Washington DC is served by three
major
airports , two on the
outskirts and one right in the
city center.
Dulles
International Airport , 26
miles west in northern Virginia,
and
Baltimore-Washington
International Airport (BWI),
halfway between DC and Baltimore,
get the majority of the
international traffic.
Ronald
Reagan Washington National Airport
and its major state-of-the-art
terminal, along the Potomac River
just west of the Mall, is mostly
used by domestic flights. Taking a
taxi downtown from BWI or
Dulles costs around $50, but
express
buses run from both airports
to a downtown terminal at 1517 K
St NW, just three blocks north of
the White House. Washington Flyer
Express (tel 1-800/927-4359)
serves Dulles (every 30min; 40min
journey; $16 one-way, $26
round-trip) and the SuperShuttle (tel
1-800/BLUE-VAN) runs from BWI
(every 30min; 1hr journey; $30
one-way). From Dulles, the
cheapest method, though more
time-consuming, is to take the
Washington Flyer Express as far as
West Falls Church Metro station
($8) and the Metro subway system
from there. A SuperShuttle runs
from National (every 30-60min; $13
one-way), though this airport is
on the Metro system, just a short
ride from downtown. Taxis downtown
from National cost around $15.
By train - from
Philadelphia, New York and Boston,
as well as direct from BWI Airport
- you arrive amid the gleaming
malls of bustling Union Station
, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, two
blocks north of the US Capitol and
with its own Metro station.
Greyhound and other buses
stop at a modern station at 1005
First St NE, in a fairly dodgy
part of the city, ten blocks from
downtown; take a cab, especially
at night, at least as far as Union
Station Metro (around $6). Driving
into DC is a sure way to
experience some of the worst
traffic on the east coast - the
main I-95 and I-495 freeways
circuit Washington on the Beltway
, jammed eighteen hours a day.
Once in the city, stop at the DC
Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center
, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300
Pennsylvania Ave NW (Mon-Sat
8am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm; tel
202/328-4748), which can help with
maps, tours, bookings and citywide
information. Look for visitor
information desks at the airports
and Union Station. The White
House Visitor Information Center
, 1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW (daily
7.30am-4pm; tel 202/208-1631),
supplies free maps and handy
guides to museums and attractions;
the most useful is the free Washington
DC Visitors Guide .
The main post office is
across from Union Station on
Massachusetts Avenue and Capitol
Street NE (Mon-Fri 7am-midnight,
Sat & Sun 7am-8pm; tel
202/523-2628; zip code 20002).
