Will be flying into DC in mid October and continuing to Philadelphia before returning to Midwest. Don't need a rental car in DC, as it will cost $$$ to park and everything we want to see is accessible via Metro. Question is how do we get to Philadelphia? We will need a rental car in Philadelphia as we have college interviews in various Main Line suburbs. We have taken trains in Europe and looked up Amtrak. We could take a 2hr train ride from Union Station to 30th St. station. According to Avis, we could even rent a car at the train station! There are time of day restrictions, but not a big deal. It's about $65/pp. Is this scenic in October? Don't really want to navigate traffic in DC, Baltimore or Philadelphia. What would you do??

I would seriously consider a "Chinatown Bus" for $15 pp between DC/PHL, then get your rental. A long stretch between Balt to Wilmington is somewhat scenic, but not worth $50.
http://www.2000coach.com/dcphilly.html

I agree that there is only one really scenic part between Baltimore and Wilmington. Otherwise, it's a boring ride on train or bus.

Are you coming back to DC or are you flying from Philadelphia back to Midwest. You could always rent a car in DC--it wouldn't be that difficult to get out of the city and just drive I-95 to Philadelphia. But if you aren't returning the car to DC, your cost would be higher.

I am a big fan of Amtrak and would take it any day over a Chinatown bus, which I don't consider a good option for tourists. Check the Amtrak website to see if there are any special rates to Philadelphia. They have been having a number of "companion fare" promotions.

It depends. I ALWAYS take Amtrak when I travel to Philadelphia (from DC). It is SO much more pleasant and I can easliy afford it. I really can't speak to the scenary - nothing has ever jumped out at me (I'm usually buried in a book or sleeping).

A bus would just as convenient, however, if you are on a tight budget as it also takes you center city to center city.

Train or bus are both greatly preferable to driving. Don't drive it.

We will be returning to Ohio from Philadelphia, so dropoff charges ARE a consideration. The other thing I like about Amtrak was that you could rent a car AT the train station. Anyone ever done this?? We are planning to do this Sunday Oct. 16. Avis says they are open Sundays till 8:30 p.m. and our train would arrive at 7:15 p.m. Do the trains run on time?? We want to be able to sightsee in DC for a full day on Sunday. Also, how much in advance do you have to be at the train station? Is it an hour like on an airplane?

When you board the trains at Union Station in DC, as long as you arrive at your gate before boarding is complete you are OK.

Paying $120 for those 2 Amtrak tickets is quite a hefty fee; be sure to compare that to the dropoff cost (if any) of renting in DC and dropping off in PA. You would then have some more flexibility about the exact time you leave DC, and no worries about the rental office closing if the train is delayed. In DC, you can rent cars at Union Station or most rental comanies have offices scattered around the city (perhaps there's one near your hotel).

OTOH, did you know that Amtrak offers highschool juniors and seniors a buy-one-get-one -free deal when they're looking at colleges? They need to get a form signed by their guidance counselor, and there are blackoutperiods and other limits.

http://www.campusvisit.com/amtrak.htm

Amtrak routes that originate in DC should be ontime. Some of the trains originate further south, and the further south, the more likelihood of being late.

Will you be dropping car off at PHL airport? If so, will there be dropoff charges if u rent at train station? Avis often has some very good rates for cars rented & returned at PHL, so look into that as well. You can use SEPTA rail to get to the airport from AMTRAK.

I've not taken Chinatown buses, but I know that often Greyhound and PeterPan has been matching their prices. I love Amtrak, but for the short a trip, I'd take a bus at that kind of savings.

How soon to be at station? Well, better chance of sitting together the sooner you're on a train. Some of those Sunday trains are pretty crowded.

The trains between DC and NYC (which includes PHL) pretty much run on time.

The exception might be Thanksgiving, Chistmas and other super busy times of year.

You do not need to show up early - 15 minutes should do it. You could even show up 5 minutes before the train pulls out and they will still let you on. I'm too nervous to try and cut it that close, personally. If you show up 30 minutes early, you can pretty much pick any seat since it's the begining of the line.

Anonymous, thanks so much for the Amtrak 1/2 off college visit link! As we will be visiting Univ of Maryland & George Washington in DC and Bryn Mawr and Villanova in Philadelphia, this would work. A co-worker mentioned that there are AAA discounts and AARP as well. My MIL is going with us and I am certain she can get some kind of senior rate. I think the bottom line is that I don't want to drive and the train sounds cool. The Chinatown bus schedule was either too early (leave at noon) or too late (leave at 8 p.m.). I'll confer with Avis on drop off charges (train station vs. airport). Worst case scenario is we take a local Philadelphia train to Ardmore, which is near where are staying. Thanks!

In my experience, even the trains that originate in DC don't start boarding until a few minutes before departure. Those who get through the gate first have the best choice of seats.