Traveling to Phoenix

Phoenix is about a five-hour drive from the next closest major city, so unless you’re really into long car rides through arid landscapes, you’re probably flying into town. This chapter of our insider guide to Chase Field will look at traveling to Phoenix and getting from the airport to your hotel, while more in-depth coverage of how to get to and from the ballpark will be covered in the Local Transit section.

Flying to Phoenix

While Phoenix does have two airports, Sky Harbor (PHX) is the main one located near the downtown area, and the one that you are most likely to fly into. But there’s also Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), a much smaller, much farther away option that is flown to by Allegiant and Sun Country Airlines.

Sky Harbor Airport (PHX)

Self-described as “America’s Friendliest Airport,” Sky Harbor is both easy to access and navigate. In 2023, the Wall Street Journal named Sky Harbor the best overall airport among the 20 largest in the US. The airport was lauded for its short security waits (good for flying out after a Sunday game), quick taxi-to-takeoff times for planes (good for getting back home on time), and inexpensive rideshare costs to reach downtown (good for saving money!). It’s also on Phoenix’s light rail system, so you can use public transit to get from Sky Harbor to either downtown Phoenix or Tempe.

Sky Harbor is a hub for American Airlines and a base for both Southwest and Frontier, but with non-stop flights from Phoenix to more than 120 different domestic destinations, getting to Phoenix from anywhere in the country is usually pretty easy. Southwest alone has direct flights to Phoenix from nearly 60 cities, including over 20 MLB cities, so they can be a good option for getting to Phoenix.

TSI Tip: Phoenix is often a pricey destination, especially in spring, so booking earlier may be a good idea.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA)

The other option is Phoenix’s smaller airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA). Phoenix-Mesa Gateway serves as a base for Allegiant Air, so if you’re located in a smaller U.S. city that is serviced by Allegiant, this might be your best choice for a non-stop flight. Sun Country also flies seasonally from Minneapolis.

Keep in mind though that AZA is located about a 45-minute drive away from Chase Field, so you’d almost certainly need to either rent a car or hire a rideshare to get there. Public transit is possible if cost-cutting is your main goal, but you’d have to walk 20 minutes with your luggage to the nearest bus stop, sit through multiple stops before reaching the Gilbert Road/Main St. light rail station, and then ride another hour on the light rail before reaching the stop near Chase Field. While it’s only $5, the 2-hour 45-minute travel time seems really hard to justify. 

A rideshare from AZA to downtown will cost about $50-70, but note: when we try to schedule one ahead of time on Uber and Lyft, both tell us that a rideshare cannot be booked from that location in advance. Which likely means that they just have limited cars down there, or that their drivers don’t want to go from AZA to downtown and then have to drive all the way back without a passenger. So make sure to factor that into your plans. If you can’t book a rideshare in advance, then you should strongly consider renting a car instead.

Should you rent a car for a Chase Field / Phoenix visit if you’re staying downtown?

This depends on what else you plan on doing while you’re here. If your focus is just to see the ballpark and are staying downtown most of the time, then a car rental isn’t necessary. Rideshares and taxis are available at all times, and at a cost of $20-30 for the 15-20 minute ride from the airport to downtown, the price is quite reasonable. And if you just want to take a single trip to/from Scottsdale or out to a mountain for a hiking trail, a roundtrip rideshare will likely be less than the cost of a rental car plus hotel parking.

Plus, don’t forget that if you do get a rental car, you’ll have to pay for parking downtown, which can range from $30-$50 per day, and then you’ll have to return it on your way back to the airport, which will add extra time to your journey. If you’re trying to catch a Sunday evening flight following an afternoon ballgame, the extra time to return the car could make a big difference. Meanwhile, with a rideshare you can get from your downtown hotel to the departures entrance at the airport in 20 minutes.

Taking public transit from Sky Harbor to downtown

Public transit from the airport is cheap and effective, only costing $2.00 one way or $4.00 for an entire day pass. If you’re coming from the airport, you can take the free SkyTrain from Terminal 3 or 4 to the 44th Street SkyTrain Station. From there, follow the walkway on Level 2 to the escalator down to the Valley Metro Rail platform at 44th Street and Washington. A westbound train will then zip you to the 3rd St/Washington stop near Chase Field in about 20 minutes. 

