Getting into, and Around in, the District
Getting into Town: Airports
Washington, DC is served by three airports:
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Located approximately 26 miles west of D.C.
(35 - 45 minutes by car).
Taxi: approximately $50.00 to downtown D.C.
Shared transportation:
Metro Bus 5A departs from the Dulles Airport bus stop and goes to the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station for approximately $3.
Super Shuttle (first guest: $29; additional guests: $10 each).
Travelers can take the Washington Flyer Coach bus to the West Falls Church Metro station for $9.00. Buses run every 30 minutes.
For more information visit: http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/.
Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA)
Located approximately 4 miles south of D.C.
(10 - 15 minutes by car).
Taxi: approximately $12.00 to downtown D.C.
Reagan National Airport has its own Metro station on the Yellow and Blue lines.
For more information visit: http://www.mwaa.com/national/.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal Airport (BWI)
Located approximately 30 miles north of D.C.
(40 - 50 minutes by car).
Taxi: approximately $60.00 to downtown D.C.
Shared transportation: Super Shuttle (first guest: $37; additional guests: $12 each).
Travelers can take the BWI Express Bus to the Greenbelt Metro station for $4.25. Buses run every 40 minutes.
Travelers can also take the MARC Train from the BWI Rail Station to Union Station in Washington, D.C. - also a Metro station and Amtrak station - for $6.00.
For more information visit: http://www.bwiairport.com/.
City Layout
Whether you're walking, taking the Metro, or taking a cab, it is important to understand how the city is laid out.
Washington, D.C. is split into four quadrants, with each quadrant's boundaries beginning at the United States Capitol Building. The quadrants are Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE) and Southwest (SW). Because streets extend into all four quadrants, a complete D.C. street address should include a quadrant suffix. For example, 500 Massachusetts Ave. NW and 500 Massachusetts Ave. NE are different locations. The Convention Center and conference hotels are all located in Northwest.
City roads form a grid in which East-West streets are mainly named with letters (e.g., H St. NW), while North-South streets are mainly named with numbers (e.g., 4th St. NW). Avenues run diagonally from traffic circles and squares, and are named primarily after states (e.g., New Jersey Ave. NW).
Public Transportation
Metrorail and Metrobus
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operates the subway system ("the Metro") and intra-city buses. The Metro is clean, inexpensive, and generally safe. It even runs into nearby Maryland and Virginia suburbs, such as Silver Spring and Arlington. We therefore highly recommended that you use it. There is a Metro station right inside the Convention Center (Mt. Vernon Sq./7th St. Convention Center, on the Yellow and Green lines). The WMATA web site provides a trip-planning application that allows users to search for routes by address or, in some cases, by location name. This trip-planner provides departure and arrival times, transfer information, and even walking directions from your stop to your final destination.
Note: When using Metro escalators, please stand on the right and walk on the left!
Taxis
D.C. taxis use time and distance meters to calculate fairs. Metered fares are $3.00 for the first 1/6th of a mile and 25 cents for each additional 1/6th of a mile, as well as 25 cents for each minute stopped in traffic or travelling under 10 mph. These metered fares may be supplemented by other fees, such as a $1.50 surcharge per extra passenger over the age of six. Most D.C. cabs do not accept credit cards, but all should be able to print receipts upon request.
Getting Out of Town - MARC and VRE
If you would like to take a day trip deeper into Maryland or Virginia, each of those states has its own commuter rail system. For Maryland destinations, including Baltimore and Frederick, that system is known as MARC. For Virginia destinations, including Fredericksburg and Manassas, the commuter rail system is known as VRE. Both MARC and VRE trains depart from Union Station, which is on the Metro's Red Line. Note that MARC and VRE operate only Monday.
Sources: WikiTravel: Washington, D.C.; Maryland Transit Administration Home Page; Virginia Railway Express Home Page.