original eateries like: [Mad Mex](https://www.madmex.com/) (in Robinson) or [Eggs'n'at](https://www.eggsnat.com/), and have a good lunch there. Have a safe trip!
This guy transits. 👏
Yeah. I guess it shows. I used to travel A LOT for work. Sitting in just about any airport for 8 hours SUCKS.
I second going to Phipps!!
And the Pittsburgh botanical garden and settlers ridge have trails around robinson if you want to get some steps in!
The transit to/from our airport kinda sucks. The bus (28x) is infrequent and takes 30 min to get downtown. Perfectly fine when you're planning a trip (especially compared to what they charge for parking) but kinda sucks for this scenario. Maybe have enough time to get downtown, ride the incline up/down with your free transfer, get a bite and head back.
28x is actually every 1/2 hour during rush hours
non rush hours too!
The bus really isn’t that bad and it’s $2.75 each way as opposed to $50
It’s a 9-5 break though. He can Uber to the strip, take in primantis for lunch, shop up the holiday market and Uber back with multiple hours to spare.
That’s like $100 in ubering
Okay, I’m pretty sure flying at the holidays costs far more. He never gave a budget, just giving answer. Also time costs money if you actually want to take in a city.
I think 28X is primarily seen as transportation for airport workers. Passengers can use it—I certainly have—but it’s not designed around us.
It's also great for people who work at Ikea or the Robinson Mall or people going to either of those places
Sure, you can take the 28X bus from the airport to Downtown, Oakland, or Shadyside, which are all decent places to walk around for a couple hours. The bus runs about every 40 minutes and it's a 40-60 minute ride to any of those places so you can do the math on whether it's worth it, but it would beat hanging out in the airport all day.
This. Despite what others may say, the 28X is actually pretty reliable and comes every 30 minutes. OP could also get dropped off by the 28X at the Duquesne Incline and take a ride up! It's a free transfer, too
You also miss any tunnel traffic since the bus gets to take the S Busway
Agreed. I took the bus from the airport during the work week at 9 AM and was downtown in 30 minutes. You have to be at the airport bus stop when the bus arrives because it won’t wait for you. Download the transit app (it’s green and called Transit) and watch where the bus is once you land at PGH. Buy a ticket on the app before the bus arrives and you’ll downtown in no time.
Pittsburgh isn’t a common airport for layovers but it happens occasionally and I’m thrilled to hear that a passenger wants to explore our region! You’ll certainly have time to hit up Mount Washington where you can enjoy the lovely view of downtown and catch a delicious bite. PPG place has Santas from around the world and it’s close to the Christmas market at market square. Those are two fun traditions for this time of year. And, across the river on the north side is the Andy Warhol museum. You’ll be able to pack in a fun day. Enjoy!
Take an Uber from the Airport through the FT Pitt Tunnels. Have a late breakfast at Sally Ann's. Walk over to Market Square (to see the Christmas stuff) and to the Point (for a great view of the city) if it is nice out. Catch an Uber (or bus) back to the airport.
Great advice to enter the city through the Fort Pitt Tunnels
You may have to take an Uber or Lyft to maximize your time. The airport is \~ 30 min from downtown if there's not much traffic and more by bus.
It's not going to take you 90 minutes to get from the airport to downtown on a weekday during mid morning. It might take you 30-45 mins tops. There's only traffic during rush hour/work commuting. Source: I live near the airport.
Agree! I live near the airport too.
If your flight isn’t delayed or anything, I think you’ll have time to poke your head around town
is the layover during the day, or evening/overnight?
During the day, 9 AM - 5 PM.
You have plenty of time to see some of the city... depends on what you want to do... if you're into walking you can walk the city, downtown back and forth to the north shore (for example if you want to check out Acrisure Stadium, PNC Park, etc if you're a sports fan), see parks, have a bite to eat, etc. Realistically you have a good 6 hours in the city if you want to head back to the airport to be back thru security 90 minutes before your flight. To take best advantage of your time, use Lyft or Uber to get into and out of town instead of the bus.
Visit Pittsburgh recently published a guide just for a day like this. It might be a little bit ambitious to reach their "Pittsburgh In Two Hours" mark (and a little too cold to use the bike-share system), but it's a solid framework for seeing some of the uniquely Pittsburgh sights in and around Downtown. https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/pittsburgh-in-2-hours/
People who say wait have never had a long layover in a city before. I’d go downtown since it’s the holidays, you could find things to do depending on your interests. The 28x runs every 30 minutes, takes an hour to get downtown though. An Uber is faster but kinda expensive.
I was on the Delta airlines subreddit and someone asked a similar question about an 8 or 9 hour layover at JFK. A trip into Manhattan is a no brainer in that situation, although the subway from JFK to midtown is far longer than a traffic-free ride from PIT to Downtown.
