Washington DC
Getting There/Around

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Getting There

Air

There are three airports compete for air traffic into the Washington DC area.

Ronald Reagan National Airport ( DCA )
+1 703 417 8600
http://www.mwaa.com/national

DCA is located three miles from downtown.

Dulles International Airport ( IAD )
+1 703 417 8600
http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/

IAD is located 25 miles from downtown.

Baltimore-Washington International ( BWI )
+1 800 435 9294
http://www.bwiairport.com

BWI is located 30 miles from downtown.

The following airlines fly to Washington DC:

Air Canada ( +1 888 247 2262 / http://www.aircanada.ca )
Air France ( +1 800 237 2747 / http://www.airfrance.com )
Air Jamaica ( +1 800 523 5585 / http://www.airjamaica.com )
Air Tran ( +1 800 247 8726 / http://www.airtran.com )
Alaska Airlines ( +1 800 252 7522 / http://www.alaskaair.com )
America West ( +1 800 235 9292 / http://www.americawest.com )
American Airlines ( +1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com )
American Trans Air ( +1 800 435 9282 / http://www.ata.com )
ANA ( +1 800 235 9262 / http://www.ana.co.jp )
BMI ( +1 800 788 0555 / http://www.flybmi.com )
British Airways ( +1 800 247 9297 / http://www.britishairways.com )
Continental Airlines ( +1 800 523 3273 / http://www.continental.com )
Delta Airlines ( +1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com )
Frontier Airlines ( +1 800 432 1359 / http://www.frontierairlines.com )
JetBlue ( +1 800 538 2583 / http://www.jetblue.com )
KLM ( +1 800 374 7747 / http://www.klm.com )
Korean ( +1 800 438 5000 / http://www.koreanair.com )
Lufthansa ( +1 800 645 3880 / http://cms.lufthansa.com )
Southwest Airlines ( +1 800 435 9792 / http://www.iflyswa.com )
United Airlines ( +1 800 864 8331 / http://www.ual.com )
US Airways ( +1 800 428 4322 / http://www.usair.com )
Virgin Atlantic ( +1 800 821 5438 / http://www.virgin-atlantic.com )

From the Airport

Car Rental:
Rental car companies are at the major airports and you can rent a car for your stay.

Alamo ( +1 800 462 5266 / http://www.alamo.com )
Avis ( +1 800 331 1212 / http://www.avis.com )
Budget ( +1 800 527 0700 / http://www.budgetdc.com )
Dollar ( +1 886 434 2226 / http://www.dollarcar.com )
Enterprise ( +1 800 261 7331 / http://www.enterprise.com
Hertz ( +1 800 654 3131 / http://www.hertz.com )
National ( +1 800 227 7368 / http://www.nationalcar.com )
Thrifty ( +1 800 847 4389/ http://www.thrifty.com )

Car Share:
Other attractive ground transportation options is Zipcar ( +1 202 494 7227 / http://www.zipcar.com/ ), which operates in certain cities in Canada and the U.S. This new breed of rental car allows you to rent on an hourly basis rather than a daily basis. Be sure to register online with each company before your trip.

Bus:
There is a bus connection at all of the airports and throughout the city. Check the website for times and routes.

Metrobuses ( +1 202 962 1234 / http://www.wmata.com )
Greyhound Buslines ( +1 800 231 2222 / http://www.greyhound.com )
DC2NY ( http://dc2ny.com/ )

Train:
Amtrak ( +1 800 872 7245 / http://www.amtrak.com ) heads to historic Union Station and reaches points around the northeastern, southern and midwestern United States. Routes include the high speed Acela Express, which darts back and forth between Boston and Washington, D.C., with stops in New York. The Federal, Regional and Vermonter also link D.C. and Boston, with stops in Philadelphia and New York City. The Metroliner is a basic line between Washington D.C. and New York City. The Capital Limited heads west to Chicago, and the Crescent wanders south to Atlanta and New Orleans.

Maryland Rural Commuter MARC ( +1 800 325 7245 / http://www.mtamaryland.com ) suburban rail network stretches into the four counties north of Washington D.C., merging with Metrorail on the Red, Orange and Green lines, with halts at Union Station, Silver Spring, New Carrollton and Rockville. It also connects D.C. to Baltimore.

