There are several ways to get around the Washington DC metro area. Rental car, taxi, Uber/Lyft, bus, or metrorail (subway). We highly recommend the metrorail (see the metrorail overview below). If you rent a car, keep in mind there is a $35 daily parking fee at the hotel.
If you fly to Reagan National airport, there is a metro station immediately across the street from the airport. You will want to take either the Blue Line (Franconia-Springfield) or Yellow Line (Huntington). Both trains stop at the King Street-Old Town stop which is 2 stops and 7 minutes from the airport. The Hilton Hotel is immediately across the street from the King Street metro stop. ”
Metrorail Information
- Operates from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to midnight on weekends.
- Trains usually arrive every 5-6 minutes. Don’t try to board a train that is too full. The automatic doors are very sensitive and if they can’t close, the train operator may offload the entire train because a door stopped working.
- Consists of six color-coded lines: Red, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green and Silver. The lines are connected to each other via transfer stations and many Metro stops are serviced by more than one color.
- Each train car has an exterior electronic sign that marks the color and the direction of the train. Direction is indicated by the final station of that line.
Metrorail Fares:
- Metro riders must pay via a SmarTrip card.
- Fares are calculated by how many stops you travel and vary during peak and off-peak hours. During peak hours, fares range from $2.15 to $5.90 per trip. During off-peak hours, fares range from $1.75 to $3.60. You can calculate your fare between two stops using Metro’s Trip Planner
Metrobus information
- Metrobus provides more than 400,000 trips each weekday serving 11,500 bus stops in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
- Metrobus serves eleven transit centers in Maryland and Virginia. For a full list of transit centers and other regional transit providers, click here.
Metrobus Fares:
- $1.75 fare for regular routes
- $4.00 fare for express routes
- Accepts coins and dollar bills in exact change only.
- SmarTrip card
DC Circulator Information
- Each bus stop is marked with a Circulator flag where you should wait for the bus to arrive.
- travels along six specific routes designed for easy-on, easy-off access at points of interest throughout the District.
- Buses service each stop in 10 minute intervals during normal service conditions.
- Each bus displays its final destination in bright LED lights about the front windshield.
DC Circulator Fares:
- $1.00 per ride
- Accepts coins and dollar bills in exact change only.
- SmarTrip card
SmartTrip Card Information
These are plastic, rechargeable fare cards that can be purchased by cash or credit at any: