Knoxville to Nashville: Transport Options and Costs

By The Travel Fieldbook October 7, 2026

Nashville’s skyline at dusk, viewed across the waterfront. (ceesz · Pexels License · Edited)

An existing car is usually the simplest way from Market Square in Knoxville to Public Square in Nashville. Without one, Greyhound and FlixBus offer a scheduled coach journey, while Southwest flies nonstop between the two cities’ airports. The choice depends as much on departure time, luggage and local transfers as on the intercity ticket.

Transport options and costs

Criterion	Driving	Greyhound/FlixBus	Nonstop flying
Centre-to-centre travel components	About 2 and a half hours, excluding pickup, breaks and parking	About 2 hours 40 minutes using fastest coach trip, excluding boarding and waits	About 1 hour 35 minutes using average flight time, excluding airport processing, baggage and waits
Transfers	NoneBest	Taxi to stop, then walk. Coach changes depend on departure	Taxi to TYS, nonstop flight, taxi from BNA
One-way journey costs (USD)	Fuel roughly $20–35/vehicle. Hire, if needed, roughly $80–200/vehicle extra	Ticket from $39.98/person, date and availability dependent, plus roughly $15–25/vehicle for access taxi	Airfare roughly $80–300/person, plus roughly $60–100/vehicle for both taxis
Intercity frequency	Leave when you chooseBest	One departure daily	Two nonstop flights daily, weekdays and weekends
Limiting last departure	No service timetable	5:55pm daily	—

Drive from Market Square in Knoxville to Public Square in Nashville if you already have a car, several bags or a late departure. Shared vehicle costs can make it attractive for a family. Without a car, the coach is the budget choice when its departure fits, but include the access taxi when comparing costs.

Choose flying for a usable departure and fare, rather than an assumed time saving. Allow for both airport transfers as well as time in the terminals. For the coach, choose a departure whose full itinerary fits your plans, since the fastest trip is not a promise for every journey.

Add vehicle collection for a hire car, advance boarding for the coach, and check-in, security and baggage reclaim for flying. Local pickup and service waits also add time. A taxi replaces the coach’s final walk if luggage makes that awkward, while an airport bus reduces the flight’s arrival cost.

Driving via I-40

From Market Square, take I-40 west towards Nashville, then leave the interstate for Public Square. The centre-to-centre drive covers about 180 miles and takes about 2 and a half hours before breaks, traffic delays and parking. Ordinary passenger cars pay no road toll on this corridor, so fuel is the main journey expense if you already have a car.

The fuel estimate assumes a typical petrol car. A larger vehicle, heavier load or higher pump price pushes the cost towards the upper end, while an economical car uses less. Fuel is a per-vehicle expense, so sharing the drive changes the cost per traveller without multiplying it by the number of seats occupied.

Hiring a car makes most sense when you also need it beyond this journey. Vehicle size, demand and returning it in a different city can all raise a one-way rental’s cost. Allow time to reach the rental desk and collect the car before setting off, and include any parking charges at your destination.

Keep bags in the car rather than handling them through separate transfers. You can choose your departure and stop for a meal along the way, but neither that break nor congested approaches to Nashville is included in the driving time.

The Greyhound and FlixBus coach

Greyhound and FlixBus are scheduled intercity coaches, not airport or hotel shuttles. Vonlane also sells scheduled daily coach travel between Knoxville and Nashville. For Greyhound/FlixBus, the fastest published trip takes 2 hours, but traffic and the route can lengthen it. Whether you travel directly or change coaches depends on the departure, and the ticket itinerary identifies any change.

The advertised one-way ticket starts at $39.98 per person, with the fare varying by date and availability. Add the local journey to the departure stop before judging it against driving, particularly when several people would otherwise share a car.

From Market Square, head to the Knoxville Area Transit Bus Stop on Kirkwood Street, outside the central starting point. Taxi or app-ride access takes about 11 minutes. Budget roughly $15–25 per vehicle, with demand and pickup conditions affecting the price. Arrange the ride with enough margin to reach the stop before boarding.

Name: Greyhound: Bus Stop
Location: 100 Kirkwood St, Knoxville, TN 37914 Maps

You arrive at Nashville Bus Station on Rep. John Lewis Way South, south of the downtown core. The onward walk to Public Square is about 1.2 miles and takes about 28 minutes. Walking avoids another fare, but carrying several bags makes the final leg more demanding than the coach ride itself.

Take a taxi or app ride from the station if heavy luggage makes the walk awkward. The car journey to Public Square takes about 10 minutes. Allow roughly $10–20 per vehicle, depending on demand, and extra time for the pickup. This is a separate local ride rather than a continuation of your coach ticket.

Name: Greyhound Shop
Location: 709 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203 Maps

Google Street View, 2025-03.

Flying via TYS and BNA

Southwest Airlines flies nonstop from McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) to Nashville International Airport (BNA). There are two nonstop flights daily on weekdays and weekends. The published average flight time on the Knoxville-to-Nashville route is 1 hour 4 minutes.

From Market Square, a taxi or app ride to TYS takes about 20 minutes. Budget roughly $35–55 per vehicle for this transfer. Allow separately for bag drop, security and reaching the gate, because the short flight does not remove those airport tasks.

Expect a broad one-way airfare range of roughly $80–300 per person, with demand, travel date and how far ahead you buy affecting the price. Compare the fare together with both ground transfers, especially if several people are travelling.

At BNA, collect any checked bags before heading to your ride. The taxi or app-ride journey to Public Square takes about 11 minutes and typically costs roughly $25–45 per vehicle, rising with demand. Use Nashville airport transfer options for terminal wayfinding and pickup choices for that onward journey.

WeGo Route 18 is the lower-cost arrival option, at $2 one way per adult. Board at the Ground Transportation Center in Terminal Garage 2, Level 1. It runs every 30 minutes from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week, and every 40 minutes in the evenings, so waiting can add substantially to the transfer.

The bus takes about 36 minutes to Elizabeth Duff Transit Center, followed by about 6 minutes on foot to Public Square. You will need to handle your bags through the bus journey and final walk rather than unloading at your destination.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: services, key figures, and fares and charges.