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Washington DC city center parking for less than $40/nt? Park at Metro station?

mikeerdas

By mikeerdas,
in East Coast Departures

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mikeerdas

mikeerdas

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This is a bit off topic because there's no cruise port in DC; but I didn't know where else to post. I got a great deal on a hotel room in downtown DC that I bid for. Problem is that the only parking offered is $40/night Valet parking. This is for the Westin DC City Center @ 1400 M Street NW.

 

What are my other options? Can I find $20/night parking in any garages nearby? I'm staying over the weekend (checking in Fri ~5pm and checking out on Sunday)--heard there is free parking on the weekends at some Metro stations; and there's a Metro station 2 blocks from the hotel. Would this be a viable option? Which Metro stations have large parking lots and allow overnight parking on weekends?

 

Thanks.

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mikeerdas

mikeerdas

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Don't know if this helps, but I'm driving from North Carolina up to DC, so my approach is from the south.

 

What about parking at a place like National airport in DC, then taking the Metro into downtown? Don't know how much parking is at National, but it's only $6 a day at RDU.

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Bowie MeMe

Bowie MeMe

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Yeah RDU has $6 parking but here it is more. Downtown DC is really expensive for parking but not as much as NYC. One thing you might try is the New Carrollton Amtrack garage run by Prince George's County MD. I believe it is $8 and it is garage type parking. You can jump on the Metro right next to Amtrack and ride to DC in less than 20 mins. We have done this before and it is really easy and safe. New Carrolton, MD is the end of the orange line. There might be better options but this one would work and should be under about $10 per day. Welcome to DC area and say hi to my kids in Raleigh.

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mikeerdas

mikeerdas

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Yeah RDU has $6 parking but here it is more. Downtown DC is really expensive for parking but not as much as NYC. One thing you might try is the New Carrollton Amtrack garage run by Prince George's County MD. I believe it is $8 and it is garage type parking. You can jump on the Metro right next to Amtrack and ride to DC in less than 20 mins. We have done this before and it is really easy and safe. New Carrolton, MD is the end of the orange line. There might be better options but this one would work and should be under about $10 per day. Welcome to DC area and say hi to my kids in Raleigh.

 

Hey, thanks Bowie! My other alternatives seemed to be $12/day in the Economy lot at Reagan National, a $20 Marc Parc lot near the old convention center, or the Franconia-Springfield Metro station off I-95; but according to the Metro's web site, there are only "15-17" spaces reserved for Multiday parking at each of the 3 Metro stations that allow it.

 

So would the Metro ride to 1400 M Street / Downtown from the Amtrak garage be quicker than the Metro ride from Reagan National?

 

Thanks again for the help.

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Bowie MeMe

Bowie MeMe

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The parking lot at New Carrollton in NOT metro parking. It is run by Prince George's County for the Amtrack station. Sort of a little known secret. Not sure if it fills up weekdays but I have used it weekends with no problem. The Amtrack and Metro share a "site" with 2 buildings. Facing the buildings you want the right hand side and the driveway into the parking garage is the furthest right -- go all the way past metro entrances and outdoor parking lots. You pay for the parking with cash or credit card. Metro lots you have to pay with a smartcard Metro card.

You would leave the parking garage and follow the sidewalk to the left hand side where you would buy your metro card and ride the orange line train to the nearest stop to your hotel. Good Luck. (To make you feel better the parking fee at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square was $55 with NO in/out) We stayed at the Mayflower Hotel for our wedding anniversary and we parked at the parking garage and rode Metro. That is how I know this will work.

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mikeerdas

mikeerdas

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Thanks again Bowie! If you mean the Renaissance Mayflower, that looks fairly close to the Westin we're staying at. Looking forward to a great anniversary in DC.

 

The parking lot at New Carrollton in NOT metro parking. It is run by Prince George's County for the Amtrack station. Sort of a little known secret. Not sure if it fills up weekdays but I have used it weekends with no problem. The Amtrack and Metro share a "site" with 2 buildings. Facing the buildings you want the right hand side and the driveway into the parking garage is the furthest right -- go all the way past metro entrances and outdoor parking lots. You pay for the parking with cash or credit card. Metro lots you have to pay with a smartcard Metro card.

You would leave the parking garage and follow the sidewalk to the left hand side where you would buy your metro card and ride the orange line train to the nearest stop to your hotel. Good Luck. (To make you feel better the parking fee at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square was $55 with NO in/out) We stayed at the Mayflower Hotel for our wedding anniversary and we parked at the parking garage and rode Metro. That is how I know this will work.

