Origin
Georgetown, SC
Morning in Georgetown on Tuesday
Local time
6:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Georgetown, SC to Charleston, SC
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 23m
Distance
61.4 mi
99 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 17m
★
6 AM
1h 23m
8 AM
1h 36m
10 AM
1h 28m
12 PM
1h 27m
3 PM
1h 29m
5 PM
1h 36m
8 PM
1h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Georgetown, SC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Georgetown to Charleston covers 61.4 miles and typically takes about 1 hour and 23 minutes. This straightforward Southeast journey is perfectly suited for a single-day trip, meaning you won't need to worry about booking an overnight stay. With a fuel budget of approximately $10, it is an affordable and efficient way to navigate between these two South Carolina locales. You will primarily stick to North Fraser Street, North Highway 17, and East Bay Street to reach your destination. Because the transit time is relatively brief, you have plenty of flexibility to plan your departure around your own schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Fraser Street | 55.9 mi | 1h 13m |
| North Highway 17 | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| East Bay Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Meeting Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Morrison Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Highmarket Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Calhoun Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Broad Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Fraser Street
— 55.9 mi, about 1h 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Georgetown, SC and Charleston, SC.
1
Start on US 17 Alternate; US 521
0.3 mi
·
18 sec
·
Highmarket Street
2
Keep slight right at fork onto US 521
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Highmarket Street
3
Turn right onto US 17
56 mi
·
1 hr 13 min
·
North Fraser Street
Use the straight lane.
4
Continue on US 17
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
North Highway 17
5
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward Morrison Drive, East Bay Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Turn left onto US 52 Bus
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Morrison Drive
7
Turn straight onto East Bay Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
East Bay Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
8
Turn right onto Calhoun Street
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
Calhoun Street
9
Turn left onto S-10-107
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Meeting Street
Use the left lane.
10
Turn left onto Broad Street
40 ft
·
1 sec
·
Broad Street
11
Arrive at destination
Broad Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
31 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 30.7 miles from Georgetown, SC, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 60.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 521 / Highmarket Street
Keep slight right at fork onto US 521 / Highmarket Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 17 / North Fraser Street
Turn right onto US 17 / North Fraser Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
58.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 17m in
Take the exit toward Morrison Drive, East Bay Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Morrison Drive, East Bay Street
4
59 mi into trip
|
~1h 18m in
|
US 52 Bus / Morrison Drive
Turn left onto US 52 Bus / Morrison Drive
Navigation decision point
6
60.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 21m in
|
S-10-107 / Meeting Street
Turn left onto S-10-107 / Meeting Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.60 one way
$19.20 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
22 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $10.50 | $21.00 |
| premium | $4.70 | $11.36 | $22.73 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $13.56 | $27.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 21.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 18.4 | 0 | $6.45 | $2.95 |
| Efficient EV | 15.4 | 0 | $5.37 | $2.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 24.6 | 0 | $8.60 | $3.93 |
Gas CO2
21 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Charleston, SC
Morning in Charleston on Tuesday
Local time
6:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 23m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate cruise. With only 4% of the trip spent on highways, you will spend the vast majority of your time navigating local roads. Your longest uninterrupted stretch occurs early on, covering 55.9 miles along North Fraser Street. As you transition from the initial stretches into the final approach via East Bay Street, the character of the road shifts to match a more urbanized environment. It is a drive that requires consistent attention due to the frequent turns, keeping you engaged behind the wheel for the duration of the 83-minute trip.
Only 4% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 55.9 mi on North Fraser Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near US 521 / Highmarket Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 61.4 miles you will encounter 8 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (US 521 / Highmarket Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.4 miles (US 17 / North Fraser Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 58.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
37 ft
-3 ft
Total Climb
43 ft
Total Descent
63 ft
Highest Point
37 ft
~4.4 mi in
Elevation Range
39 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Georgetown, SC
Full guide →Georgetown, known for being a historic seaport, is nestled between Myrtle Beach and Charleston in South Carolina. It was established in 1732, making it the state’s third oldest city, behind Charleston and Beaufort. The waterfront city is inhabited by many museums, shops, restaurants, and historic attractions. It is best seen by walking and boat tours.
Arriving in Charleston, SC
Full guide →Charleston is the largest and oldest city in the state of South Carolina in the United States of America. Its historic downtown is on a peninsula formed by two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper, flowing into the Atlantic, and protected from the open ocean by surrounding islands. Charleston was captured in the American Civil War without much property damage, so the historic part of town has buildings that are hundreds of years old. The current downtown skyline, with practically no tall buildings due to the city's height restriction ordinance, is dominated by church steeples and the stunning Arthur Ravenel cable-stay bridge over the Cooper River. The city is a major port on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 23m. Total distance: 61.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (4%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 55.9 miles on North Fraser Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (US 521 / Highmarket Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.4 miles (US 17 / North Fraser Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 58.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Charleston, SC before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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