Have you driven to Washington DC? Cheap hotels?

[binwinbinwin]

Have you driven to Washington DC? If yes, how long did it take and what route did you take? We are thinking of going there with the kids to see Smithsonian, White House, Lincoln Memorial. Any tips on affordable Washington hotels?

 

[disneynuts777]

Yes we have!! My husband had a job thats head office was just outside of Washington D.C. I drove down with the DD's once while he was at a two week training session. We stayed outside Washington as it was unaffordable to find a hotel in the Washington area. DH also wanted to be near his office.
We stayed at a Westin in Tyson's corners in Vienna Virginia. The hotel shuttle would drop the DD's and I off at the train station and pick us up every night if DH could not. DH used the car while we were there. I also would never have driven in Washington!!!
The drive is very nice. There is the scenic route and then the interstate only route. We took the scenic route there as DH was with me in the car. It took us 10 hours with only stops for gas/bathroom/snacks.
On the way home I was alone with the DD's so I took the interstate route. Very easy....I did not even get lost.....and I can get lost in a shoebox It took just over 8 hours. Only stopped for gas/bathroom/snacks.
We had a great time. The museums are beautiful, the zoo is great and just being there was incredible.

 

[binwinbinwin]

Yes we have!! My husband had a job thats head office was just outside of Washington D.C. I drove down with the DD's once while he was at a two week training session. We stayed outside Washington as it was unaffordable to find a hotel in the Washington area. DH also wanted to be near his office.
We stayed at a Westin in Tyson's corners in Vienna Virginia. The hotel shuttle would drop the DD's and I off at the train station and pick us up every night if DH could not. DH used the car while we were there. I also would never have driven in Washington!!!
The drive is very nice. There is the scenic route and then the interstate only route. We took the scenic route there as DH was with me in the car. It took us 10 hours with only stops for gas/bathroom/snacks.
On the way home I was alone with the DD's so I took the interstate route. Very easy....I did not even get lost.....and I can get lost in a shoebox It took just over 8 hours. Only stopped for gas/bathroom/snacks.
We had a great time. The museums are beautiful, the zoo is great and just being there was incredible.

What interstates did you drive from Buffalo to Washington? We want to get there as quickly as possible and don't want to get lost, so we're thinking of driving the interstate routes you took. We are staying at a hotel outside of Washington, with a free shuttle bus to the Metro subway station

 

[OntFamily]

I've driven from the GTA to DC (Arlington, VA) a few times. It's an easy drive. We drive:

I-90 to Erie
South on I-79 to outside of Pittsburgh
East on I-76 to Breezewood, PA
East on I-70 to I-270
I-270 to I-495 (Washington Beltway)

It's about 8 - 9 hours, dependent on where you start.

 

[disneynuts777]

I cannot remember the exact route. All I remember is using mapquest and typing in my address and the hotels address and then reverse route button for the way home. I followed the directions exactly and it got me home!!!

 

[hobogary]

Just a sugestion, I have found that staying at the Holiday Inn - Capitol saves me time and money, It is 1 Block from the Smithsonian Air and Space mus. and within walking distance of several others (depending on your idea of walking distance). There are taxies and tour busses available from the lobby and the Tourmobile has a stop at air and space.

 

[bunnyfoo]

I've driven from the GTA to DC (Arlington, VA) a few times. It's an easy drive. We drive:

I-90 to Erie
South on I-79 to outside of Pittsburgh
East on I-76 to Breezewood, PA
East on I-70 to I-270
I-270 to I-495 (Washington Beltway)

It's about 8 - 9 hours, dependent on where you start.

That's the same route we took! It took us several hours longer since we stopped at a couple of outlet malls

I don't have any advice about hotels since we stayed with a friend. Have you tried Priceline or Hotwire?

 

[binwinbinwin]

That's the same route we took! It took us several hours longer since we stopped at a couple of outlet malls

I don't have any advice about hotels since we stayed with a friend. Have you tried Priceline or Hotwire?

I've tried Priceline and Hotwire. Unfortunately, they're not to my liking since they don't give you name of the hotel until after you've bid. Also, they say the room is guaranteed for only 2 guests, whereas I have 4 people in a room (2 kids + 2 adults). I'll probably book directly with a hotel outside of Washington DC, since hotels in the suburbs are quite a bit cheaper.

 

[OntFamily]

Washington has a great rapid transit system. http://www.wmata.com/

Many of the suburban hotels are close to a subway stop. You can stay at the hotel and park your car. The subway will take you to the capitol area.

We've stayed in Alexandria, Va, and found some nice hotels there.