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ArthurIhde

ArthurIhde

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Don't know if this helps, but I'm driving from North Carolina up to DC, so my approach is from the south.

 

What about parking at a place like National airport in DC, then taking the Metro into downtown? Don't know how much parking is at National, but it's only $6 a day at RDU.

yes,that's a great idea!

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  • 2 weeks later...
mikeerdas

mikeerdas

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This time around, I decided to park at DCA for $12/night in the Economy Lot. Took the free shuttle to the airport / metro and then got a free shuttle to my hotel.

 

This worked well except that I was shocked to find the Metro, in a major city like DC, was closed on Sunday morning! I was ready to hop a train from Downtown DC to DCA at 6am, but the Metro station didn't open until 7am; then it took about 18 minutes to catch the first train to DCA.

 

Now that I know better, I can plan for it. Just took me by surprise. Didn't expect it to be open 24 hours/day, but I thought the Metro opened at 5:30am. Would expect fewer trains, but not locked Metro stations at 6am.

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  • 2 months later...
alert

alert

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Hi, I am from Canada. I want to take a 1 day side trip to Washington DC on Monday Dec 27 after I disembark from my cruise ship at Port of Baltimore.

Since X'mas falls on the Saturday, is Monday Dec 27 still a holiday to make up the X'mas day being on a Saturday?

Is my best option to drive to the Greenbelt station and park my car there. Will the parking lot be full?

I am interested in touring around the Mall area, what station do I get off at after getting on at Greenbelt station?

We are a family of 2 adults and 2 boys ages 17 and 15 years old, is there some kind of pass that is more economical for us to ride the Metro if we only have 1 day to tour the DC area?

Thanks

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read52

read52

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Hi, I am from Canada. I want to take a 1 day side trip to WashingtonDC on Monday Dec 27 after I disembark from my cruise ship at Port of Baltimore.

 

Since X'mas falls on the Saturday, is Monday Dec 27 still a holiday to make up the X'mas day being on a Saturday?

 

Is my best option to drive to the Greenbelt station and park my car there. Will the parking lot be full?

 

I am interested in touring around the Mall area, what station do I get off at after getting on at Greenbelt station?

 

We are a family of 2 adults and 2 boys ages 17 and 15 years old, is there some kind of pass that is more economical for us to ride the Metro if we only have 1 day to tour the DC area?

 

Thanks

 

I live in Silver Spring, MD which is on the border of DC. If you are just going down to the Mall area (museums and monuments), you can just get a regular ticket. From Silver Spring to DC round trip it is about $5 round trip per person. It is probably about the same from Greenbelt. Everything in the Mall area is walkable but they also have a tram that goes around picking people up and dropping people off. It is expensive like $20 a person. If you come back to this site I can tell you what the weather is like. Because Christmas is on Saturday, I am sure some people will be off and some will have to work. All schools will be off so some parents will stay home too.

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DrJJ

DrJJ

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You might consider driving to the Marc BWI Rail Station near BWI Airport and taking the MARC Penn Line to Union Station in D.C.

Schedule:

http://mta.maryland.gov/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/penn.cfm

 

Parking:

http://mta.maryland.gov/services/marc/serviceInformation/ParkingSheet2007.cfm

 

Fare is $6.00 per person.

 

 

From there you can easily walk to the Supreme Court or to Congress, or take the the Washington Subway to Metro Center or Archives to the Mall.

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read52

read52

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You might consider driving to the Marc BWI Rail Station near BWI Airport and taking the MARC Penn Line to Union Station in D.C.

Schedule:

http://mta.maryland.gov/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/penn.cfm

 

Parking:

http://mta.maryland.gov/services/marc/serviceInformation/ParkingSheet2007.cfm

 

Fare is $6.00 per person.

 

 

From there you can easily walk to the Supreme Court or to Congress, or take the the Washington Subway to Metro Center or Archives to the Mall.

 

If you take the Marc Train to Union Station, you are on one side of the Mall area. You are right next to the capitol and just a short walk to the museums. Union Station and the Smithsonion are only one station apart.

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  • 2 weeks later...
ignorance

ignorance

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heard there is free parking on the weekends at some Metro stations; and there's a Metro station 2 blocks from the hotel. Would this be a viable option? Which Metro stations have large parking lots and allow overnight parking on weekends?

Not all Metro stations have parking. Only those with a car beside the station name on this map have parking. None of the downtown stations have parking, so that wouldn't be an option.

 

http://wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

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