Downtown Redlands and the historic neighbourhoods are walkable end-to-end. The Smiley Park district, downtown, and the Santa Fe Depot district form a triangle that you can comfortably cover in a couple of hours on foot.
A car is useful for getting to the further sights — the Edwards Mansion, the Asistencia, the San Bernardino County Museum — and essential for day trips into the mountains or out to Joshua Tree. The Arrow rail line, recently opened, runs along the northern edge of town and is useful for moving between the downtown and the University of Redlands and Esri stations. Bike lanes in the older parts of the city are decent; the citrus-era street grid makes the historic core easy to cycle.