How to Get to Lihue, Kauai
As the county seat of Kauai, Lihue is very accessible. You can find the major airport in Kauai in Lihue, the Lihue Airport. And as with all interisland travel in Hawaii, Lihue is best accessible through domestic interisland flights, which is about 25 minutes long. You have two options: either make a stopover at Honolulu then transfer to one of the local charters, or take a flight that comes directly from the mainland US to Lihue Airport. So, it depends on your travel plans and the specific flight package that you selected to reach Kauai and Lihue. Anyway, traveling between the different terminals in the Honolulu Airport is made easy by the shuttle services within the airport.
Carriers in Lihue
There are several carriers that can bring you to Lihue. These usually include the following: Go! Airlines, Island Air, Hawaiian Airlines, and Mokulele Airlines. These carriers have regular flights to the different islands, including to Lihue Airport. You should also look up the flight listings for direct flights to Lihue Airport if you don’t want to pass through Honolulu. You can also look up package deals that include car rentals, accommodations, and tours to get savings on your trip to Lihue.
Getting around Lihue
The great thing about Lihue is that the airport is already in Lihue. To get around the town and surrounding districts in Kauai, it’s recommended that you get a rental car. There are several car rental companies in Lihue so the competition is sure to keep the rates down. Also, as mentioned earlier, you should look at package deals to maximize your savings on rental cars.
The reason why rental cars are the best option is because they provide the greatest accessibility to all the places not just in Lihue, but also in the whole of Kauai. Since the island is circular, and there are just a few main highways that give you access to all of Kauai, having a car of your own to drive can give you the convenience and easy access to all of the sights and points of interest in the island. You can either take the highway 50 to go south and east, and take highway 56 to go west and north.
Other means of getting around
If you don’t want to get a rental car, your other options would be taking the bus or taxi. The local bus is the cheaper option. Also, you can experience a bit of the local culture when riding on the bus, like how some of the locals do it. The disadvantage is that the bus routes are limited, so you can’t really get around the whole island just through bus alone. For taxis, they are available throughout the island, but they can be expensive for long trips. Though they are available, taxis don’t present as much convenience as having your own car to drive. And when you plan to explore the island exhaustively, rental cars would still be the more economical option.
Getting to Lihue is easy
As such, it should not be difficult to get to Lihue, and get around the district. With the availability of flights, and an airport in the district, one is practically already there. And with the hundreds of rental cars available, getting around the district and the island itself should be simple and easy. As for the cost, just like for any destination, you should look around and do some comparative shopping to find the best rates and packages that will give you the most savings during your trip. But all in all, getting to Lihue is easy to manage with the proper planning.