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

By Bus

The red, white, and blue buses operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority crisscross the city and the nearby suburbs. Although most neighborhoods popular with tourists are near Metro rail stations, some are more easily reached by bus. Adams-Morgan and Mount Pleasant can be reached by the No. 42 bus, which leaves from the Dupont Circle Metro stop. Georgetown is a hike from the closest Metro rail station, but you can take a Georgetown Metro Connection shuttle to any Metrobus stop from the Foggy Bottom or Dupont Circle Metro stations in D.C. or the Rosslyn Metro station in Virginia.

Fares & Schedules

All regular buses within the District are $1.25; express buses, which make fewer stops, are $3.

Complete bus and Metro maps for the metropolitan D.C. area, which note museums, monuments, theaters, and parks, can be purchased for $1.50 at the Metro Center sales office or at map stores.

Free bus-to-bus transfers, good for two hours, are available from the driver when you board. To transfer Metro-to-bus, take a pass from a machine before boarding your train. When you board the bus, you'll pay a transfer charge (35¢ on regular Metrobus routes and $2.10 on express routes). There are no bus-to-Metro transfers.

Information

Metro Center sales office (12th and F Sts. NW. No phone). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (202/637-7000; 202/638-3780 TDD. www.wmata.com).

Paying

If you pay as you go, buses require exact change in bills, coins, or both. You can eliminate the exact-change hassle by purchasing bus fare in advance at the Metro Center sales office, open weekdays from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM. Pay-per-ride tokens are sold at full fare, as well as one-day bus passes for $3 and seven-day bus passes for $11. For some bus routes you can get the SmarTrip card, a plastic card that holds any fare amount. The cost of each ride is deducted as you board the bus.

DC Circulator

The D.C. Circulator, a low-cost alternative to the Metro, offers $1 rides on new buses to cultural and entertainment destinations within the city's central core. The Circulator, a joint project of the WMATA and the District of Columbia government, has three routes, but the buses stop at many of Washington's major attractions. The North-South route runs from the D.C. Convention Center at 6th and Massachusetts, NW, to the Southwest Waterfront, at 6th Street and Maine Avenue. The East-West route runs from Union Station at Columbus Plaza, NW, to Georgetown, at M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, NW. A third loop circles the National Mall and includes stops at the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution. Passengers can pay cash when boarding (exact change only) or use Metro farecards, SmarTrip cards, all-day passes, and Metro bus transfers. Tickets also may be purchased at fare meters or multispace parking meters located on the sidewalk near Circular stops. Machines accept change or credit cards and make change. Buses run every 5-10 minutes from 7 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.

D.C. Circulator

District Department of Transportation (ddot. 202/962-1423. www.dccirculator.com).