I'll be in DC in August for 4.5 days. I'm planning to visit Mt Vernon, followed by Old Town Alexandria. Has anyone used the metro/bus to get there and was it doable or inconvenient?

The bus tours are expensive, restrictive with times and also only drive by Old Town Alexandria, rather than stop there.

We'll be staying at the RI in Pentagon City.

Sorry..the RI?

Residence Inn?

Sorry, yes the Residence Inn, Pentagon City.

My friend had considered doing a bustrip to Mt Vernon. However, it leaves at 8am and from Union Station, which to me is going backwards to go forwards.. and at a very early time.

It's quite doable, but I think it depends on how comfortable you are with public transport. Here's the directions on Mt. Vernon's website.

http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/pla...x.cfm/pid/824/

I'd be the most concerned about how often the bus leaves from Huntington Metro Station and then back. Beyond that, it's a piece of cake.

Old Town is easy to get to from Pentagon City. Jump on the Metro and get off at King Street. There are now trolleys going up and down King Street, which is the main road in Old Town. The trolleys can take you from the Metro to the river, and back.

Dear speckles:

I cannot give you any info on public transit to Mt. Vernon. But you are right about the bus tours. It was convenient, but I was disappointed that we only drove around Alexandria. Mt. Vernon was wonderful and we could have spent a few more hours exploring the grounds and gift shops, but we had to get back on the bus!!! Plus, the site was pretty crowded when we arrived about 9-9:30. When we left about 11:30, no crowds since the bus tours had already left.

If we ever go again, we will do it on our own. So worth it.

MY

Thanks

MikeT, I had seen the directions on the website. I was wondering more whether anyone had done it this way and whether they thought the bus went regularly enough and whether the ride wasn't overly long, being public transport rather than a direct route.

Speckles, It is doable and the bus from Huntington and back routinely run on time and the drivers are always very nice and very aware that the route is frequented by tourists. There are always lots of people on this route, especially leaving Mount Vernon in the afternoons.

Do check the schedule, available from http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/south.htm

It is Bus 101 and the biggest drawback is that the bus runs about once an hour. If you schedule your visit according to this than it is very easy to do. The bus leaves from the top part of Huntington (ask if you are not sure) and from just outside the Mount Vernon Inn.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

I did this trip 3 years ago. The bus trip is not long and fairly direct through pleasant suburban neighborhoods..There were mostly other tourists on board.
I completed my tour of Mt.Vernon in less than an hour and the return bus was waiting for me across the street.
At that time the bus ran every hour.

When we lived in DC back in the early 80's there was a very nice boat trip you could take to Mount Vernon. It was inexpensive and a lovely, leisurely way to get there from the city. The tickets were sold (and the boat departed) from a booth down a bit from the Flagship restaurant (which probably doesn't still exist!). Does anyone know if those still run?

Last summer we took a Grayline Bus trip to Mt. Vernon. It worked very well for us; if I remember correctly we had about 2-3 hours at Mt. Vernon and then the bus took us all back to D.C. It didn't stop anywhere else, though, so it may not be what you are looking for.

I also used the public transportation and recommend it. Interests varie - I spent almost all day there, "logandog" saw enough in an hour. Why be tied to the more restrictive schedules of touring companies?

You might also consider getting a rental car for a day or two. There's an Enterprise ("we'll pick you up!") close to Huntington Station and by renting away from the airport and the District, you'll save the higher taxes imposed at those locations. We went to Annapolis too with the extra time left on a 2 day rental.

Thanks all. I think I will try the public transport option.

Does any know, or can anyone direct me to a website that can estimate the travel time on the metro from Pentagon City to Huntington, so I can determine the lead time required to meet a certain bus at Huntington? If it only goes once an hour, I wouldn't want to miss it.

Speckles--Go to www.wmata.com and look at the Trip Planner feature.

Thanks Longhorn. It's a good site. It even gives alternative bus routes, which is handy to know.

The 101 departs every hour from 10am to 3pm and half hourly before and after those times.