Maxine

My husband and I are going to Washington in May. We got a great fare going into BWI. I have booked a Hampton Inn in Bowie at $89 & $98 a night with breakfast. Question: we are not sure whether to rent a car as I am tired of going on holiday and trying to battle traffic and signs. We can take the shuttle from BWI into Bowie which will cost $31.00. I have to tell you that we are in our late 50's so dragging baggage is not our thing any more. Is it easy to take alternate transportation into Bowie? Can we get from Bowie easily by Metro to downtown Washington? Is this an alternative to staying right downtown and paying higher prices for hotels? We come from Canada and the dollar is killing us. Would it be more convenient to rent a car and drive to Virginia and stay there? We thought we wouldn't need a car since Washington is a walking city.

I haven't heard anyone talk about staying in Bowie at all. Could you help please. Thanks

W

You'll need to rent a car, don't even give it a second thought. Unless you can get to Metro easily, and don;t mind the time wasted going and coming. But why in the world would you wnat to stay in Bowie, Md. if you've come to see DC? Rethink, and stay downtown.

sonia

I don't live in DC but my daughter does, so we've visited a lot over the last 10 years. If you fly into BWI on a weekday, you can take the MARC commuter line into Union Station in DC (use Google to find schedule online). The whole city is linked from there via metro. Online map:
http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/systemmap.htm
For other online info, check the Maryland transportation site at http://www.bwiairport.com/frames/1_washington.html
If you want to stay outside DC, look for somewhere convenient to a metro stop and allow flex time in your schedule for commuting to and fro.

You are right in thinking that a car in DC (like most cities) is more hassle than it's worth, especially once tourist season is rolling in May. However, outlying metro stations have parking lots where you can leave your car, and they're shown on the map (they are v. popular on weekdays). We have stayed near New Carrollton and metro'd in -- there's a big commuter lot there, and it was no problem to park. Can't remember if there was a charge -- locals should be able to tell you!

Have a great trip -- always so much to see and do in DC.

Christina

You don't need to rent a car at all, and shouldn't. But forget the Bowie hotel. That isn't on the metro line and it's way far out, halfway to Annapolis! There are plenty of alternatives. First, there are some shuttle buses which could take you downtown for about that same price as Bowie, I think. If not, there is public transportation to Union Station and other points. There is a new service that is an express bus from BWI directly to Greenbelt metro station, the end of the green line, for only about $3, which is the best option now, I think. There are MARC trains from new Carrollton and Greenbelt, which are commuter trains. Just look at www.bwiairport.com for transportation options.

My other point is I don't think that's a good alternative at all. There's no way to get from Bowie to DC easily and those prices aren't cheap at all for a motel room. You can find rooms in DC or nearby suburbs like Arlington for that rate. There are hotels in DC for that rate, even, and not dumps. There's no reason to drive to Virginia, it's the opposite side of DC from BWI.

Check these URLs for hotel rooms, you can find something at that price in DC area: www.quikbook.com and www.dcaccommodations.com
Even in mid-May weekday (highest price), it shows suites for only $110 at the State Plaza in Foggy Bottom. There are other cheap hotels: Quality Inn in Arlington, there's a Days Inn on Connecticut Ave, a Sheraton Four Points, many others. There's even a B&B in the Kalorama/Dupont Circle area that is a great location (Kalorama Guest House--two sites), as well as other options less than $100 in that neighborhood. Washington DC is a wonderful city, don't ruin your trip by staying in Bowie.

Ernesto

Maxine-
By all means forget Bowie - it is a pit of a place, and convenient to nothing! You would need a car to get to a Metro stop, and would waste time doing so.
If you want to visit DC, then visit DC. From BWI take the MARC train into DC and cab from there to your hotel. Once in the district you won't need a car 99% of the time, can cab it if you want to get to some out of the way place.

pete

I don't think you'll be very happy staying all the way out in Bowie. You will definitely need a rental car even to get to the closest metro station (New Carrolton--15-20 minute ride, more during rush hour), then a 35 minute ride downtown to the Smithsonian. If you're going to stay there, you might as well rent a car at BWI and drive it to Bowie. My advice is to stay either in DC, or if the rates are too high, at a hotel in Northern Virginia along a metro line. It is easier to get to the Mall area from Northern Va (since the Mall is on the south side of the city) than from suburban Maryland. Crystal City has lots of hotels (all the main names) and I know they run a lot of specials, especially on the weekends, since they cater to a business crowd. I saw a weekend rate of $75 for the Holiday Inn. From the Crystal City metro station to the Mall area (Smithsonian station) it's about a 10 minute ride. Other areas to check are out along the orange line (Rosslyn, Clarendon, Ballston), the yellow line (Crystal City, Pentagon City, King Street), the blue line (Springfield). If you do stay in Virginia, you do not need to rent a car. Go to www.mtamaryland.com for the MARC commuter train schedules. The MARC runs on weekdays only and goes from Baltimore to Union Station in DC via BWI. Once at Union Station, you can switch to Metro, or take a cab to your hotel. Also try www.wmata.com, that's the website for the Washington Metro Authority, and will have info on the Metro trains & buses, as well as the new Metrobus link to BWI (which I believe runs on weekends) and goes between the Greenbelt metro station and BWI. Good luck, and skip staying in Bowie.