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How to Get Into, Around, and Out
Of Washington, DC
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Getting Into and Out Of DC |
Suggestion: get a good map of the
area - see our recommended links and books on our Books
and Maps page.
The Washington, DC (WDC) area has three
airports for major commercial airlines: Dulles, Reagan National,
and BWI.
Metro has a useful page: Using
Metro to get to the airports
The major north-south highway is Interstate 95 (I-95).
Other major highways into the area are Interstate 270 (connecting
to I-76/I-70 to the north) and Interstate 66 (I-66) from the west.
The Beltway, Interstate 495, surrounds the
Washington DC area. If you are unfamiliar with the Beltway,
you should be familiar with the names of your entry point and your exit point.
The Beltway has on outer ring and an inner ring, and connects to
Interstate 66 on the west (Port Royal), Interstate 95/395 on the
south (Richmond), Interstate 95 on the north (Baltimore/New York),
and Interstate 270 on the northwest (Gaithersburg). A
map of the Beltway is here.
Greyhound serves
Washington,
DC, with stops in the suburbs in Virginia and Maryland.
For inexpensive fares on a Chinatown bus from Chinatown in NYC to
Chinatown in WDC.
Check the latest schedule by visiting the websites or calling the numbers below, as these
companies are adding buses due to increased interest.
One-way tickets are $20-$30, round
trip fares range from $30 to $50 - ask about specials at the ticket
offices. IvyMedia
has a semi-complete schedule here. IvyMedia and
GoToBus include schedules
for some, not all, Chinatown bus lines: Eastern
Travel, Vamoose, Dragon, Today's, Washington Deluxe.
See also "Chinatown Bus" on Hobnob Blog and "Day of confusion for Chinatown bus riders," by Paul Cherashore, downtown express, Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2006
Apex Bus/Today's Bus - DC: 610 Eye Street NW, 202-408-8200.
NYC: 88 East Broadway, 212-343-3281 Bus stops - WDC: 610
Eye Street
NW; NYC: 13 Allen Street,
88 East Broadway, 252 West 31st Street.
BoltBus - Online ticketing only. DC: 11th and G Streets NW,
southwest cornier at Metro Center stop.
NYC: 33rd Street and 7th Avenue by Sbarro's East Broadway; and
6th Avenue between Canal and Grand. [Yelp]
DC2NY - "The Ultimate Bus Travel Experience"
Online ticketing only. Near DuPont Circle at 20th and
Massachusetts Avenues NW and 14th Street and I ("Eye") NW in WDC, Penn Station
in NYC [Yelp]
Dragon Coach - 212-608-6406 or 347-739-6921. (Maybe also Far Well
Tours or Farewell Tours), NYC: 917-709-9869, WDC:
202-326-0892.) WDC bus stop at 627 Eye Street NW. NYC bus
stops at 2 Mott Street and at the newstand on the corner of
Broadway and West 32nd Street. Trip takes approximately 5
hours.
megabus - Online
ticketing only (customer service: 877-462-6342). DC: Union Station, near the Gray
Line area.
NYC: 31st Street by Penn Station (on the north side of West 31st Street at the northeast corner of 31st Street and 8th Avenue). [Yelp]
New Century Travel, aka Washington New York Express Tours (also
spelled Washington- New York Express Tours, and dba
2000Coach.com and 2000 New Century Travel Bus), NYC:
215-627-2666, WDC: 202-789-8222. Bus stops: WDC, 513 H Street
NW; NYC,
88 East Broadway. WDC - NYC trip takes
approximately 4 hours, NYC - WDC trip takes approximately 5
hours.
Washington
Deluxe Premier Bus Travel Service, 1-866-287-6932,
718-387-7523. Bus stops: WDC, 1015 15th St NW, and 441 New Jersey Ave NW
(at E Street NW near Union Station), and then make several stops
in Brooklyn and NYC, ending up at 303 West 34th Street (at 8th Avenue near
Penn Station). Reservations recommended.
Eastern
Travel (also Eastern Shuttle, also Today's Bus).
212-868-5724. WDC bus stop at 715 H St NW and in Rockville
at 430 Hungerford Dr. NYC bus stops at 5 Times Square, 450
7th Ave (at 34th St.) and 88 East Broadway (map). Trip takes approximately
4.5
hours.
Vamoose Bus,
877-393-2828, has drop off and pick up locations in NW DC: 40th
St between Brandywine St. NW & Albemarle St. NW (corner
Albemarle St. NW), opposite Hollywood Video, and 14th St. NW
between I & H Streets. NYC stop at West 31st St. between
7th & 8th Avenues (corner of 8th Avenue), at the entrance to
Penn Station. Trip takes approximately 4 hours.
Reservations are not required, but passengers with reservations
have priority at boarding.
Amtrak serves Washington,
DC. The major train station is Union
Station, which is worth a visit when you're in Washington.
Several commuter rail lines also serve the area: Virginia
Railway Express (VRE) in Virginia, and Maryland
Rail Commuter (MARC).
If you are not familiar with the Washington, DC
area, inside WDC you are urged to use the
Metro, taxi,
bicycle and
walk. Parking
in WDC can be scarce and difficult to find, parking tickets
are quickly dispensed and expensive, and the many
roundabouts
and varying-angled streets can be confusing for even experienced
drivers. The subway system (called Metrorail or just Metro by
many) is convenient and easy to use.
Public transportation links for the Washington
DC area can be found at
Also see
our
Visiting Washington, DC page
TheCapitol.Net is a
non-partisan firm, and the opinions of its faculty, clients,
and of the owners and operators of its vendors are their own and
do not represent those of TheCapitol.Net.
Quick
DC Links - Washington Essentials
URL: www.TheCapitol.Net/VisitingDC/transportation.htm
Last updated:
April 22, 2008 |
