How to Use the Washington DC Metro
This post is a how to use the Metro in Washington, D.C., including tips on SmartTrip Cards, tourist passes as well how to navigate the system. And remember, the Metro can’t get you around the National Mall. Let DC by Foot get you around on one of our pay-what-you-like tours.
- Fares and Travel Passes
- Metro Rail Map
- How to ride the DC Metro
- Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus?
- Things to Do in DC
- Free Tours by Foot
DC METRO PASSES
First, you will need a SmarTrip card to enter and exit the system. A SmarTrip card is required for each rider aged 5 and older (up to two children under age five may travel free with each fare-paying adult).
SmartTrip cards can be ordered online or you may buy a card at the station. They cost $10/each, but they come preloaded with $8 of credit.
SmartTrip cards can only be purchased from SmartTrip card vending machines like the one below.
From our DC Tourism Guide, with budget advice, travel guides, attraction discounts, and information about local Washington DC attractions, including alternative transportation with hop-on-hop-off buses.
Pay-As-You-Go Fares
One way to travel is by paying as you go. There is no set fare for all trips. Fares between stations depends on distance as well as the time of day.
There are two prices for rides, peak and off-peak. Peak hours for DC Metro are from opening till 9:30 am and between 3 pm and 7 pm on weekdays. There are no peak hours on weekends.
Each vending machine will show you what it costs to go to any station in the system.
For trips within the urban core that ends up being about $3/trip during peak rush and about $2/trip during off-peak hours for a full fare trip.
Note: You can only use the same debit/card three times in one day before the machines will stop taking it!
1 Day and 7 Day Passes for Tourists
You can also get 1-day pass for $14.50/person, which may seem like a great deal, but you’ll want to do the math on how much you’ll be traveling. The farther out your hotel or accommodations are, the better off this deal will be.
There are no travel restrictions, which means that you could use this pass anytime and without any additional charges.
For most people, this pass really makes sense if you plan on making more than 2 round trips and/or you are traveling with children under 5.
There are also two types of 7-day passes. One is called a Fast-Trip Pass, which costs $59.25/person and has no time restrictions.
The other is called a Short-Trip Pass, which costs just $36/person, which includes unlimited rides. However, if your ride during peak-time (rush hour) is more than $3.60, then you will have to pay the difference with extra money stored on your card. The Short-Trip Pass is popular if you are planning on spending at least 3 days in the city using the Metro rail or bus.
These passes cannot be bought on their own and can only be added to SmarTrip cards, so you’ll need to purchase one of those first. The passes start at the first use.
DC METRO MAP, LINES AND STATIONS
There are Metro stations throughout the city and some stations have more than one entrance/exit. You can locate them easily by looking for the tall brown post with the large letter M at the top.
The name of the station will be written on the side and the color lines that service that station will be encircled at the top of the post. For example, Dupont Circle is only on the Red Line.
The Metro Lines
- Red: serves the northern part of the city. Main stations are: Union Station, Metro Center, Chinatown and Dupont Circle.
- Blue: runs west-east through the city and then south. Main stations are: Capitol South, Smithsonian, McPherson Square (White House), Arlington National Cemetery, National Airport.
- Silver: runs west-east through the city. You can take this line to get as close to Dulles Airport as you can on public transportation.
- Orange: runs east-west through the city. The orange/silver/blue lines follow the same tracks inside downtown. You will only need to pay attention which train you’re on if you’re leaving the central area of the city.
- Green: runs north-south. Take the Green line to get to Navy-Yard/Nats Park Baseball Stadium. You can also use a bus from Greenbelt to get to BWI Airport.
- Yellow: runs north-south. The yellow line shares a track with Green for most of downtown. Both lines visit L’Enfant Plaza but Yellow continues south to Virginia for Pentagon, National Airport and King Street for Old Town Alexandria.
Washington DC Metro Map (click here to enlarge)
Operating from 5 am – 11 pm on weekdays and 7 am – 11 pm on weekends (8 am on Sunday), the D.C. Metro system is a reliable and safe way to get around the nation’s capital city.
Keep your SmarTrip card handy, even after you tap in at a fare gate. In many cities, you only have to tap into the system, but in DC you also have to tap out of the system. The fare gates have a circular target on top to touch your card. When the gate reads your card, the gate opens.
You’ll repeat the process on the way out, but keep an eye on the gate as you exit where a small digital display on the gate will update the cash remaining on your card.
Depending on the station, you’ll likely have to go to lower level to get to the train platform. If the train tracks are in the center, you’ll want to take the correct escalator to get to your platform. If the platform is in the center, just head down and figure out which side you need to be on when you get downstairs.
Center Platform
vs Center Tracks
When finding the platform you need look for the end-of-line destination. There are signs listing all of the destinations in order, find where you’re heading and then look for the last stop.
For platforms with center tracks, these are usually listed at the top of the escalators so you know which side to be on. For the platforms with center platforms, you’ll find it at the bottom. Both sides which have signage on the tracks as well.
For example, on the Red Line, the end-of-line destinations are Glenmont and Shady Grove. So, if you’re traveling from Metro Center to Dupont Circle you would need to board a Red Line train heading to Shady Grove. Trust us, it’ll make sense once you’re in the system!
Note: Sometimes trains don’t go all the way to the end of the line but instead will say the last stop that it will serve. As long as you’re going in the right direction and your stop is before the last stop, you’ll be fine!
When on the platform, the signs will list the next three-four trains. It will tell you:
LN (Line) – which color line that train serves. This matters if you’re leaving downtown as the lines split as you leave downtown. For example, Arlington National Cemetery is only on the Blue line!
