I,m spending 7 days Washington Dc and ending up in Annapolis for a graduation. If I fly into Baltimore instead of Washington DC and take a taxi how long would it take to get to DC??? Also I,m staying Residence Inn-Dupoint Circle and metro is 3 blocks, is that an easy walk??? Thanks

It is roughly 30-40 minutes from BWI to DC by car. If it's during rush hour, it would take longer. There are alternatives to taxis. Amtrak runs trains from BWI to DC for about (I believe) $14. You take a 5-minute shuttle bus from the terminal to the Amtrak station. Also, I think Metro has introduced a new system where you can take a bus from BWI to an outer Metro station, and then take Metro into DC. I would definitely recommend these over a cab. A cab would run you like $50. Sometimes I fly out of BWI because it's often a lot cheaper than DC.

Yes, the hotel is an easy walk to the Metro.

There is one other option from BWI into DC. There is a bus (the B30) which runs from BWI to the Greenbelt Metro station. It runs every 40 mins (check the schedule at http://wmata.com/). The cost for the bus is $2.00. It takes 30 mins.

At Greenbelt, take the Green line Metro to Fort Totten, change there for the Red line to Dupont Circle. That trip will cost $2.10 ($2.70 peak fare) and take about 30-35 mins.

The walk from the station to the Residence Inn is VERY easy, not even 5 mins. Here's a great map of the station area: http://www.stationmasters.com/System_Map/DUPONTCI/dupontci.html

Obviously, if you have many bags, or if time is important, this is NOT a good option. But if you've got a bit of time to spare, and a money is an issue, it works out very nicely (I have done this, and I would recommend it).

The bus stop at BWI is on the lower (arrivals) level, Pier E (the International Terminal).

Here's the direct link for the schedule in PDF format: http://www.wmata.com/timetables/md/b30.pdf

Janet

you've got some great advice here from Jim and James. I clicked on to add but they've covered your BWI to DC quite well.

Are you staying in DC or heading to Annapolis for the graduation?

James,

That's great information. Have you ever known the bus to be crowded? Do you need change for the bus or are bills okay?

The bus will accept currency - exact amount only - no change given.

The Amtrak will cost $18 or more if it's a Metroliner or Acela+

Another option if you're traveling weekdays is the MARC train, which takes you to Union Station for $5, or even less if you purchase roundtrip tickets. Takes about 40 minutes. As Jim pointed out, there's a free shuttle bus from the terminal to the rail station, which serves both Amtrak and MARC.

I've taken the bus, and yes, sometimes it fills, but I always try the bus first. (there's no x in my REAL eddress)

The first time I took the bus, there were exactly 5 people on it. The second time, it was more like 15-20 people. So, in my experience, there wasn't much crowding. But I haven't taken it recently. Perhaps it has become more popular (I'm VERY much in favor of public transit becoming more popular)

Yes, you can pay with dollar bills (or even with a 5 if you don't want change... hehe).

I've seen fares on Amtrak that were $24-36 from BWI. All transportation options are described on the airport's website www.bwiairport.com I think an airport shuttle van for $30 is a good idea, more convenient because it's door to door and it can be cheaper than Amtrak+cab.

Go to www.mtamaryland.com for the MARC train schedules, maps, and fares. I think MARC is your best bet (although it only runs on weekdays), it's only about $5 each way, has an express that's almost as fast as Amtrak (25 mins no stops from BWI to Union Station), and takes you to Union Station. Look at the Penn Line schedule. For the metro shuttle bus, go to www.wmata.com which has all the Washington metro and metrobus schedule and fare information. Once you take the bus to Greenbelt, you'll have about a 40 minute ride into downtown DC, so the MARC is a faster solution.