Washington DC on a budget

[Pembo]

We want to go to DC this summer but I'm having a hard time figuring out where to stay. Hotels are in the $200-$300 range with $30 for parking. That is WAY out of our budget.

Any suggestions for areas outside the city that we can stay in, ride the metro and not break the bank?

 

[delmar411]

look in Rosslyn, Pentagon City, Falls Church and Vienna areas. The metro bus system is excellent so even if you aren't right by a metro station you can just take the metro bus to one.

 

[lovemygoofy]

When looking for hotel rates, look for the weekends as they are cheaper than the weekdays because so many people come here for work. Don't plan your vacation anywhere near a holiday like Memorial day, 4th July, or Labor Day.

Spring is peak tourist season and always crowded and expensive.

Old Town Alexandria, VA has some great places like Embassy Suites and Residence Inn.

Pentagon City has some Marriotts as well as Arlington, Rosslyn and Courthouse Sq.

I can only vouch personally for the a couple of hotels in Old Town and Pentagon City as that is what I'm most familiar with. Are you planning to drive to D.C.?

ETA: keep checking the travelzoo website. They seem to have a fairly contstant advertisements for hotels on the discounts.

I have a dummies guide to D.C. that I love as well as the Unofficial Guide to D.C. that is very in depth. It breaks things down according to location and money and childrens ages and anything else you want to cross reference it.

 

[Pembo]

So to save money we should plan our trip around a weekend, but will it be more crowded on the weekend? We are looking in mid June.

I'll be trying to find the Dummies Guide and the Unofficial at the library.

Any more suggestions?

 

[mom2threecuties]

Try Priceline! We went to DC for spring break last year. We won the Renaissance Mayflower (great location!) for $105/night. If I recall, the rate through their website was $400+! We did have to pay $40/night for parking though.

The great thing about DC is that almost all of the activities are free.

 

[winjos]

Double check weekend hours. We went out on a Sunday and a lot of places were closed. Talk about bummed out.

I think the metro was cheaper on the weekends too.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

We stayed in Silver Springs it is a 20 min drive to the Mall. Our hotel ave was $120 a night and it was awesome.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34853311&postcount=48

 

[Planogirl]

Those parking rates are outrageous! What does it typically cost to park if you drive in?

I was going to suggest Alexandria too. Old Town is great and it's an easy drive into DC.

 

[Disneymusicgirl]

Those parking rates are outrageous! What does it typically cost to park if you drive in?

I was going to suggest Alexandria too. Old Town is great and it's an easy drive into DC.

Another vote for Alexandria! I've actually stayed in Alexandria twice before for conferences. Old Town is beautiful, and the metro is very accessible!

 

[NeedaVacation03]

We went last summer and we were able to get a great rate through travelzoo. We booked it about 60 days out from when we were going. We got Embassy Suites near George Washington University. It was $130 a night with parking included and free full breakfast. We loved it their. The walk was easy to the train station. It had a Starbucks and a CVS very close so we could pickup some last minute things without having to pay the price of the gift shop in the hotel.

 

[we3are1]

Also check out using the train and commuter tickets - they are really economical.

 

[disneybound31]

great info

 

[disfan07]

How long are you planning on going for?
How many people are going?
Do you have kids? What ages?

If you are only going to be going for a few days, my advice would be to stay closer to the city (Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church area)
If you want to go for about a week, it might not hurt you to stay farther west in virginia (Herndon, Reston area).
The majority of the hotels in the herndon, reston and fairfax areas have free parking.

We lived in Herndon, VA for 20 years and by metro it would take us about 20 minutes to get into the city. It was convenient enough that we took the metro to George Washington Hospital for a year of medical treatment for me instead of driving in. It is also very convenient because to get from herndon to the smithsonian museums and the mall, you dont have to switch metro lines.

