Getting Around Cary
Cary is a spread-out Southern town, and the reference material is blunt about what that means for visitors: the immediate downtown area can be walked, but the town as a whole is best traveled by car. Plan your trip around that reality rather than fighting it.
Arriving by Air
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is the main gateway for the area, located a short drive from Cary. RDU is served by all major U.S. airlines, including Southwest, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. These and other carriers provide direct connections to most major hubs, among them Atlanta, Washington-Dulles, Baltimore-Washington, Chicago (both Midway and O'Hare), New York City (LaGuardia), Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Phoenix, plus a limited number of international hubs such as London, Paris, and Toronto. Most other major U.S. cities are reachable after a single connecting flight.
If you plan to drive yourself around Cary, the airport is also where you'll find several car rental locations — the source specifically points visitors there.
Getting Into and Around Cary by Car
Given how spread out Cary is, a car is the most practical way to cover the town. The highway network makes the surrounding region easy to reach:
- Interstate 40 runs just north of Cary and continues west to Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Asheville. Heading east on I-40 leads to Wilmington and the North Carolina beaches.
- Interstate 440 forms the inner loop around Raleigh.
- NC 540 is a toll road passing through western Cary; it eventually becomes Interstate 540, Raleigh's outer beltway.
- US 1 runs through Cary along its route up the Eastern Seaboard.
- US 64 serves the south of Cary, connecting Raleigh with Asheboro.
Rail Service
Cary has a train station at 211 North Academy Street, served by Amtrak. Two Amtrak lines stop here:
- The Carolinian/Piedmont service, which starts in Charlotte — the Piedmont terminates in Raleigh, while the Carolinian continues on toward New York City.
- The Silver Service, which stops in Cary on its route between New York and Florida.
For a visitor, this means Cary is connected by rail both to Charlotte and the rest of North Carolina and to the Northeast Corridor and Florida.
Buses and Public Transport
Local bus service in Cary is provided by GoCary, and the town is also served by the affiliated Research Triangle regional bus system, GoTriangle. GoTriangle offers bus service from Raleigh and from the Regional Transit Center, with connections onward to Durham, Chapel Hill, and other towns in the Triangle.
Within Cary, the GoCary network is structured as follows:
- Lines 1 and 2 are loop routes.
- Lines 3 through 6 terminate at the train station, making the station a useful hub if you're combining bus and rail travel.
Note that the source material does not describe a metro or tram network in Cary — rail here means Amtrak intercity service, and public transport means the GoCary and GoTriangle bus systems.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
The reference material does not cover taxis or ride-hailing in Cary, so no specific guidance on those options can be given here. Visitors should plan around the modes that are documented: driving, the GoCary and GoTriangle buses, and Amtrak rail.
Walkability
Walking works for the immediate downtown area, which is compact enough to explore on foot. Beyond downtown, however, Cary is fairly spread out, and the source's clear recommendation is to travel by car for the rest of the town.
Practical Summary
- Best overall mode: a car, especially if you're seeing more than downtown.
- Rental cars: available at RDU International Airport.
- Local buses: GoCary, with loop routes (lines 1–2) and routes ending at the train station (lines 3–6).
- Regional buses: GoTriangle, connecting to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Regional Transit Center.
- Rail: Amtrak at 211 North Academy Street, with the Carolinian/Piedmont and Silver Service lines.
- Walking: practical downtown, less so elsewhere.