Hi,

What are the tradeoffs of the 3 different airports in the D.C. area? Convenience for transportation and lodging.

1) Dulles (IAD)
2) Balitmore (BWI)
3) Ronald Reagan (DCA)

Are they all close to the Metro lines to go into the city? We're trying to use our airline miles, and could get tix to fly into IAD and out of DCA. Any drawbacks in that route or we should try to fly in and out at the same airport?

We might need to rent a car to go out of the city, so it's not another factor to consider. Whether to rent it from the same airport and drop it off at the same place? Or rent it within the city?

Thanks for any suggestions!

You should check car rentals, because often there is no drop-off charge among airports in the same city (for ex., picking up at DCA and dropping off at Dulles).

BWI is an hour from DC and Dulles is probably 40 minutes with no traffic (a $70-ish cab ride). So, DC is the only place I fly where I would CHOOSE to change planes (from the West Coast) in order to fly into DCA, which is on the metro.

What do you mean about lodging? Are you planning to stay at the airport for some reason?

Thanks, sf, for your response. There's an option of flying out of IAD early a.m., so we'd prefer to stay close to the airport for that night.

So, there's no way to take the metro from Dulles or BWI into the city?

You can take MetroBUS to Metrorail from either BWI or IAD. You have to decide the cost v. convenience issues. I never found taking Metrobus from BWI or IAD and then Metrorail a big deal but others do.

You can take Metrorail directly to DC from DCA; there is a station right outside the doors of the airport.

You can check the websites for the airports for the other transporation options and cab fare estimates.

www.metwashairports.com is for IAD and DCA. You can google for BWI's website.

The most convenient airport for the city itself is Reagan National: it is geographically the closest (IAD is 26 miles out; BWI even further).

It is connected DIRECTLY to the local Metro; for Dulles you have to take a shuttle bus to the nearest Metro station..it may not be a big deal but it does take longer and it requires at least one change.

Now, realistically, none of this matters if

you pick a hotel which isn't close to a Metro stop

you end renting a car and driving into the city (although it will be a shorter drive from National than the other two)

A LOT, IMO, depends on where you end up spending the night(s)
IF you were to stay in an airport hotel in nearby Crystal City or even in places like Rosslyn you could still use the Metro; to get to some other sites such as Mount Vernon a car might be more convenient.

If you can get ff tickets into DCA and out of IAD, why not budget for a taxi to IAD for your early departure? You could stay in a hotel close to Metro and get around via subway for everything.

Or rent a car for a daytrip on your last day-- pick up in the city, pay to park overnight at your hotel, and drop off at Dulles as you leave. You probably do not want a car for the entire stay as it would be an expensive exercise in frustration to use it to get around and park in the city.

Another thought, re staying near Dulles for the night before departure. I'd find it more trouble to move hotels for one night than to get up extra early on departure day and spend 30 minutes in a taxi (or an hour to drive out there and return a rental car).

Agree regarding not staying near Dulles on the last night. You'll be going against rush hour traffic heading to Dulles (and once they hit the Dulles Access Road, no traffic anyway) so it shouldn't take long.

Thanks, all, for the great info! Many of you sound like you know the area really well as locals, so may I ask:

Is the Cherry Blossom Festival a really must-see? What are some of your favorite activities from the festival? The night walk sounds interesting, and the paddle too. Anything not to miss?

Thanks!

A 6 a.m. walk around the tidal basin with the light ever-changing as the sun comes up (we do this every two or three years).

Street festival with all things Japanese: dancing, drummers, food demos etc. http://sakuramatsuri.org/