Richmond has a pleasant climate with four distinct seasons. Spring arrives in April with mild days and cool nights, and late May heralds the start of warm summer days. Summers can be hot and humid, and the days are dampened by gentle showers of rain. July is the wettest month. Days stay warm to mild through to October, when fall is marked by nights once again becoming very chilly. December and January are the coldest months. Light snowfalls occur from the end of November, but most snow falls in January. Average yearly snowfall is 14 inches (36cm).

The Greater Richmond Transit Company runs the public bus system that serves the Richmond metropolitan area with a basic fare that is only accepted in exact change. The bus service runs daily from 5am to midnight. On weekends between June and September a motorised shuttle service connects all the city's cultural attractions for the benefit of tourists. Orange buses travel from Chimborazo Park across to the Science Museum of Virginia, stopping at all the attractions in between. The Blue line buses continue from the science museum to Maymount. The fare is standard and passengers can hop on and off as they choose. Richmond is well supplied with more than 40 taxi companies, with cab ranks outside most hotels, the airport, Amtrak and the Greyhound terminal. The city also offers plenty of walking tours and is relatively compact and easy to negotiate on foot. It is worth hiring a car to explore the outlying regions, but not entirely necessary if staying in town, although traffic is usually fairly light and parking relatively easy to find.

English is the most common language but Spanish is often spoken in south-western states.

The US Dollar (USD) is the unit of currency and is divided into 100 cents. Only major banks exchange foreign currency. ATMs are widespread and credit cards and travellers cheques are widely accepted. Travellers cheques should be taken in US Dollars to avoid hassles. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.