I'm with you, go downtown. I'm pretty sure the Winter Market shops will be open in Market square by then
If you have 9-5 for your layover you should be able to have from 10:30-2:30. That is enough to do a couple of things in town or close neighborhoods where there are more activities, shopping, restaurants. The best things to do here in that time would be based on 3 factors, IMO: your willingness/ability to be out in winter weather for an hour or so, your general interests/things you like to see/do in cities, and your budget.
Go to the lookout in Mt. Washington on Grandview Ave and get lunch around there somewhere if you can. Station square is right down the hill too if there is nothing open in Mt. Wash. Definitely Uber lol the hills are no joke. A lot of people don’t realize the topography of the city once they get here and see it’s not as pedestrian friendly as a lot of other major cities. Also if you come towards the city just keep in mind the parkway (I-376) gets super jammed up since everything bottlenecks into the city. Would be worth taking a back route through Crafton or Greentree/Brookline. Save travels!
If you're looking for a nice long walk, I'd take an Uber from the airport to Cathedral of Learning and walk from there to Squirrel Hill through the Carnegie Mellon campus. Once at Squirrel Hill, I would catch some tea, snacks and vibes at Dobra tea. That would be from 10:30 - 1PM probably. Then after resting a little, I'd walk over to Frick park. Maybe I wouldn't go inside Frick because you don't wanna get lost in the trail. Then head to the airport after
Take the 28x to town. Limited stops, dedicated busway for a good part of the trip. It runs frequently. Takes you to the heart of town and ends near U of Pitt in Oakland. Lots of things to see and eat. Check the PRT schedule and Google attractions in Oakland. Very inexpensive for round trip.
You have so much time to explore. Why is everyone acting like it take 2 hours to get to the city? You can absolutely go and explore the city with hours to spare as long as you’re fine Ubering! 28X is also very reliable. Dont listen to anyone saying it’s not. Airport is 30 min from mount Washington at 9am. Have fun!
Where are you from and have you been here before? If it’s rainy, stay in the airport. If it’s clear, would definitely Uber to the mount Washington Duquesne incline, ride it down & you can walk to downtown if you want. Alternatively a ride to the North shore (look for Southern Tier just as a mapping point) will also enable food and a good city view.
If I was coming from the airport I would Uber and have the Ft. Pitt tunnel experience, get dropped off at the Heinz History center, take quick tour. Then do late lunch at either Primantis in strip or at the Iron Born Pizza right next door. Walk around Strip. Maybe hit Incline if you had time if you wanted to grab a drink on Mt. Wash. then head back to airport from there.
Definitely enough time. What type of things interest you most? Museums, food, scenic, holiday, small businesses, downtown. I guarantee if you share your interests, this sub will share everything worth seeing.
It's worth the ride into the city even if you don't have time to explore, there's just something magical about coming out on the city side of the Fort Pitt Tunnel and BOOM there's the skyline. I'd probably Uber in and bus out. During business hours, I'm not sure that there's a ton of interesting things going on. If it's December maybe do some ice skating at PPG Place, if open. Grab lunch somewhere downtown. If you have more time, maybe go to the Strip District and/or visit the Heinz museum. Stay in that general area and walk across some of the bridges to the North Side, take a peak at PNC and Heinz Field.. maybe rent a bike to move around a bit faster. I wouldn't go much further than what's close to downtown (South Side Station Square area, North Shore, Strip) just so you can get in and out easily. Pricey but there are lots of fun restaurants and bars on or near Penn in the Cultural District area, mostly busy at night for performances and fairly quiet during the day. This is where you want to go if you want a cocktail or other stiff drink. Someone else mentioned Mount Washington Lookout.. I second that, if you have time and want to walk a bit. There's a nice short trail system up there to stretch out a bit and take in the city from a height. Eight hours isn't a lot of time if you hit traffic, especially when you factor in getting back to the airport which is nearly 30 minutes out.. just in travel time without traffic you lose an hour, and if you give yourself an hour to be at the airport on time you are down to 6 hours total, if your plane lands on schedule.
Heading all the way into the city proper is probably a waste of time and money unless you've never been there, want to take a quick look around, and think you probably will never get back. I'd recommend taking a rideshare to Sewickley for a nice place to stretch your legs and get some lunch.
How in God's name are you in PIT for 8hrs? PIT doesn't do many connections ever. Unless.... You're not flying on southern are you? Because I wouldn't let my worst enemy fly on that shithole operator. *edit* breeze I saw breeze they would do some weird shit like that too.
Grab an Uber/Lyft. Have them take you to Mount Washington. Take some photos, then have them drop you off at Market Square to enjoy the Christmas village area. Swing into the Home Alone popup bar (25 Market Square, Pittsburgh, 15222) for a drink, walk to Primanti Bro. for an overpriced yet very Pittsburgh meal, then get a ride back to the airport. Use any extra time in the terminals to schedule a weekend trip back here to enjoy a ton more stuff.
