Washington: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Washington is the capital of United States (District of Columbia), 6 m (20 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), 5 km (3 mi) from the centre. It has 4 railway stations on record, including Washington Union Station. Our booking partner lists 1,105+ places to stay.
Key facts
Open Washington in Google Maps
Daylight in Washington runs from about 9 h 29 min a day in late December to 14 h 57 min in late June (computed for 38.9° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Washington is served by 3 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), 5 km (3 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,169 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD, 37 km), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI, 45 km).
Flights to Washington: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Washington Union Station, Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, New Jersey Avenue Station, L'Enfant. Trains to Washington
Buses to Washington · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 1,105+ places to stay in Washington (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 752 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (358), and 34 are five-star. Across 255 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10. Guests have left 260,731 reviews in total.
Hotels in Washington: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| National Museum of Natural History | 6,900,000 | 2015 |
| National Air and Space Museum | 6,900,000 | 2015 |
| George Washington Memorial Parkway | 6,237,361 | 2020 |
| Lincoln Memorial | 6,042,315 | 2010 |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park | 4,888,436 | 2020 |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial | 4,555,371 | 2010 |
| John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | 4,223,131 | 1980 |
| National Museum of American History | 4,100,000 | 2015 |
| District of Columbia Public Library | 3,593,201 | 2017 |
| Smithsonian American Art Museum | 3,150,000 | 2018 |
The busiest is National Museum of Natural History at 6,900,000 visitors in 2015. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Washington
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- New York City, 328 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Brooklyn, 328 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Queens, 338 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Philadelphia, 199 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Manhattan, 336 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- The Bronx, 347 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Baltimore, 57 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Raleigh, 375 km — flights
- Staten Island, 309 km — flights · trains
- Virginia Beach, 245 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Brussels-Capital Region, Bangkok, Dakar, Beijing, Athens, Pretoria, Seoul, Accra, Sunderland, Ankara, Brasília, Addis Ababa, Paris, Rome.
Common questions
Which airport serves Washington?
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), 5 km (3 mi) from the centre, plus 2 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Washington?
About 689,545 people live in Washington, across 177 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Washington in?
America/New_York, currently UTC-4.
What currency is used in Washington?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Washington?
Our booking partner lists 1,105 or more places to stay in Washington, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Washington?
New York City (328 km), Brooklyn (328 km), Queens (338 km), Philadelphia (199 km), Manhattan (336 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.