Fodors in focus Charleston: with Hilton Head & the Lowcountry

The Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau ( www.charlestoncvb.com ) is the best place to start piecing together your trip, whether in person or via their website. Other great resources include Charleston City Paper ( www.charlestoncitypaper.com ), a free weekly with events galore, and Charleston magazine ( www.charlestonmag.com ); check out both publications for their extensive online calendars. To find out more about Restaurant Week in this foodie city (January and September), look at the website for the Charleston Restaurant Association ( www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com ). And to browse options for both home and garden tours, head to the websites of the Preservation Society of Charleston ( www.preservationsociety.org ) and Historic Charleston Foundation ( www.historiccharleston.org ).

Fly to Charleston: Flying into the Charleston International Airport is a straightforward affair. American Eagle, United, Delta, US Airways, Southwest, and JetBlue all offer flights. (Another option is the inexpensive Spirit Airlines, which flies into Myrtle Beach International Airport, 90 miles north of Charleston.) Once you land, youll have to take a taxi or shuttle into the city, about 15 minutes to downtown, unless you rent a car.

Hop a Train: Amtrak pulls into Charleston thanks to the Palmetto service, which spans New York City to Savannah, Georgia, with stops in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other spots, including Charleston.

Drive In: Two main highways feed into CharlestonHighway 17 and Interstate 26.

To gauge driving distance, the city is 265 miles from Atlanta, 173 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina, and 85 miles from Savannah, Georgia.

In the City: A car isnt a must in this walkable city, but for those who prefer not to hoof it, there are bikes, pedicabs, tour buses, taxis, water taxis, and trolleys, plus buses that go to the suburbs and beaches. Street parking is irksome, as meter readers are among the citys most efficient public servants. (But if you purchase a SmartCard from the Division of Motor Vehicles downtown, you can deposit meter money and credit it back to your card when you leave a metered spot.) Parking garages, both privately and publicly owned, charge approximately $1 an hour.

You can get acquainted with Charlestons Historic District at your leisure, especially if you can devote at least three days to the city, which will allow time to explore some of the plantations west of the Ashley River. With another day, you can explore Mount Pleasant, and if you have even more time, head out to the coastal islands.

You can bank on high season running year-round, with minor dips in the heat of late July through early September, and mid-January to Valentines Day. But if youre motivated, there are deals to be found. Always look online to book hotel packages. Restaurant Week, where multicourse meals are offered at discounted prix fixe, hits twice, in January and September. Year-round, the city-run trolley service offers free hop-on, hop-off service along routes throughout downtown. If you must drive, know that metered parking is free from 6 pm to 9 am. And for those looking to hop on a carriage tour, be sure to raid your hotels lobby rack cards for coupons offering a few dollars off. Freebie events include the City Farmers Market, where food vendors, farmers, and artisans offer their wares; Piccolo Spoleto (late May to mid-June), where artists sell their work and musicians give gratis performances; Charleston City Papers Movies in Marion Square in April; Artwalk in the French Quarter, where galleries offer late-night viewing, cocktail nibbles, and drinks every first Friday of the month; and Second Sundays on King, when King Street closes to traffic from Calhoun to Broad streets, and sales hit the sidewalks along with restaurants offering Sunday specials.