Parking Washington, D.C.

[johnpozey]

My family is heading to Washington, D.C. For Spring Break in April. I booked the Hilton in Dupont Circle and saw that it is $36 dollars a night to park. A little steep for my budget. I was on a website panda parking and they have parking at Marriott for $14 a night which is close to the HIlton.....Any suggestions on where to park in the Dupont Circle so Washington, D.C.?

 

[MSSANDRA]

DC is just like any major city and the cost of parking is just part of the expense. I think we have stayed at that Hilton and we really liked the location and ease of parking. It's very important to ask questions and know exactly where the parking is and if there are any hidden cost. Almost all parking is going to be valet so remember that you will need to add tipping anytime you have your car brought out to you. We park and use public transportation and rarely move our car. We really pick the hotel we want and can afford, factoring in parking cost. Good luck. Being so close to the metro is worth the extra cost to us.

 

[Eureka]

Keep your reservation and pay the $36. Dupont Circle is a Metro stop and you won't need your car to get around. I work in Georgetown and parking is $20/day at the garage I use. You're not going to find it much cheaper anywhere you go, and I assume with that $36 you get in and out privileges if you do use your car?

 

[NinaBella]

Just a thought and I have heard others mention in the past in other cities (not on disboards)... have you checked into long-term parking at the airport? If you do not need your car during that time you can park at the airport in the economy parking lot and take a shuttle to your hotel? Not sure what the parking fee is but just a random idea.

Looked up parking at Reagan National and economy parking is $15 a day.
http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/1207.htm


If it were me and I didn't need my car for the trip, I would drop the family (and luggage) off to check-in at the hotel while either DH or I took the car to park at the airport and take a shuttle to the hotel.

 

[danygirl]

The airport might be a good deal but there are lots of places you can't get to via metro and metro is not cheap if you have several riders

 

[pintamino]

The airport might be a good deal but there are lots of places you can't get to via metro and metro is not cheap if you have several riders

Neither is reparking your car at your destination, in addition to driving in an unfamiliar city with lots of circles and one ways. Most places in DC are accessible between metro, circulator, and a little footwork.

Metro is the best bet for tourists. Just wait until after rush hour to start your day.

 

[TJA]

We went on our first trip to Wash DC last summer and I had the same question as you do about parking. Our hotel parking was $15 a day, but after much research (I read tripadvisor for days....), I found out there was a public parking ramp right next to our hotel that offers free parking on weekends. So we moved the car on Saturday morning -- quick and easy -- ended up just paying $15 total for parking on Friday, then free both Saturday and Sunday. So you could look into options like that...

 

[karliebug]

We stayed at a holiday inn just across the bridge from Georgetown that had free parking. It was a short walk to the metro station which we rode into town to see all the sites and a doable walk across the bridge to explore Georgetown.

 

[rbork]

Parking at Metro Stations outside DC run 5$ per day and free on the weekends. You do need to arrive on an off hour otherwise you will run into daily commuters taking up all the spaces. Careful planning could avoid that though. You could just park and buy Metro Cards for each person in the family and head to your hotel on Dupont. People travel with rolling luggage all the time on the Metro. Not sure how long you are staying or how many are in your family. Metro can get pricey at 7-9$ pp all day pass.
Good Luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I think we stayed the same place as a previous poster. Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge. This was a few years ago, but they had free parking (even though we didn't need it), free breakfast, indoor pool, and only a block to a metro station. And the price was very reasonable. It was perfect! We flew into Reagan airport, took the metro to the hotel, and just used metro for our entire stay. So, really, you don't need the car if you find someplace to park that's a distance from your hotel.