Long-Distance Travel

Leave your car (or your parents’ car) at home and make the trip to Champlain via mass transit such as plane, train, or bus! A few options are detailed below.

  • Burlington International Airport — To get to the airport using the city bus (free for Champlainers using your ID card): Use Google Maps to plan it out. Select the bus icon at the top, choose the day and time and it will show you where to walk to the stop and which line to catch.

    • #11 UMALL/Airport- (Google Map) – Use the stop at the corner of College Street and South Willard Street and take bus 11 Airport to the terminal.
    • #1 Williston to Airport (Google Map) – Alternatively, If you don’t mind a short walk, you can take bus #1 – Williston all the way to the corner of Airport Drive and Kennedy Drive and then walk 0.5 miles (9 minutes) to the airport along Airport Drive

  • Amtrak — Two stations: Burlington and Essex Junction.

    • The Amtrak “Ethan Allen Express” will depart Burlington daily to New York City via Albany. This train is slated to depart at 10:10 AM every morning and arrive back in Burlington at 9:55 PM every evening.
      • To get to the Burlington Amtrak station, use the city bus (free for Champlain using your ID card):
        • Catch GMT’s #8 City Loop from the “Maple Street at South Willard Street” stop (opposite Bader Hall on Maple St.) and ride to the “Battery Street at College Street” stop. The Burlington Amtrak Station is right across the street at 1 Main Street.
    • The Amtrak “Vermonter” departs Essex Junction, heading south to Washington D.C. via MA, CT, NY. This train leaves at 9:44 AM every morning and arrives in Essex Junction at 8:18 PM every evening, 7 days per week.
      • Champlain College operates a free shuttle from Campus to the Essex Junction station at the start and end of every school break. Students are emailed Amtrak shuttle schedules.
      • During non-break times: To get to (and from) the Essex Junction Amtrak station, use the city bus (free for Champlain using your ID card):
        • Walk to Pearl Street (stop on corner of S. Willard and Pearl) or go to the Downtown Transit Center in Burlington (on upper Saint Paul Street).
        • Take #2 – Essex Junction to Amtrak (the last stop on the route).
        • FROM: Take the #2 bus at the Amtrak station to Burlington. The bus departure times after the Amtrak has arrived are:
        • 8:35, 9:50 and 11:05 PM M-Sat
        • NO SERVICE on Sundays.

  • Go! Vermont Bus Network — Helps you compare costs and schedules for bus travel between several New England/New York cities.

    Vermont Translines — Daily service to Albany, NY via Rutland, Manchester and Bennington.

    Greyhound — There are two stops in the area: the Burlington Airport AND on Pearl Street at the Downtown Transit Center.

    Concord Coachlines — Service from Boston’s South Station to various cities in New Hampshire and Maine. Can be used for connections from Concord, NH north.

    Megabus — Daily service to Boston. A great low cost, direct way to get to South Station in Boston.

    Champlain Breakliner Bus — Service during school breaks only. For Fall 2024, Breakliner will provide service to/from Burlington and the following locations:

    • Massachusetts: Tyngsborough, MA, Newton, MA & Logan Airport
    • Connecticut: Hartford, CT & Bridgeport, CT
    • New York: White Plains, NY
    • New Jersey: Montvale, NJ, Woodbridge, NJ & Robbinsville, NJ
    • Pennsylvania: King of Prussia, PA

Please note: Champlain College does not have official relationships with these businesses (except for partnering with GMT) and are shown for informational purposes only. Times may vary or change so please consult the schedules for each provider directly before planning a trip.

AMTRAK Shuttle for Breaks

Do you know that Champlain offers a shuttle to the Amtrak Station in Essex?

We offer a FREE shuttle bus service for break periods (ONLY on specific days listed here).
No sign up required. Look for the Champlain College or Mountain Transit Bus. 

Shuttle Dates for Fall ’24 & Spring ’25

  • Fall Break- Saturday October 12 (to Essex ONLY)
  • Fall Break- Monday October 14
  • Thanksgiving Break- Saturday November 23 (to Essex ONLY)
  • Thanksgiving Break- Sunday December 1
  • Winter Break- Saturday December 14 (to Essex ONLY)
  • Winter Break- Sunday January 12
  • Spring Break- Saturday March 8 (to Essex ONLY)
  • Spring Break- Sunday March 16
  • End of Spring Semester- Saturday May 3 (to Essex ONLY)
    • Pickup locations: Brown’s Court behind 194 Saint Paul St, then CCM Promenade (where the normal shuttles pick up and drop off)
    • Time: Please be at Brown’s Court by 8:30am and CCM promenade by 8:45am. The shuttle will depart Champlain Main Campus promptly at 9:00am. The train departs at 9:44am. Please be on time so that you do not delay others. The driver will not wait.
    • Dropoff location: The shuttle will drop you off right at the station in Essex Junction. If you are going to the Essex Junction Amtrak on Friday (or any other day), you can catch the #2 Essex Junction GMT City Bus from the stop on Pearl St, at the corner of S. Willard.
    • Pickup location: North side of Central Street adjacent to the station. Look for the Champlain College or Mountain Transit Bus.
    • Time: It will be there before the train arrives at 8:18pm and wait until you all arrive.
    • Dropoff location: CCM promenade (where the normal shuttles pick up and drop off), then to 194 Saint Paul St.

  • If you are going to the Burlington Amtrak any day of the week, you can catch GMT’s #8 City Loop from the “Maple Street at South Willard Street” stop (opposite Bader Hall on Maple).

    • Pickup location: Intersection of 1 Main Street and 1 Lake Street, just in front of Burlington’s Union Station.
    • Time: It will be there before the train arrives at 9:55pm and will wait until you all arrive.
    • Dropoff location: First stop at 194 Saint Paul St using Brown’s Court, then to the CCM promenade.