Neighboring cities are Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth. Norfolk has always been a Navy town. The world's largest naval base is located here.

Attractions

 • Chrysler Museum of Art
 • Virginia Botanical Garden
 • Norfolk Naval Station Tour
 • Nauticus - National Maritime Center
 • Spirit of Norfolk cruise / tour
 • Virginia Zoo

Dining

 • Todd Jurich's Cafe is a good restaurant, has enough appetizers so you can avoid a big entree. The wine list is good, but expensive. It is a 2 block walk from the Marriott Harborside Hotel.
 • Cracker's Little Bar Bistro, 821 W 21ST St (Ghent Area), (757) 640-0200 - Daily 5PM-2AM. This tiny joint serves amazing tapas (appetizer-sized plates) and a wide variety of fun martinis. There's only about 7 tables in the entire place, plus bar seating. If you go, I suggest going right at 5pm, else you can't be sure you'll be seated right away. Two people can try a bunch of different tapas (I highly recommend the filet with mashed potatoes), have a few martinis, leave a great tip, and spend less than $50. $4-$9 per plate.

Drink

Three sections of Norfolk have concentrations of bars and nightclubs: Ghent, Granby Street, and the Waterside Festival Marketplace. Ghent is the most laid-back, Granby Street is a trendy place for dates, and the Waterside is the wild place for the kids. Just follow the noise.

Lodging

Norfolk's good hotels are clustered downtown and near the airport.
 • Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, 777 Waterside Drive, downtown. The only downtown hotel on the waterfront. Connected to the Waterside Festival Marketplace. Moderate walk to the cruise terminal. Request a water view.
 • Norfolk Airport Hilton, 1500 N Military Highway. Located just two miles from Norfolk International Airport in the Lake Wright Executive Park; 1 mile to Virginia Wesleyan College. 248 deluxe guest rooms. 15 meeting rooms. 3 restaurants.

Get in

By plane
Norfolk International Airport.

By car
Interstate 64 will bring you to Norfolk from points west.

By boat
Passenger ferry from Portsmouth.

Get around

The Hampton Roads Transit Trolley Tour is a good way to see the city and get your bearings. The NET electric buses cover the downtown and are free.

Shopping

Ghent has several nice shops. The D'Art Center near downtown offers a large selection of local art.

Stay safe

Crime isn't as much of a problem as it was in the wild old days. The city's slums are obvious and should be avoided at night.