Hotels in Virginia Near Washington Metro

[PlutoPony]

If you have a hard deadline and are taking metro, check their website a day or so before and see if there is any planned track maintenance that will be causing delays that weekend.

To reach Lorton and the Auto Train by 2pm on a Sunday, I'd probably allow 60-90 minutes if driving from the Tidal Basin. Using Metro, I'd allow a hour from the Smithsonian stop to Franconia-Springfield (40 minutes train time plus potential wait time for the train) plus another half hour or so driving to Lorton. So imo it's a wash time wise and comes down to personal preference.

 

[bicker]

Thanks for the insights!

 

[agnes!]

I wouldn't take I-95 at all...but would instead drive South (from wherever you stay) on Route 1. I-95 and the Beltway can get seriously screwed-up on the weekends.

Also, make sure you check the Metro hours on the weekends...even if you have a hotel with a Metro stop in its basement, that won't help you much if the Metro starts up too late for you to use it.

If you want to do some touristy things the morning of your departure on the Auto-Train, consider staying in one of the nice Route 1/Old Town hotels and then driving down to see Mount Vernon and/or Woodlawn/Pope-Leighey House(Frank Lloyd Wright designed).... Mount Vernon and the Woodlawn/Pope-Leighey House complex are both on your way to the Auto-Train in Lorton (as opposed to going North on the Metro into the city and then having to come back South to your hotel/Metro stop, get your car and drive to the Auto-Train depot.

agnes!