In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United States
Savannah
Give Savannah 2 nights: one full day on foot in the 1-mile Historic District, one for a day trip. Skip it as a quick I-95 stop.
Savannah is a 1-mile-by-1-mile Historic District of 22 surviving squares, live oaks and antebellum houses, plus a riverfront of cobblestones and bars. Almost everything worth seeing sits inside that square, so you walk it. Two nights covers the core; three adds Tybee Island or Wormsloe. Summer heat is the main planning constraint, not distance.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (heat index near 38°C), St Patrick's Day week if you want quietJun–Aug (heat index near 100°F), St Patrick's Day week if you want quiet
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $90–140 excl. bed · Mid $150–250 excl. bed · High $300+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Fried shrimp or shrimp and grits plate | $16–28 |
| Draught beer in a River Street bar | $6–9 |
| Museum entry (Telfair three-site ticket) | $25–30 |
| Wormsloe Historic Site entry | $10 |
| 5 km taxi or rideshare3.1 mi taxi or rideshare | $12–18 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SAV · Savannah/Hilton Head International
- About 20 km northwest of downtown; rental cars, shuttles and taxis on the lower level.About 12 mi northwest of downtown; rental cars, shuttles and taxis on the lower level.
Typical fares
- SAV airport → downtown, taxi
- about $35–45, 20–25 min (check)
- CAT dot shuttle, Historic District
- free
- Savannah Belles Ferry to Hutchinson Island
- free
Get around
The Historic District is walkable end to end in about 25 min. Chatham Area Transit (CAT) runs the free dot shuttle around the district and the free Savannah Belles Ferry to Hutchinson Island; buses fan out from the downtown transit center. Parking garages (including under Ellis Square) beat street meters, which fill by mid-morning and are free on weekends.
See and do
Known for
- Historic District squares and Forsyth Park
- River Street and the Savannah River waterfront
- Bonaventure Cemetery
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
- SCAD art and the Telfair Museums
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tybee Island | Drive US-80 east, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Wormsloe Historic Site | Drive Skidaway Rd, about 20 min | About 35 min |
| Jekyll Island | I-95 south, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 45 min |
| Saint Simons Island | I-95 south to Brunswick, about 1 h 20 min | About 1 h 40 min |
| Charleston, SC | I-95 north then US-17, about 2 h | About 2 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Historic District (north of Forsyth Park)
- Walk to everything; B&Bs and small hotels, highest prices.
- River Street and Bay Street
- Waterfront bars and restaurants below, bluff-top hotels above; noisiest at night.
- Midtown / Abercorn corridor
- Chain hotels, free parking, 10–15 min drive to the district.
- Pooler and airport area
- Cheapest beds, I-95 access; only for a car-based one-night stop.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the visitor center? | Where is the visitor center? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is this seat free? | Is this seat free? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat and humidity: plan indoor stops between 12:00 and 16:00 and carry water.
- Street parking near River Street fills first; use a garage.
- Savannah Station (Amtrak) is about 5 km from downtown with limited bus service.
- St Patrick's Day week brings very large crowds and higher room rates.
Downtown Savannah is busy and generally safe in the Historic District by day and early evening. Stay aware after midnight around River Street and City Market, keep to lit streets, and treat unlicensed 'ghost tour' touts and bar tabs without posted prices as the main tourist friction.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Savannah yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Historic District squares and Forsyth Park
- River Street and the Savannah River waterfront
- Bonaventure Cemetery
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
- SCAD art and the Telfair Museums
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Savannah (official destination site): www.visitsavannah.com/
- City of Savannah: www.savannahga.gov/
- Chatham Area Transit (CAT): www.catchacat.org/
- Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport: www.savannahairport.com
- Wikivoyage: Savannah, revision 5333253 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5333253
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Savannah
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Savannah; consulates-general are in Atlanta. Check your country's Atlanta mission.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/savannah). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.