Visiting Washington, DC

How to Get Into, Around, and Out Of Washington, DC

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  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.

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. Also check out BusJunction. 

Yelp also has a good list.

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. [Yelp]

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. [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]

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. [Yelp]

The Know It Express, 1-888-308-1129. Bus stops: DC: U Street Cardozo Metro Station on the African American War Memorial Exit side located at Vermont Ave NW and U Street NW.  Brooklyn: 4th Avenue between Dean and Pacific Avenue in front of Don Pepe Restaurant. (This stop is on the same street as the Atlantic Avenue Subway Stop 4th Ave entrance and exit. Direct entrance into the station). WiFi and onboard power.  Make reservations online. [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, 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.  [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 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. [Yelp]

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.  [Yelp]
 

• 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

• Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, DC

• Map and traffic updates from The Washington Post

• 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

• Tourmobile  [Yelp]

• Walking Tours - DC By Foot [Yelp] | Washington Walks [Yelp]

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