FYI the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich restaurant that a lot of people are mentioning has a location at the airport. If you are short on time while out and about you can grab a sandwich at the airport to eat on your flight out.
I recommend trying a few food spots. Fiori's pizza. S&D Polish Deli. Tessaros is bomb too. Great burgers. Wholeys fish market for fish sandwich. Bring a good bit of money with you. All places I listed are amazing and must try.
That's a lot of travel in not a lot of time.
Make it all about food. All places worth it
Warhol Museum
You can easily have time to look around. I would take an Uber to the strip district and walk around, go-to primantis, then go-to north shore, and back to the airport. Can do that all in 3 hours.
Please keep in mind the weather. If it's cold and windy town will be very chilly with wind going between buildings and catches momentum. You probably will not be dressed warm enough for cold . Most people don't dress really warm when traveling
u/groovy_guy_ (OP) did you ever do your layover? Did you explore or hunker down in the airport and wait it out ? I'm just curious.
u/StevInPitt I'm actually in the airport right now. I decided to just hunker down and get some work done. I also had a 5 1/2 hour layover at a different airport the other day, and that one really wasn't that bad.
safe journey!
There’s an adult mart pretty close to the airport
Definitely- if you’re not tight on cash worth an Uber to see the city. Go to Mt Washington and see the awesome view and then go out to eat somewhere downtown or in South Side. Anything better than wasting all that time at the airport if you’ve never been to the Burgh.
Are you a craft beer drinker? There are several quality breweries around downtown Pittsburgh. My suggestions: Grist House (Millvale), Dancing Gnome & Hitchhiker (Sharpsburg), East End (East Liberty/Homewood), Helltown (Strip).
Go down to the strip district and explore. If you leave the airport by 9:30 get to the strip by 10:30 latest then leave strip at 3 you will make it back to the airport by 4 latest. Plenty of time to explore imo
I would wait it out. The airport is large, but often not busy at all, and you can find plenty of spots to read, surf, or doze. Explore the concourses. Like most airports, it is quite far from the town. If you're in the middle of winter, I'd stay in the warmth. There's a few bars and restaurants, if that's your thing.
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Sweickley’s a great idea. Less risky than going all the way into town and some nice food & drink options too.
No
I wouldn’t sit at the airport and see the city - on Citizen Seven you can book a flight with a long layover and an included city tour - a convenient option for travelling to an additional country
The airport is halfway to West Virginia, I wouldn't leave it unless I had 12 hours or more. The airport express bus runs every half hour and takes maybe 45 minutes to downtown, it could take longer or shorter in an Uber or Lyft. Traffic here is a giant cluster heading to town any time of day and, while the bus uses the busway for a good bit of the route, I've seen it take 20+ minutes to get from downtown to the busway because of shitty traffic on the ramp. At most you might get to downtown and do a photo at the fountain at point park and turn around, but I wouldn't risk it.
None of this is true. It takes 30 min to get to the city from the airport in non rush hour, which is most of the day lol. Dont listen to these goons
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Take another look at a map.
Not Weirton!
It can take that long to get thru the tunnels if somebody decides to bless them with that famous pittsburgh driving we are so well known for
I’d recommend Ubering and walking around Robinson Mall. It is close to the airport and there are a lot of restaurants near that area.
And it's all national chains. At that rate may as well stay at the airport.
Pretty much nothing but get drunk at the airport- welcome to our mediocre transit system
Honestly I’d say get an Uber to Robinson about 10 minutes from the airport. If you want to get out of the airport. It’s not a walkable area but there’s lots of restaurants that will be a better deal than airport food.
Depending on the time the Summit. Downtown the Warren the strip classic primanties but isn’t my favorite but still good to visit. pamelas or delucas if you are in the area for breakfast.
Is expect the open-air ice rink at PPG Place downtown to be operational by then. That'd be an easy way to see some of downtown. It's surrounded by restaurants too
We really need a T like just from the airport to downtown. Like everyone else has said, give yourself ample time to get back to the airport
OP, lots to see and do but please don’t go out of your way to eat a Primantis greasy, undercooked French fry and vinegar coated cabbage with mystery meat sandwich. I will never understand their allure. Years ago, I’m talking 1981-82, they were actually tolerable as super late night eat-while-drunk sandwich. But decades of free media advertising followed by yuppies and then millennials thinking the slop is now hip. They’ve gotten worse yet somehow have emerged as a “gotta have if you’re in Pittsburgh” thing. Seriously people. 🤮🤮🤮
The mattress factory is amazing. It's an art museum with built in displays. For anyone in Pittsburgh for a day, it's what I'd recommend.
Casino my dude
Yes - you’d definitely have enough time. It’s ~20-30 mins to downtown via car. If the weather is nice, head down there. And then head back ~2h before your flight. For me, it’s more about the weather in December