• Neighborhoods
• Sights
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Travel Tips
• Features

By Car

A car is often a drawback in Washington, D.C. Traffic is horrendous, especially at rush hour, and driving is often confusing, with many lanes and some entire streets changing direction suddenly during rush hour. Even longtime residents carry maps in their cars to help navigate confusing traffic circles and randomly arranged one-way streets. The traffic lights stymie some visitors; most lights don't hang down over the middle of the streets but stand at the sides of intersections.

Car Rental Daily rates in Washington, D.C., begin at about $40 during the week and about $22 on weekends for an economy car with air-conditioning, automatic transmission, and unlimited mileage. This does not include airport facility fees or the tax on car rentals.

In Washington, D.C., many agencies require you to be at least 25 to rent a car. However, employees of major corporations and military or government personnel on official business may be able to rent a car even if they're under age 25.

Emergency Services

Dial 911 to report accidents on the road and to reach police, the highway patrol, or the fire department. For police nonemergencies, dial 311.

Contacts

U.S. Park Police (202/619-7300).

Gasoline

Gas tends to be slightly higher in the District than it is in Maryland or Virginia. As a rule, gas stations are hard to find in the District, especially around Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall. Your best bets are a BP station at the corner of 18th and S streets NW, the Mobil station at the corner of 15th and U streets NW, the Exxon station at 2150 M St. NW, and the Mobil station at the corner of 22nd and P streets NW.

Lay of the Land

Interstate 95 skirts D.C. as part of the Beltway, the six- to eight-lane highway that encircles the city. The eastern half of the Beltway is labeled both I-95 and I-495; the western half is just I-495. If you're coming from the south, take I-95 to I-395 and cross the 14th Street Bridge to 14th Street in the District. From the north, stay on I-95 south. Take the exit to Washington, which will place you onto the Baltimore-Washington (B-W) Parkway heading south. The B-W Parkway will turn into New York Avenue, taking you into downtown Washington, D.C.

Interstate 66 approaches the city from the southwest. You can get downtown by taking I-66 across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to Constitution Avenue.

Interstate 270 approaches Washington, D.C., from the northwest before hitting I-495. To get downtown, take I-495 east to Connecticut Avenue south, toward Chevy Chase.

Parking

Parking in Washington, D.C., is an adventure; the police are quick to tow away or immobilize with a boot any vehicle parked illegally. If you find you've been towed from a city street, call 202/727-5000 or log on to www.dmv.washingtondc.gov. Be sure you know the license-plate number, make, model, and color of the car before you call. Because the city's most popular sights are within a short walk of a Metro station anyway, it's best to leave your car at the hotel. Touring by car is a good idea only for visiting sights in Maryland or Virginia.

Most of the outlying, suburban Metro stations have parking lots, though these fill quickly with city-bound commuters. If you plan to park in one of these lots, arrive early and bring lots of quarters.

Private parking lots downtown often charge around $5 an hour and $25 a day. There's free, three-hour parking around the Mall on Jefferson and Madison drives, though these spots are almost always filled. There is no parking near the Lincoln or Roosevelt memorials. The closest free parking is in three lots in East Potomac Park, south of the 14th Street Bridge.

Rules of the Road

Always strap children under a year old or under 20 pounds into approved rear-facing child-safety seats in the back seat. In Washington, D.C., children weighing 20-40 pounds must also ride in a car seat in the back, although it may face the front. Children cannot sit in the front seat of a car until they are at least four years old and weigh more than 80 pounds.

In D.C., you may turn right at a red light after stopping if there's no oncoming traffic. When in doubt, wait for the green. Be alert for one-way streets, "no left turn" intersections, and blocks closed to car traffic. The use of handheld mobile phones while operating a vehicle is illegal in Washington, D.C. Drivers can also be cited for "failure to pay full time and attention while operating a motor vehicle."

Radar detectors are illegal in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

During rush hour (6-9 AM and 4-7 PM), HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes on I-395 and I-95 are reserved for cars with three or more people. All the lanes of I-66 inside the Beltway are reserved for cars carrying two or more during rush hour, as are some of the lanes on the Dulles Toll Road and on I-270.