DC Washington DC Guide Washington DC base, museum, monument, and arrival planning

Arrival

Getting to Washington DC

Washington DC has three airports at very different distances, plus a downtown Amtrak hub at Union Station. Reagan National sits closest and is on Metro, Dulles handles most international flights and is now on the Silver Line, and BWI pairs cheaper fares with a train ride into the city.

Last checked June 18, 2026

Three airports, three distances

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the closest, about four miles south of downtown in Arlington, Virginia, and it connects directly to the Metro Blue and Yellow lines at the National Airport station, so you can be at a downtown hotel in roughly 20 minutes without a car. It handles mostly domestic flights.

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is about 26 miles west in Virginia and handles the bulk of international arrivals. Since 2022 the Metro Silver Line runs all the way to the Washington Dulles International Airport station, giving a one-seat rail ride into the city, though it is a long ride; a taxi or rideshare is faster but far more expensive.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is about 32 miles northeast in Maryland. It often has the lowest fares, and the BWI Rail Station — reached by a free airport shuttle — puts you on Amtrak or the cheaper MARC commuter train straight to Union Station.

Arriving by train

Union Station is the simplest arrival of all if you are coming from the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak links DC with Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, and the station sits on the Metro Red Line with taxis, rideshare, and buses outside the door.

From New York the train is frequently faster and calmer than flying once you count airport time on both ends, and it drops you in the heart of the city rather than out at an airport.

Arriving by car

Interstate 95 carries most north–south traffic, Interstate 66 comes in from the west, and the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) rings the whole region. Rush-hour congestion is among the worst in the country, so time arrivals outside the morning and evening peaks where you can.

Downtown parking is expensive and many monuments and museums have no nearby parking, so most visitors who drive in leave the car at the hotel and switch to Metro and walking once they arrive.

Sources

Reviewed source trail