Virginia Railway Express ( VRE ) ( +1 800 743 3873 / http://www.vre.org ) has two lines ( Manassas and Fredericksburg ) that converge on Washington D.C. from the Virginia suburbs with stops at Union Station, Crystal City and L'Enfant Plaza.

Taxi:
D.C. has some of the cheapest cab fares in the country. This is due to the use of a zone scheme rather than meters, although meters always seem to be on the horizon. The city is divided into five main zones and eight subzones. A map hanging in the back seat of cabs pictures the zones, but it may make little sense so it is best to get a fare quote from the driver before accepting the ride. Taxis are abundant ( some 90 companies vie for fares ) and can be hailed from the street or acquired at various ranks around town. Some cab companies include:

Central Cab ( +1 202 484 7100 )
Checker ( +1 202 398 0532 )
City Cab ( +1 202 484 7100 )
Diamond Taxi ( +1 202 387 4410 )
DC Flyer ( +1 202 488 7611 )
Executive Cab ( +1 202 547 6351 )
Washington Flyer ( +1 703 661 6655 )
Yellow Cab Company of D.C. ( +1 202 544 1212 )

Getting Around

Car

Numerous interstate highways flow into I-495 ( the Capital Beltway ), which is the major ring road around the district. I-95 stretches from Washington D.C. south all the way to Miami, Florida and north to the Canadian border in Maine, passing though New York City and Boston along the way. I-70 connects the city with the western United States, via I-270.

Despite Washington's infamous reputation of being an insurmountable road bog, traffic tales tend to be exaggerated. No doubt, gridlock does exist, especially during weekday rush hours on major thoroughfares, and the Capital Beltway can easily become a parking lot anytime of the day. But despite the horror stories it is an easily navigable town, with an uncomplicated grid set up. Certain roads switch from two-way to one-way during rush hour commutes. Weekends ( unless something is going on at the Mall ) and nights are normally quiet when the roads turn into a ghost town after the politicos head home for the day. Parking, however, is not easy during the day even though most street parking is metered. In the outlying neighborhoods, Adams Morgan especially, it is literally impossible to find a spot, day or night. So if you do find a space, cherish it, keep it, and utilize the excellent public transit system for the remainder of the stay.

Public Transit

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ( WMATA ) ( http://www.wmata.com ) manages the extensive bus ( Metrobus ) and subway ( Metrorail ) system that work hand in hand to cover just about every nook of the central district and most of the neighboring suburbs. Opened in the mid-1970s, Metrorail has long been the envy of other US cities for its upscale and efficient subway loaded with plush trains, well-maintained stations ( both underground and over ground ) that look straight out of the future. But years of soaring rider traffic are creating some problems with the system as it has been plagued with delays, overcrowding and outages in the last few years. Still, it is the best way to get around town, safe, and exceptionally straightforward to use. It comprises of five lines ( Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Yellow ) that weave through the city center before branching out into suburban Maryland and Virginia. A number of the lines overlap allowing for trouble-free transfers to Metrobus or other Metrorail lines. Major transfer hubs include: the Metro Center, L'Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place-Chinatown.

Although there are numerous stations on the Metrorail, they are spread out over a vast area, and although the network is quite detailed, there are still places in the city it does not serve directly ( e.g. Georgetown ) and this is where Metrobus ( or walking ) comes in handy. Most metro stations are served by multiple bus lines. For instance, if you want to go to Georgetown, you can catch the Orange or Blue metro line to Foggy Bottom station and then hop on to the bus outside Washington Circle ( or you can trek up Pennsylvania Avenue into the quarter ). You can also opt to take the Red Line to Dupont Circle station and take a bus into Georgetown ( or simply hike west on P Street ). Various passes, including day and weekly, are also available.

Traffic Information

For up-to-date traffic information, see:
http://www.traffic.com/Washington-DC-Traffic/Washington-DC-Traffic-Reports.html?ct=ma_map

If you are traveling overseas, take the safety precaution of registering your trip at https://travelregistration.state.gov and for helpful, practical advice about traveling technicalities and safety standards check out:
http://travel.state.gov/