Hello fellow forumers, I will be in Philadelphia for a few days and my travelling companion is very keen to see Washington DC. It looks only two hours south by train. Has anybody done DC as a day trip from Philly? It's also possible our hotel (Holiday Inn) might offer day trips, but we'd prefer to do under our own steam. Any tips would be very much appreciated! We will be there in mid September.

It's a piece of cake by train. Go to Amtrak.com to view the schedule. The prices vary depending on the time of day ("demand", presumably) and the type of train (the fast Acela being more expensive). Washington's train station is right next to Capitol Hill, at the east end of The Mall. The Lincoln Memorial is waaaay at the other end, a VERY long walk, with all sorts of interesting places (mostly museums) in between. You can very easily fill up a long day without ever leaving the Mall.

Italophile,

Very easy to do as a day trip taking Amtrak. However, there is so much to do/see in DC, it might be worth looking at an overnight stay if your schedule permits. If not, agree with you that it's probably best to make your own way, rather than the hotel day trip.

If you're staying at the Holiday Inn at 4th & Arch, it's a quick cab ride to 3oth St. station. In D.C., you get off at Union Station and connect to the metro. It's very easy to get around.

Have fun!
Ellie

Thanks very much BaltoTraveler and ElleD9! We will have to do a day trip as we've already booked the Holiday Inn (it is the Historical one at 400 Arch). Sounds like we'll have a very full, interesting day

You should plan on arriving in DC by 9 to 10 am. Spend 8 hours or so and tehn have dinner near (or at) Union Station before heading back between 7 and 8pm. Yes, it's a very full day.

Good restaurants close to Union Station:

http://www.johnnyshalfshell.net/

http://dublinerdc.com/

There are also many restauarnts IN Union Station - including a vast food court if you want to bring dinner onto the train (DON'T buy dinner from AMTRAK's cafe car - it's dreadful and overpriced).

Thanks bardo1. We do plan to leave Philly around 0700 and spend the full day (including dinner) in DC. Appreciate the tips re restaurants close to Union Stn!

Amtrak is currently running a special discount for day trips between these two cities, as well as a 25% discount on all fares on this route with 14 day advance (through Sept?). Check out their website: www.amtrak.com

Train is definitely the way to go for this day trip.

Many thanks tmagyari for the tip!