Metro

Metro is run by WMATA and has six lines, named by color: Red, Orange, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Silver. The system is a near-perfect 'X' — most lines converge on Metro Center (downtown) and L'Enfant Plaza (south of the Mall), which are the two big transfer hubs.

The Silver Line opened in 2014 and now runs all the way to Dulles International Airport (IAD) — no shuttle needed.

All fares are paid with a SmarTrip card — a reloadable tap card. You can:

• Buy a physical card at any station vending machine ($2 + load), or • Add a SmarTrip card to Apple Wallet / Google Pay (free, takes 30 seconds), then tap your phone or watch to enter and exit.

Fares are distance-based with a small peak-hour surcharge (rush hour = roughly 7–10am and 4–7pm weekdays). You must tap in AND tap out — if you don't tap out, you'll be charged the maximum fare.

Visiting for the day? A 1-Day Unlimited Pass (around $13) is the easiest option for sightseeing.

Reagan National (DCA): Yellow or Blue line to 'Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport' station. The platform connects to terminals 1 and 2 by walkway. ~20 min from downtown.

Dulles (IAD): Silver line all the way west. ~50 min from downtown — slow but stress-free.

BWI (Baltimore): No Metro. Take MARC train (cheap) or Amtrak from Union Station.

• Smithsonian or L'Enfant Plaza → National Mall museums • Capitol South or Union Station → U.S. Capitol • Foggy Bottom → White House area, Kennedy Center, walking gateway to Georgetown • Dupont Circle → Embassy Row, bookshops, brunch • U Street/Cardozo → U Street, 14th Street, Black Broadway • Gallery Place / Chinatown → Capital One Arena, Penn Quarter • Navy Yard–Ballpark → Nationals Park, Audi Field, The Yards • Eastern Market → Capitol Hill rowhouses + the public market

• Stand right, walk left on escalators. This is taken VERY seriously. • Georgetown has no Metro stop. Walk from Foggy Bottom (15 min) or take the DC Circulator Georgetown–Union Station bus ($1). • Last train is around midnight Sun–Thu, 1am Fri/Sat. Always check the WMATA app. • No food or drink on trains or in stations — fines are real. • The free Metro app shows real-time train arrivals; Citymapper is even better for trip planning.