I recently became aware that there are a number of benefits available by matching a high level casino status around Atlantic City. Free rooms at the beach and cruises are there for the taking. The only catch is you have to actually be in Atlantic City to take advantage of these promotions. If you’re looking for a cheap flight instead of driving, you need to get yourself from the airport to the beach.
Atlantic City is easy to reach by car from most of the East Coast. When I started looking at getting there from my home in Nashville I discovered that it is a little harder to reach from here. Since this trip was taken on a whim I used Skyscanner to keep the cost as low as possible. It is a bit too far to drive in a single day, meaning that coming by car would entail not just the cost of gas but also two hotel room nights along the way.
There is an airport in Atlantic City, but routing to it can be difficult and expensive. Once you’ve decided to take the train you can bargain-hunt flights from New York down to DC, but Amtrak can be quite pricy if your travel date is fast approaching. The only option that made sense financially was to take a dreaded Frontier flight to Philly. The NJ Transit Atlantic City Line will help you get from the airport to the beach.
Where’s the Money? This site may contain affiliate links. Many travel sites include such links to earn a commission at no cost to readers.
Arriving in Philadelphia
The SEPTA regional rail train that serves the Philly airport is the most convenient ground transportation I have ever seen anywhere. Not only does it come to the terminal, but it serves each set of gates individually. Arriving passengers don’t need to consult a map or take a long walk or shuttle to the train stop. It’s right outside the security barrier, even before you reach the baggage claim. Since I was beating the baggage fees by only carrying a personal bag, I was able to step right down to the platform to wait for the train. A ticket to 30th Street is just under $7.
The SEPTA trains run all day and there are 12 Atlantic City trains daily from Philly. They run from early morning to late night. It is worth checking the schedule but you will definitely find a train that works with your flights.
Note: if you have time to kill or are compelled to eat inside the airport after landing, all the food options are inside security. Once you exit to the train you can’t get back to the restaurants. The 3-stop trip to Center City takes about 30 minutes.
Continuing to the Beach
Take your ticket with you from the SEPTA train. You’ll need it to swipe out of the turnstiles when you reach Center City. Walk from the little side part where the SEPTA platforms are to the main train hall and look for the NJ Transit automated ticket kiosk. A trip to Atlantic City is $10.75.
The options for food and drink inside the Philly train station are Jersey Mike’s, Wendy’s, Dunkin Donuts, and Pret a Manger. There’s nothing immediately outside the station. There’s also a couple of convenience stores inside for snacks and drinks. My wait here was about an hour. Plenty of time for a Jersey Mike’s hoagie. If your luck is bad the maximum wait time you’ll have here is right around two hours.
Arriving on the Atlantic City Train
The train is not particularly fast. The trip takes a little more than 90 minutes meaning the total travel time from the Philly airport is going to be about 2.5 hours, or more if you have to wait a bit longer.
When you step off the train and exit the station in AC, there are banners lining the curb with the names of each resort on them. The shuttles will be waiting here when the train arrives. Each one runs a little route and drops off at a few resorts. This is a free service and you don’t need to show a hotel reservation or anything. If you’re not staying at one of the resorts you can still hitch a ride to the one nearest your hotel.
Overall this trip to the beach is cheap and easy, even if it does add up to significant travel time from Tennessee. The determined traveler could even start in their home city and get from their airport to the beach without ever touching a car. The AC station is accessible on foot a little more than a mile from the big hotels.
The return trains start very early in the morning, but do yourself a favor and book a midday flight to return. There”s nothing worse than waking up at 3:30 in a casino and seeing everyone still doing late night gambling on your way out of town.