A note about taking the light rail

Phoenix’s light rail does not offer 24 hour transportation like some other major cities. Check out the link we’ve included here to see the most current light rail schedule.

Like any other public transportation in a major metropolis, the light rail can have the occasional disturbance from unhoused or inebriated individuals. As long as you’re not riding the trains at really awkward times of the day, you should be fine. Just like anywhere though, stay alert of your surroundings and take the proper precautions.

TSI Tip: If you’ve got multiple people in your group, catching a $20 rideshare is going to be a much better option than spending $8-10 on the light rail. There are better times/places to save money than on airport-to-downtown given the inconvenience it will add.

If you aren’t staying downtown, should you rent a car?

Phoenix is a massive metro area. It can take well over an hour in traffic to drive from one side of the city to the other. The light rail does provide access to Tempe, with a stop right on the campus of Arizona State University, but if your itinerary requires you to go to the East Valley (Gilbert/Chandler) or West Valley (Glendale/Peoria) then a rental car will probably make sense. Public transportation isn’t much of a thing in Phoenix, with a very limited light rail system that doesn’t travel to either of those destinations or to Scottsdale.

Scottsdale is one of the most popular destinations in Phoenix, famous for its energetic nightlife, top-tier resorts, and world-class golf courses. If this is where you’re staying, it’s a judgment call about whether to rent a car or rely on ridesharing. 

Renting a car will give you a ton of flexibility, but you’ll have to pay for the car, pay for hotel parking, and then also pay for parking at the ballpark. On the other hand, if you’re planning to stay in Scottsdale and catch a Sunday afternoon game before flying out, a car can also serve as a place to store your luggage so you can leave the ballpark and go directly to the airport.

So really, the best thing to do is to think carefully about what your overall agenda is when you’re in Phoenix. Map it out, and the more moving around you’re planning to do, the more a rental car will make sense. The less moving around you’re going to do, the more ridesharing will make sense.

To help, here’s a chart with some info on the cost of both options:

Rideshare vs. Rental Car Costs

If you do decide to rent a car

The rental car center at Sky Harbor is located off-site, but the PHX SkyTrain now goes there directly, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with stops every 3-5 minutes. The ride on the SkyTrain only takes about 10 minutes from either terminal, making it a quick and convenient option if you are picking up a rental. From the rental car center you can drive to downtown in 10-15-minutes, to Tempe in 10-15-minutes, and to Old Town Scottsdale in 20-25 minutes. 

Parking on game day is readily available. The closest options are the Chase Field garage, located at 401 S. 4th St., or the Jefferson St. Garage located at 333 E. Jefferson St. Booking ahead on ParkWhiz is always a good idea, and you can expect to pay between $25-$35 depending on the opponent and day of the week. If you want to save a little bit and don’t mind a walk, you can either head south of the stadium between 2nd St. and 7th St., or east of the stadium between Washington and Jefferson for cheaper cash lots on gameday. We’ll cover this in greater detail in our Local Transit chapter.

Driving to Phoenix

You’d need to be a dedicated road trip aficionado to want to drive to Phoenix. It’s definitely doable, but unless you enjoy desert landscapes and driving along two lane highways behind semi-trucks, you’ll probably want to fly. 

But if you do drive, the I-10 is the main artery into town from Los Angeles, while you’ll be driving along the I-8 if you’re coming from San Diego. Las Vegas is also a 5-hour ride on US-93.

The good news is that if you’ve got your own car, then you’ll fit right in here. Phoenix is a driving town, and you’ll definitely have the easiest time doing all of the Phoenix things if you drive here.

Bottom Line

If you’re staying in downtown Phoenix and just want to focus on going to Chase Field, forget about the rental car and just use rideshares or public transit. If you’re going to stay in Scottsdale, Tempe, or are planning on roaming around the valley to do a lot of things, then a rental car makes more sense. It’s a judgment call, so just think about how much roaming around you’re going to do. But also factor in your departure and how long it will take you to return that car to the off-airport rental car center.