CAR – this tells you how many cars are on that train. If you’re at the end of the platform, a shorter 6 car train might pass you and you’ll have to run back to the center to board. If you keep an eye on the platform floor, there are decals to show you were shorter 6 car trains end so you won’t miss the doors.
DEST (Destination) – the last stop this train will stop at. This can help you make sure you’re going in the right direction, but also make sure you get on the right train if you’re headed to the end of the line – since not all trains go all the way to the end. Some stop short!
MIN (Minute) – how long you have to wait. Sorry in advance, New Yorkers. Don’t expect our trains to run as frequently.When a train is approaching, the red circles along the edge will flash letting you know the train will be arriving soon.
Once you’re on the train, don’t count on being able to hear the train operator announcing stops. Unless you speak garble-ese you probably won’t be able to decipher what’s being announced so keep an eye out for the station you need.
You can see which station you’re at as the train pulls in. Some newer trains will display this information inside the car. There are maps in the middle of every car, there are also maps in every station and graphics listing the stops in the direction you’re traveling.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What are Peak and Off-Peak hours?
A. Peak and Off-peak are essentially rush hour and non-rush hour for the purposes of commuting. Weekday Peak hours are opening (5 am) through 9:30 am and 3-7pm. Weekend Peak hours are midnight to close (3 am).
Q. What are the differences in metro fares between Peak and Off-peak?
A. Peak fares are between $2.25 minimum and $5.75 maximum, depending on the distance you are traveling on Metro. Off-peak fares are between $2 minimum and $3.50 maximum. (rates accurate as of 2016. Check the wmata site for up to date rates)
Q. Does this apply to buses as well?
A. Yes, using a Smartrip instead of cash will save you 20 cents per ride. Unlike Metro, all non-express bus fares are the same no matter how far you are traveling.
Q. Do I have to purchase a Smartrip for every member of my party?
A. Any paying customer may travel with up to 2 children under 5 years old for free. Otherwise, everyone in your party must have their own farecard or Smartrip. More than one person cannot use the same Smartrip at the same time.
Q. I am staying outside the city and have parked at a Metro parking lot before taking the Metro into the city; can I use Smartrip to pay for parking?
A. If you are staying at a Metro parking lot, you may use your Smartrip to pay for your parking, exactly as you would if you were riding the Metro.
Q. How do I calculate how much my trip will cost?
A. If you know where you are going, go to Metro’s Trip Planner and input the details.
Q. Can I get to the airport on Metro?
A. Yes! All three local airports are somehow accessible by Metro (though you may also need to use a shuttle or bus to finish the journey). Use our blog posts below to learn more.
The Metro is a great way to get around the city, but as visitors it may not get you everywhere you need to go. For example, in the entire 5 square miles of the National Mall there is only one Metro Station and there is no station on the Tidal Basin. Hop on Hop Off buses can come in handy in this case.
There are many companies and ticketing options, read our post on choosing the best one for you. They all have stops at main sites around the city such as Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and the US Capitol Building – four sites that are at least a 15 minute if not more walk from a Metro station.
And don’t forget our walking tours! All tours start and end within walking distance of a station and our guides can make sure you know the best way to get to and from any place you want to see in the most direct route.
Use the DC Metro as a Local
Some tips to make it seem like this is old hat to you:
- For the love of all that is holy, don’t stand on the left side of the escalator! Washingtonians are busy people, and even when they’re not important they like to act like they are important…and there’s no better way to act important than by rushing up and down escalators. If you’re standing on the left be ready to feel the wrath!
- If you have wheels, use the elevator. All stations have elevators, but that’s not an excuse to be lazy (I mean all you gotta do is stand on the RIGHT of the escalator!). If you have a stroller or a bike you should be using the elevators. You may not want to wait for the elevator, but trust me, you don’t want to have to balance a stroller up an escalator at a steep grade. The last thing this world needs is a news story about a runaway baby stroller on the Metro.
- Give up the seat! If you see a pregnant lady standing…give her your seat. If you see a dude leaning on crutches…give him your seat. If you see an octogenarian struggling against the forces of inertia and gravity…give up the seat!
- On the weekends transferring isn’t always the best option. Weekends are for track work, and that means delays. So instead of transferring see if there’s a stop on the line you’re already traveling within striking distance of your destination. For example, I always tell people traveling on the Red Line to skip the transfer over to Blue/Orange/Silver lines if they’re headed for the National Mall. Sure, the Smithsonian Metro stop is smack in the middle of the Mall, but by the time you make the transfer, wait for a train and then get back up to the surface you could have already walked down from Metro Center. And that’s precious vacation time you can actually use to SEE stuff, rather than being bottled up in a subterranean vault.
- No more late night weekend service as of June. Metro’s trying to get the word out on this, but we’ll say it again here: no trains past midnight on the weekends. It’s a bummer for nightlife, but you still have a bunch of options for getting home!
- Load before you go. If you’re in town for a busy event, like the Fourth of July, a sporting event or an inauguration, go ahead and load up the SmarTrip card with value for the return trip as well. It’ll save you from waiting in a massive line after the event.
If you’re worried about being stranded thanks to a Metro breakdown, don’t fret. Trains are only one piece of the complex transit nexus of the District. Buses serve even more territory than trains and they are cheap, clean (mainly) and frequent. Most are operated by Metro, but the Circulator routes are operated by the DC Department of Transportation. With that said, your SmarTrip card works on all buses. Of course, you can always opt for ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft or their low-tech cousin: cabs.
- Be sure to also check out our article on UBER and our article on using the Circulator Tourist Bus ($1 per ride), which also doubles as a self-guided DC bus tour.
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