OT-Best/Cheapest Way to Travel Around DC

[ktkerber]

Hi,

We are taking a weekend trip to DC in a few weeks. We plan on parking our car at the hotel when we get there and not driving until we leave.
What is the best way to get around DC that won't cost a fortune? I was looking into the Circulator and buying the 3 day pass for $7. We are staying in the Capital Hill area and plan on visiting all the usual touristy spots. We are also going to a Nationals game so will need to get to/from the stadium.


Thanks,

 

[GAN]

The metro is pretty easy and "cost-effective" ...the website would probably have info about game travel.

http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

 

[danygirl]

goldstar.com and travelzoo (as well as the usual groupon and livingsocial) often have discount tickets for the jump/on jump/off tourist bus. DC is very walkable in the part of town you are staying in, so you can walk to a lot of stuff from there. Metro is convenient but not super cheap, but the are in the middle of a big track work thing so check the website before going somewhere! There is also lyft and uber available all around town. Most of the museums are free and there is a lot to do. Have fun

 

[DisneyGirl]

You are in a very walkable area - from Capital Hill, you should be able to walk to most of the museums/Capital, even the White House if you're used to walking. For everywhere else, your best bet is the metro, but be aware that the metro has been down a lot and there have been tons of delays because they are fixing a lot of problems (they call it "Safety Track" or something like that-- it's really just a plan to fix everything that should have been fixed over the past 20 years http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=6105). Uberx isn't so bad either if you want to get somewhere on your own schedule. I wouldn't recommend DC taxis to tourists.

 

[any name you wish]

Depending on the size of your party/family it may be more cost effective to use Uber or similar taxi service. Metro passes for 4 people can add up quickly and really only save you money if you make 2-3 different stops in a day. As others mentioned walking is a great way to see the area as most of it is pretty flat. Take an Uber first thing the morning to the furthest point away and walk your way back, seeing things as you come back. Some of the Metro stops are convenient to certain landmarks/museums but many of them are not, so see how much the price/time difference is. It will probably be pretty hot when you are in DC so a taxi/Uber could save you some exhaustion as well. Hope that helps

 

[Monykalyn]

We walked or bought the metro passes-just buy regular card (not the day passes) as transfers are cheaper for circulator and regular bus, and you can reload with amount you will use (reloading is easy-machines in every station-think we came back with a total of 40 cents between the 2 cards). Be aware that distances can be deceiving. However the metro was mostly up and running when we were there in March. We did take a taxi back from Lincoln Memorial one night (to Eastern Market area). Under $17 for both of us including nice tip.

 

[TeamH5]

Smart Trip card is what the PP is referring to. It saves you money on your Metro/bus trips. You could also Metro to like the Pentagon, and walk to Arlington, if you're up for it. And as PP's have stated, walking around most of the city will be doable from where you are staying. Other than just driving and paying to park, there's really not much of a cheaper option that I'm aware of. If you do decide to drive/park, you could use Parking Panda to pre-reserve parking (though on some of the parking lots, I've found it to be cheaper to just pay when you get there. I only use PP for the zoo because I know the price won't change, and parking is ridiculous there in the summer time)
Good luck, and have fun!

 

[ktkerber]

Thanks for all the great info!! This helps a lot.

 

[fabulousfive]

We did the trolley bus last year and loved it! DC is such a big area you'll be glad to be able to hop on the trolley whenever you like. We planned all our sight seeing based on the trolley map. We even did their sunset tour which is an amazing way to see all the monuments.