The driving distance from BNA to lower Broadway is about 7.8 to 8 miles by road. Under normal conditions with no traffic, that drive takes 10 to 15 minutes. That is what you should expect landing on a Tuesday morning at 10am or departing Broadway for an early Sunday flight.
Under real conditions with traffic, the range extends considerably. Here is how it actually breaks down by scenario.
Time by Scenario
Early morning (before 7am weekdays, any time on Sunday): 10 to 12 minutes. The highway is clear, the merge onto I-40 westbound is smooth, and the exit into downtown takes you directly toward Broadway. This is the best-case scenario.
Mid-morning to early afternoon on weekdays: 12 to 18 minutes. A little thicker on the merge but not bad. This is normal daytime traffic.
Weekday afternoon rush hour (roughly 4pm to 6:30pm): 25 to 45 minutes. The westbound I-40 corridor from the airport through the Briley interchange into downtown backs up significantly. Multiple exit ramps compound, and Nashville’s downtown access roads have their own congestion. This is the worst case for anyone trying to make a late-afternoon flight or reach Broadway by early evening on a weekday.
Weekend evenings (Friday and Saturday, 7pm to midnight): 15 to 25 minutes typically, but this varies. Broadway is at its busiest on weekend nights and some exits into downtown can slow depending on event traffic. No major Nashville event adds much, but a sold-out Bridgestone Arena show or a Titans home game on the same evening will add 10 to 15 minutes.
Game days (Titans or major events): Add 15 to 30 minutes in either direction. Budget for it.
Mode by Mode
By rideshare or taxi, the most direct route takes I-40 West from the airport, then exits toward downtown. Under normal conditions: 15 to 20 minutes. During rush hour: 30 to 45 minutes. Rideshare drops you at your Broadway address specifically.
By WeGo Bus Route 18, total travel time from BNA to Lafayette Street and 5th Avenue South (the closest stop to lower Broadway on this route) is about 23 to 36 minutes according to the route data. This requires walking a few blocks south to reach honky-tonk Broadway. The bus runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends. This is the cheapest option at $2, but you need to time your arrival to the bus schedule or wait.
By Shuttle, the airLINE service and similar shuttle options run roughly 30 to 45 minutes given their fixed stops and multi-passenger aggregation.
Getting to the Airport from Broadway
The reverse trip from Broadway to BNA for departure has the same variables but with an important asymmetry: the road layout going east is generally less congested than the westbound I-40 during afternoon rush. Most experienced Nashville travelers allow at least 30 minutes from Broadway to BNA even in off-peak conditions, and 45 to 60 minutes if they are traveling during a weekday afternoon.
BNA recommends arriving two hours before domestic flights, three hours for international. Build the travel time from Broadway on top of that, not into it.
The Grand Ole Opry and Opryland Area
If you are headed to the Grand Ole Opry rather than downtown Broadway, the distance is actually shorter. The Opry is just east of BNA, roughly 10 minutes in the opposite direction from downtown. Do not confuse the route: Broadway is west of the airport, the Opry is east.
Sources
- Rome2rio, Nashville Airport BNA to Broadway route data
- Tripadvisor Nashville forum, airport distance discussion
- Kayak, Nashville International Airport travel guide
- Prime Time Shuttle, BNA to downtown Nashville
- Global Airport Parking, “How Early to Get to BNA Airport”
- TravelMath, driving time BNA to Nashville