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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 and from the DC area airports
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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).
Greyhound serves Washington, DC, with stops in the suburbs in Virginia and Maryland.
As of mid-2011, Greyhound, Bolt Bus, Megabus and Washington Deluxe buses stop at Union Station, where you can catch Amtrak or the Red Line. The bus garage is near the Bikestation on the west side of Union Station.For inexpensive fares on a Chinatown bus 703-572-2700 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. The trip from the DC area to NYC, depending on traffic, takes between 4 and 5 hours.
Aggregators
GotoBus has a semi-complete schedule here. GoToBus include schedules for some, not all, Chinatown bus lines: Eastern Travel, Vamoose, Dragon, Today's, Washington Deluxe.
Yelp also has a good list. The WaPo has a list.
Chinatown Bus Pioneer Fung Wah Strangled by Federal Bureaucracy
BoltBus - Online ticketing only. DC: Union Station. NYC: 33rd Street and 7th Avenue by Sbarro's East Broadway; and 6th Avenue between Canal and Grand. [Yelp]
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]
TripperBus, 1-877-826-3874. Bus stops: Arlington, Between McDonalds at 1823 N. Moore Street and 1801 N. Moore Street, Bethesda, 4801 Edgemoor Lane. NYC, 34th St and the Northeast corner of 7th Ave (between 7th Ave and Broadway). WiFi and onboard power. Make reservations online. [Yelp]
Washington Deluxe Premier Bus Travel Service, 1-866-287-6932, 718-387-7523. Bus stops: WDC, Union Station, 1320 19th St NW (Dupont Circle), and then make several stops in Brooklyn and NYC, ending up at 303 West 34th Street (at 8th Avenue near Penn Station). Reservations recommended. [Yelp]
Eastern Travel (also Eastern Shuttle, also Today's Bus). 212-868-5724. WDC bus stop at 715 H St NW and in Rockville at 305 N Washington Street, Rockville, MD. NYC bus stops at 430 7th Ave at 34th St. and 28 Allen St. (Corner of Canal St), New York, NY. Trip takes approximately 4.5 hours. [Yelp]
Vamoose Bus, 877-393-2828, has drop off and pick up locations in Lorton, VA, Rosslyn at 1801 N Lynn Street, Arlington, VA, and in Bethesda, MD, at 7490 Waverly Street. NYC stop at West 30th St. at 7th Avenue, at Penn Station. Trip takes approximately 4 hours. Reservations are not required, but passengers with reservations have priority at boarding. [Yelp]
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).
The Metro Red Line has a convenient stop at Union Station.
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 DC and on Capitol Hill 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 new to DC. The subway system (called Metrorail or just Metro by many) is convenient and easy to use.
Some commuters in northern Virginia commute by using "slug lines".
- How to Use the Subway (Metrorail) in Washington, DC - from TheCapitol.Net
- Books and Maps - from TheCapitol.Net
- DC Tours on Yelp
- Bike the Sites - tour DC on a bike [Yelp]
- DC Ducks [Yelp]
- DC Tours
- Getting Around DC from Destination DC
- Pedicab: Capitol Pedicab, DC Pedicab, Discover DC Pedicab, Nonpartisan Pedicab, National Pedicab
- Potomac River cruises: Capitol River Cruises | DC Cruises | Potomac Riverboat Company
- Segway Tours: Capital Segway | City Segway Tours | Segs in the City
- Taxi cab information for the Metro-DC area
- Walking Tours - DC By Foot [Yelp] | Washington Walks [Yelp]
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
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Photo by Matthew Peoples
Reagan National, by Mike McCaffrey
Reagan National, by inazakira
Dulles International
BWI
Bolt Bus, by paranoidnotandroid
Amtrak, by reivax
Acela, by Derek Yu
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