Some hotels I found in for the summer under $200 are:
Hyatt Fairlakes (Fairfax, VA)- about $115/night (free parking)
Hyatt Regency (Reston, VA)- about $200/night (free parking)
Residence Inn Fairlakes (Fairfax, VA)- about $180/night (free parking and breakfast)
Fairfax Marriott at Fairoaks (fairfax, VA)- about $180/night (free parking)
Hyatt Arlington (Arlington, VA)- about $175/night ($17/day parking)
Courtyard Alexandria Pentagon South (Alexandria, VA)- about $180/night ($10/day parking)

Most (if not all) of the hotels IN DC will charge for parking. A lot of the hotels in Alexandria and Arlington do as well. The best bet for lower prices and free parking will be in teh herndon, reston, fairfax area and in all truth, the metro system is very easy to navigate and it does not take very long (unless you hit rush hour (between 6 and 9 AM (going into the city) and 5-7PM (leaving the city) are the worst times))


I would advise that unless you will be there for 5 or more days, dont plan your trip around sunday or monday. Monday is when most of the smithsonian museums are closed.

If you have any questions about where anything is, best places to vists, etc feel free to PM me.

 

[Neesy228]

My DH travels down there for work frequently...we often stay at the Homewood Suites or the Embassy Suites in Falls Church. Both are big and roomy, located fairly close to a very nice shopping mall and lots of restaurants. Then the drive to the National Mall is about 15-20 minutes. I just priced the Homewood Suites (which includes a light dinner during the week and a breakfast all week) it was $98/night for mid-June. I hope that helps!

ETA: Parking is free at both locations as well.

 

[charming23]

I too would suggest looking outside DC and into one of the surrounding neighborhoods. We have always stayed in Fairfax, VA, although at my Uncle's. It is a town with lots of restuarants that were reasonably priced seeing as it is basically a college town (George Mason University).

 

[Cindy B]

Priceline can be your friend when it comes to DC. I have never paid a high price. I have picked Pentagon City, Chevy Chase and Downtown/Convention Center zones have never been disappointed.

Parking charges can be a problem though. However, on our last visit we paid $73 for the Reniassance in Downtown and $20 for parking so that wasn't too bad. Use biddingfortravel.com or betterbidding.com as your guide for zones and types of hotels.

The metro is great--it is one of the best public transport around.

Remember there are other things besides the Smithsonians. On our last visit we discovered the National Musuem of Art (right near the Air and Space)-- it was wonderful. We keep on saying we want to do the offsite Air and Space which is free but I think $12-15 parking fee.

 

[PlutoPony]

If your hotel is not within walking distance of a metro station, don't count on driving your car to the station during the week. Parking at the metro lots is often completely filled by commuters by say 7-8 am (at least in VA stations) leaving you SOL. Also, not all metro stations have parking lots. Some hotels closer in may have shuttles that will take you to the station but I'd be surprised if that's the case out further, say Fairfax / Reston area.

Parking at metro lots on the weekends is no issue at all, plus it's free.

 

[PlutoPony]

I would advise that unless you will be there for 5 or more days, dont plan your trip around sunday or monday. Monday is when most of the smithsonian museums are closed.

The Smithsonians are NOT closed on Mondays..... they are open 364 days a year, closed only on Christmas Day.

Just curious - how long ago did you spend time here when that was the case? We've lived here for 12 years and I don't recall them being closed one day/week in all the time we've lived here.... Was it maybe during a budget crisis that they did that?

 

[Swimalie]

I'll 2nd that the Smithsonians are not closed on Mondays. That's usually when we go, too. We've been here for almost 4 years and they have always been open for us.

If you want to stay in Alexandria you can also catch a boat from there to Mount Vernon. The admission to Mount Vernon is included in the price of the cruise and the cruise shows you a lot of the area. It's a great cruise that I highly recommend. Alexandria is a nice area. The traffic is as bad as any place around here, as is Fairfax area.

 

[Cibahwewah]

Holiday Inn in Alexandria, you can walk to the metro station. Worked out great! Saw the 4th of July fireworks on the Capitol lawn, hopped on the metro, back at the hotel very quickly.