Downtown Pittsburgh's skyline across the river on a clear day, with the UPMC sign atop the U.S. Steel Tower at center

Visit Pittsburgh · Penguins

Penguins hockey at PPG Paints Arena.

The arena sits on the edge of Downtown, 17.9 road miles from the airport and a free T ride from your hotel. It also has one of the strictest bag rules in town: none at all.

Plan your game No-bag rule

Photo: Pexels

Short answer

PPG Paints Arena is at 1001 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 17.9 miles, about 30 min with no traffic from PIT. No bags are allowed apart from medical bags, diaper bags and small wallets or wristlets. The arena is cashless, and doors generally open an hour before events. The closest T stop is Steel Plaza, and Downtown T rides are free.

PPG Paints Arena

Game night, by the numbers

0Bags allowed, apart from medical, diaper and small wallet exceptions.

1 hrWhen doors generally open before events (arena guide).

17.9Road miles from PIT. About 30 minutes with no traffic.

FreeT rides that start and end in the Downtown Free Fare Zone.

Interactive planner

Land, check in, drop the puck.

Tap a home date, enter the puck-drop time from your ticket, and add your flights.

Penguins game planner

Pick a home date:

Event date Start time (Eastern, from your ticket) Arrival flight: date Arrival flight: lands at PIT Flight home: date Flight home: departs

PIT to the venue: Starts at the no-traffic estimate. Add time for game-day traffic. Bags and walk to your ride: Your estimate. Be at the venue before the start: Your choice. How long you expect the event to run: Your estimate. It varies by game. At PIT before your flight home: Your choice. See the airport guide for security.

Home dates from the Penguins' 2026-27 schedule announcement (July 16, 2026), checked October 19, 2026. Puck-drop times weren't in that release, so enter yours. Game length is your estimate.

Know before you go

The rules that catch visitors out

Topic	The rule
Bags	No bags permitted. Medical bags, diaper bags and wristlets or wallets about 4" x 6" are allowed after inspection.
Payment	Cashless. Free reverse ATMs (cash to prepaid card, $1 to $500) in the Highmark Lobby, the F.N.B. Club and near Sections 106, 119, 206 and 234.
Doors	Generally one hour before events. The Penguins listed 5:30 PM doors for the 7:00 PM opener on October 3, 2026.
Transit	Steel Plaza is the closest T station. Rides within Downtown are free at all times.

From PPG Paints Arena's A-Z guide and Know Before You Go pages, and the Penguins' game preview, checked October 19, 2026.

Downtown Pittsburgh lit up at blue hour from Mount Washington, with Point State Park, the rivers and the Fort Pitt Bridge below

Getting there

Airport to arena, no car needed.

The 28X Airport Flyer runs between the airport terminal and Downtown and Oakland, every 30 to 40 minutes from about 5 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. The fare is $2.75 (exact cash, ConnectCard or mobile ticket). From Downtown, it's a short walk or a free T ride to Steel Plaza.

Driving or rideshare: 17.9 miles, about 30 min with no traffic.

The PIT airport guide

Photo: Michael Righi, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

From your city

Visiting fans: is there a nonstop?

Remaining 2026-27 home opponents, checked against every nonstop from PIT.

Opponent	Nonstop to Pittsburgh
Nashville Predators	Nashville (BNA): Allegiant, Southwest
Calgary Flames	No nonstop to PIT. Connect through a hub, or Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs	Toronto (Pearson) (YYZ): Air Canada
Carolina Hurricanes	Raleigh/Durham (RDU): American, Breeze
Minnesota Wild	Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP): Delta, Sun Country
Philadelphia Flyers	Philadelphia (PHL): American
Washington Capitals	Washington (Dulles) (IAD): United Washington (Reagan National) (DCA): American

See every nonstop from PIT

Before or after the game

A winter weekend in Pittsburgh.

A red Duquesne Incline car climbing Mount Washington above the Point, with downtown Pittsburgh and the yellow Fort Duquesne Bridge in morning light

Mount WashingtonThe view from GrandviewInclines run past midnight.

Smallman Street in Pittsburgh's Strip District, lined by the old produce terminal and warehouses, with St. Stanislaus Kostka Church's twin towers at the end

Strip DistrictThe StripA short walk from the arena. Find your neighborhood.

The Gothic Revival Cathedral of Learning tower at the University of Pittsburgh against a clear blue sky

OaklandMuseums in OaklandBuild 48 hours around your game.

The Point State Park fountain shooting a tall column of water at the tip of downtown Pittsburgh, with wooded Mount Washington across the river

DowntownHoliday season DowntownMonth-by-month events.

Questions

What is the PPG Paints Arena bag policy?

No bags are permitted. Exceptions, after inspection, are medical bags, diaper bags, and small wristlets or wallets of about 4" x 6". The arena's own pages disagree on the allowed thickness (1" or 1.5"), so keep it slim.

Is PPG Paints Arena cashless?

Yes. Free reverse ATMs load $1 to $500 onto a prepaid card. They are in the Highmark Lobby, the F.N.B. Club and near Sections 106, 119, 206 and 234.

When do doors open at PPG Paints Arena?

The arena's A-Z guide says doors generally open one hour before events. For the Penguins' October 3, 2026 opener, the team listed doors 90 minutes before puck drop, so check the details for your game.

Where is PPG Paints Arena?

1001 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, on the edge of Downtown. The closest T station is Steel Plaza, and T rides within Downtown are free.

How far is PPG Paints Arena from the airport?

17.9 miles, about 30 min with no traffic, by OSRM road routing.

When do the Penguins play at home in 2026-27?

The home opener was October 3, 2026 against Montreal. The last home game is April 3, 2027 against Philadelphia.

Keep planning

Sources