Palmerston North sits at the crossroads of the lower North Island. State Highway 1 runs north-south through the western suburbs, putting Wellington a comfortable two-hour drive south and Auckland about eight hours north via Taupō. State Highway 3 heads west to the Whanganui coast and Taranaki, and SH2 east through the rebuilt Manawatū Gorge route to the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay.
Palmerston North International Airport, despite the name, has only domestic services — Air New Zealand flies multiple daily flights to Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. The airport is a five-kilometre drive from the centre.
InterCity buses connect Palmerston North to Wellington, Whanganui, Napier, and points north. KiwiRail's daily Northern Explorer train between Wellington and Auckland stops at the 1907 railway station on Matthews Avenue, a 30-minute walk or a short taxi from The Square.