We are planning on going to Washington D.C. in late August, but I am not sure if I should reserve a rental car for the whole time, part of the time, or not at all. We will be staying in Virginia about a 10 minute walk to the subway. Any suggestions on if we should get a rental car.

Thank you

I would not bother with a rental car, unless you wish to do some sightseeing outside DC .. an even then, I'd only rent for a day.

rb is probably right. I think it would also depend on where you would be staying and how you would get between there and the airport. And how long you would be staying. And it would depend on which airport(s) you were using.

Don't rent a car. I stayed near Tyson's Corners mall and either took the meto bus to the subway station or used the hotel shuttle to the station. The metro bus stopped right out in front, and also went the other way to the mall. I spent all day, and most nights in the city and a car would have been a waste of money sitting in the lot all day. DC has an awesome transit system, and I even explored some of the suburban areas on the bus and train. I took a cab from the airport (Reagan National, about $20 w/ tip) and took the train back because I was comfortable with the system by then.

Dear Spazkatt, I understand that typing in capital letters is the same as screaming. If that's true, DO NOT RENT A CAR TO DRIVE IN D.C.!! Parking is expensive, and we are terrible drivers. We import drivers from all over the US and the world, so we do not have a very homogenous driving style. That can be disconcerting. Having said that, our public transportation system is excellent. Just a reminder, it is HUMID in D.C. in August. Dress accordingly.

Parking in DC is expensive and it can be quite confusing to drive around DC (I live in the DC suburbs, and I prefer to take the Metro downtown to avoid the hassle). If you can just take the Metro, great. Remember, though, that August is HOT and that not everything you might want to see in DC is close to a Metro (ex: Georgetown is a bit of a hike from the Metro, esp. in hot weather).

Georgetown is a hike, but I also used the Metrobuses to get to places like that, which worked out great.