Culpeper is a town of almost 19,000 people (2018) in the center of Culpeper County in Central Virginia. Culpeper is the literal heart of the county, and has grown rapidly since 2000 when it was home to fewer than 10,000 people.

Get in

By car

From Washington D.C./I-66: Take I-66 West to Exit 43A (Rt. 29 South towards Warrenton). Continue on Rt. 29 South for approximately 40 miles to the first Culpeper exit - Business 29. Follow Business 29 for 3 miles into the Town of Culpeper - Main Street. At the third traffic light turn left on to Davis Street and proceed to the end of road to the Train Depot/Visitors Center.

From Charlottesville/Rt.29: Take Rt. 29 North for approximately 45 miles to Culpeper. Take the second exit at Culpeper Business 29. At the fifth traffic light turn right on to Davis Street. Proceed to the end of the road to the Train Depot/Visitors Center.

From Richmond /I-95: Take I-95 North for approximately 60 miles to Fredericksburg exit 130. Exit at 130 - Culpeper/Rt. 3 West. Proceed on Rt. 3 West for 35 miles. At the second traffic light in Culpeper turn right on to Main Street. Proceed to the second traffic light and turn right on to Davis Street. Follow Davis Street to the end of the road to the Train Depot/Visitors Center.

From Harrisonburg /I-81: Take I-81 to I-66 East. Continue on I-66 East to exit 6 at Front Royal - Rt. 522 South. Follow Rt. 522 South for approximately 45 miles to Culpeper. When in Culpeper, make a right turn at the traffic light intersection of Rt. 522 and Main Street. Proceed to the next traffic light and turn left on to Davis St. Follow Davis Street to the end of the road to the Train Depot/Visitors Center.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 1 Culpeper station, 111 South Commerce St. The station has no ticket agent or QUIK-TRAK machine. (updated Nov 2023) Train operators:
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Routes stopping in Culpeper:
    • Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.
    • Crescent between New Orleans and New York City via Birmingham, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C.
    • Northeast Regional is Amtrak's busiest regional service, connecting Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and the many towns and cities in-between. Toward the east end of the route, some trips terminate at Springfield instead of Boston. Some services also continue south into Virginia towards Newport News, Roanoke and Norfolk on three separate branch routes from Alexandria. Culpeper is on the branch to and from Roanoke.

By plane

International airports that service Culpeper include Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD ^IATA) - 58 miles, Richmond International Airport (RIC ^IATA) - 86 miles, and Baltimore Washington Int. Airport (BWI ^IATA) - 105 miles.

Charlottesville Regional Airport (CHO ^IATA) is 40 miles to the south. Culpeper also has small but growing local airport which receives some charter flights, Culpeper Regional Airport (FAA LID: CJR) - 7 miles north of Culpeper.

Get around

Getting around the historic Downtown is very easy on foot, by car, or on the Culpeper Trolley (☏ +1 540 825-2456, ☏ +1-877-777-2708). The Trolley runs every 30-40 minutes M-F from 7AM to 5PM, and on Saturdays from 9:30AM to 2:30PM, from various points north and south of town. Fares are $.50 per destination.

Parking around Culpeper can be found in various 2 and 3 hour lots throughout Town. An all-day free parking lot for Amtrak travelers is on the corner of Commerce Street and Wausau Place, a short block from the Culpeper Visitors Center in the Train Depot on Commerce Street. Rental cars are available through Enterprise Rent-A-Car -☏ +1 540-829-7800, 15419 Brandy Rd.

The following companies provide service through Culpeper and surrounding counties: Culpeper Cab Company - ☏ +1 540-829-7922, serving Culpeper and Fauquier Counties.

Buy

Visit the historic Downtown around the area of Main and Davis Streets. Here, the downtown renovations have opened up many unique specialty shops, restaurants, gourmet food and wine shops, and antique stores. Begin your visit at the Visitors Center at the Train Depot, located at the far east end of Davis Street, for information and brochures.

Eat

• 1 Uncle Elder's BBQ, 129 E Culpeper St, ☏ +1 540 317-5718. 11AM - 10PM M-F. Delicious Kansas City-style BBQ in a historical civil war era stable. (updated Apr 2018)

Drink

• 1 Old Trade Brewery & Cidery, 13270 Alanthus Rd., Brandy Station, ☏ +1 540-729-1740. A rural brewery with a mountain view. Hosts live music and games. (updated Feb 2024)
• 2 Mountain Run Winery, 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd, ☏ +1 703 638-5559. (updated Feb 2024)
• 3 Old House Vineyards, 18351 Corkys Ln, ☏ +1 540-423-1032. (updated Feb 2024)

Go next

Routes through Culpeper

Charleston ← Charlottesville ←	W  E	→ Manassas → Washington, D.C.
Lynchburg ← Charlottesville ←	S/SW  N/NE	→ Manassas → Washington, D.C.
Frederick ← Leesburg ← Jct ←	N  S	→ Locust Dale → Jct → Durham
Washington, D.C. ← Manassas ←	N  S	→ Jct W E → Charlottesville
Winchester ← Front Royal ←	N  S	→ Jct → Ends at
END ←	W  E	→ Fredericksburg → Gloucester Courthouse