How to get from DCA to Downtown DC

Updated May 22, 2020–If you’re wondering how to get from DCA to downtown DCA, you’ve landed at the right place. In this article we explain where to catch the DC Metro and how to use the ticket machines.

US Capitol building with white dome set against clear blue sky
Capitol building in Washington DC | UNSTOPPABLE Stacey photo

How to travel from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to downtown Washington DC

For stress-free, convenient transportation around the Washington DC area, we used the Metro to get from Reagan National Airport (DCA) to our hotel near Chinatown in the Penn Quarter. We found the signage at DCA quite good, and simply followed the signs to the centrally located station. Metro system maps and information are readily available at the airport’s metro station. Aptly named “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport” Station, you may access either the Yellow or Blue line there.

Our wheeled luggage pulled easily through DC’s Accessibility-compliant sidewalks and escalators.

How to get from DCA to downtown DC

How to get from the airport to DC, you ask? Take the Metro – it’s cheap, convenient and fast.

Washington DC Metro Pass machine takes cash and credit cards.

Free Washington DC travel tips:

UNSTOPPABLE tip #1: When purchasing multiple fare cards for friends or family with a credit card, select the “B” button, then click the same button one more time for 3 passengers, click again for 4, and so one. Saves time and credit card slides. We paid less than $2 per person for the group fare from Reagan International Airport to Chinatown.

UNSTOPPABLE tip #2: When time’s short, extend your sightseeing day by taking the Monuments by Moonlight tour. I really enjoyed our tour. Washington DC monuments all lit up at night are quite spectacular.

UNSTOPPABLE tip #3: If you’re a Republican, call Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport “Reagan.” My liberal friend corrected me when I said I had flown into Reagan. He said, “I call it National.” So to be politically correct, if you are Democratic, call Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport “National.” If undecided you could always fly into Dulles International Airport (DIA) one hour south of DC, although DIA has no DC Metro service.

This blog, UNSTOPPABLE Stacey Travel, contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, Stacey earns a commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help reduce the costs of keeping this travel blog active. Thanks for reading.

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