We are planning a trip to D.C. to visit the Smithsonian. Which airport is the best to fly into. Also, can anyone recommend some reasonably priced hotels that have suites?

Thanks for your help.

Bob

Bob, you might want re-title your message "Need airport & hotel advice in D.C." to get more responses.

The Reagan National airport is the closest airport. My family enjoyed our stay at the Embassy Suites in downtown D.C. You might do a search on this site for hotels with suites as there have been many posts on that topic. What do you consider reasonably priced?

National Airport (DCA) is a breeze to fly in and out of as it is just a few metro stops from the District. There is a metro stop at the airport, and a cab into the city is not too outrageous (plan for $25, depending on number of passengers, amount of luggage, and destination). However, it is getting much more expensive to fly in and out of DCA. It used to add about $50 to a trip, now it's more like $100 or more compared with Baltimore (BWI) or Dulles (IAD).

Having to choose between BWI and Dulles, I take BWI any day. It is much easier to get to and from with public transportation. There is a B30 express bus ($3) that takes you to the Greenbelt metro station, or you can take a free shuttle bus to the rail station and take the MARC commuter train during the week ($8) or the Amtrak on the weekend (not sure but I recall it being around $25). I also find it easier to approach by car, as the BW Parkway is an easy and very pleasant ride. Subject to traffic conditions, of course, but I find it to have much less traffic than Northern Virginia. Because it is a Parkway there are no billboards and trees line both sides and the center median; trucks are not permitted.

IAD is my last resort. It is far far far into Northern Virginia on ugly and crowded highways. The public transportation is not good. I usually take a private bus ($8) from the West Falls Church metro station.

Cab fare from BWI and IAD to city center is probably about the same, but I can't say for sure. If you're going to stay in Crystal City (in Virginia) IAD might be easier/cheaper. I am too cheap to have ever taken a cab from either of these locations so I can't say for sure! I believe I paid about $30 for shared van to IAD (the blue van), so that is an option as well.

I should also add opinions re: the actual airports and not just transport to and fro

IAD is gigantic and you have to take moon landing vehicles to get to some of the terminals. It can take a long time just to get to your gate after you've gone through security. I really hate Dulles, but it's an emotional hatred having mostly to do with its location.

BWI is easier to navigate, but the security lines are horrendous. TSA moves them pretty quickly, but they snake down long hallways they were never intended to go down. I always allow 30 minutes minimum to get through BWI's security. Sometimes there is no line, but mostly it's horrendous. Also, I have never once been directed to the right baggage carousel in BWI.

DCA is small, easy to navigate, crowded but the security lines never take too long. The airline counters are understaffed, though. If you have luggage to check, even if you're using self-check for your boarding pass be prepared to wait a while. The food choices are appalling.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol which is a great location close to the many sites in DC. I'm not sure if they have suites or not but you can check their website.

The "moving lounges" at IAD are ridiculous. Earlier this month, the gates were messed up and we had to deplane right into one. (Alitalia does that at IAD as a matter of course -- or did on my two flights in 2005, 2006).

Plus, it's got the worst timeliness stats of the three airports. I'm not sure if it's still the case but for a while BWI was moving more people and won the JD Power airport top rating for its size.

I'll fly into and out of DCA whenever I can, but BWI is clearly the next choice for me. But I live about the same amount of time from all of them.

Bob, St. Gregory suites hotel is quite nice, in a convenient location. The price is reasonable, with specials on weekends. You can find their website easily. Enjoy your trip!
(ps I think they have some kind of smithsonian package.)

Another option you might want to consider...

My husband and I celebrated our 1st anniversary in DC, but we stayed in Alexandria. We were only a couple of blocks from the metro station, and from there I recall that it was a quick ride into the city. We stayed at a B&B but there were decent hotels in the area as well.

Also, Alexandria was very nice to stroll at night for a change of pace after being in DC all day.

I think the choice of airport depends on your tolerance for traffic. If you want to actually arrive in DC - you will want to pick Reagan National Airport. Jump on the Metro and your are there.

Dulles would be my second choice - pretty far out - if you think you are landing in the city. It's a very busy airport - but I always found it fairly easy to navigate.

BWI ain't Washington - it's really Baltimore - expect a long drive. I've ended up in long lines here, but they have always moved pretty fast.

Most people hate Dulles. However,

"Dulles Airport was immediately recognized as one of the most important post-World War II American architectural masterpieces and one of the most innovative airport designs. A 1976 American Institute of Architects' poll selected the building as the third most significant building in the Nation's first 200 years. The building has been widely recognized in professional publications as exceptionally important in the history of American architecture."

It's a beautiful airport. And, adjacent to is the Steven Udvar-Hazy center, which is the companion to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

If you love aviation, Dulles is your only choice.

"BWI ain't Washington - it's really Baltimore - expect a long drive."

And IAD is scenic Herndon ...

The difference between IAD and BWI to the Capitol is about 2 miles ... not really substantial for an airport that has decent public transportation options, better timeliness numbers and doesn't have "moving lounges."

Dulles is a great building and I love Udvar-Hazy ... but do either of those factors figure into the ticket-buying equation for most folks? Doubtful.

But if the OP is coming from Monterey, CA, then they can take UA non-stop SJC to IAD. No non-stop from SJC to the other two airports.

That would do it for me ... but, in general, Dulles is a mess.