Where Do I Ditch the Car? - Long Term Parking for Tourists in DC
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 10:14AM Because DC Like a Local is repeatedly asked about long term parking in DC, we are now going to tackle that exciting subject. The bottom line is that there ain’t much of it.
If you are flying here there is no need for a rental car upon your arrival. If you plan on visiting some sites outside DC (e.g. Mount Vernon, Udvar-Hazy Air & Space, etc.), where a car is advisable to get there, you might want to rent a car only for that day.
If you drive here, of course—and, if you have not taken our expert advice not to rent a car—you will face the daunting task of looking for a place to put the damn machine once you arrive. You can always put it in parking at your hotel, but you will probably pay upwards of $25 a day for the privilege. We presume that you are reading this piece because you don’t want to do that.
Almost all parking garages open to the public close at night and require you to remove your car by a specific time. Almost all parking garages in and around The Mall are run by PMI or Colonial Parking. Insofar as we know, you cannot park in any of their garages overnight except for the one that is discussed below near the Mayflower Hotel.
Do not even think about parking on the street. Look, even living here, driving into DC during the work week generally involves a prolonged search for a space, lots of bad language, parking a long way from where you want to be, and paying for the privilege. All street parking near the monuments involves metered or ticket machine parking with time limits—usually 2-4 hours. As a tourist, moreover, don’t get involved in looking for street parking. It could result in your car being towed. DC’s street signs are infamous for not being clear and giving you an unpleasant surprise after 4:00pm duirng rush hour when you go looking for your car and it isn’t there. Your car probably will not have been stolen, but you will pay a hefty fine—not to mention having to go to the appropriate lot and pay the towing charge (no fun). Streets in neighborhoods have restrictions giving preference to people who live in those neighborhoods unless you are in areas well outside the normal tourist areas—in some of which I would not recommend leaving your car overnight (not to mention difficulties in getting back and forth when you would have to negotiate an unfamiliar bus system; forget it!).
No lots discussed below have in and out privileges. If you use the car during the day--even briefly--you pay again.
The first and most obvious suggestion for long term parking is the garage at Union Station. Union Station is the train station and is on the red line. You could drop the rest of the members in your party off at the hotel, drive over to Union Station and park. Then take Metro to your hotel. It may not be convenient, but compared to hotel prices, the Union Station garage may be a bargain. It’s $19.00 a day. Union Station has parking spaces for 2000 cars. Park on the upper levels for long term parking; just follow the signs once you get into the garage. The entrance to the garage for cars is on H St., NE. This is the opposite side of the station from where passengers are dropped off. You will want to go down East Capitol Street and make a right turn on H Street, NE. Look at a map before you go. It’s easier than it sounds.
One PMI Parking garage is open 24 hours; your vehicle cannot be taller than 6 ft. 6 in.. The address for the garage is 1724 DeSales St., NW. Desales is off Connecticut Avenue, NW, near the Mayflower Hotel (Metro: Farragut West, red line). This site was furnished to me by CockleCove, a frequent poster on tripadvisor.com, who I thank for the lead. I did call the lot and the person who answered the phone stated that, to her knowledge, the Desales lot is the only PMI lot open 24/7 in DC. Daily rate is a maximum $20.
Another option is to park at Reagan National Airport. Reagan Airport is just outside DC in Arlington, VA, and Metro stops right at the airport. You will want to use the economy lot, where parking is $12 per day. Before you go to the airport, you may want to check parking availability. You would need to take the shuttle from the parking to the airport and then get on the Metro to go to your hotel.
DC Like a Local did check a site Airport Reservations.com to see what they offered for Reagan National, but they were almost the same price as economy parking in the Airport lot and only had a shuttle to the airport every 30 minutes. You could keep that website in mind if the economy lot at Reagan is full.
Dulles and BWI also have long term parking options, but we will assume, since they are 26 and 35 miles outside DC, they would not be where you would want to leave your car to save money. Getting into DC from all the airports has been discussed in separate pieces on Reagan, Dulles and Thurgood Marshall
Another alternative, if you are staying out in the suburbs (not that we recommend that) is to check the availability of overnight parking in Metro lots—or lots adjacent to Metro. At West Falls Church on the orange line, for example, you cannot park overnight in Metro parking. However, there is a privately run auxiliary lot that costs $4.50 a day—a lot that is well patronized by the author of this piece when she handles overnight student tours during the spring. Note: The lot is not policed at night. You just tell the parking attendant how many days you will be there when you enter and pay up front. You could inquire about Metro parking at your hotel if you are staying outside of DC.
Metro lots do not all charge the same fee for daily parking. However, the fee is generally in the range of $4.50-$5.00. To pay, you will need a SmarTrip card. These can be purchased in the Metro stations. Once you purchase the card, you can add money to it with a credit card and use it for your Metro fares as well as your daily parking. All Metro parking fills early in the morning, so, if you want to play local and commute in by Metro, get a move on early.
The lesson in all of this, for most tourists, is either to leave your car at home or pay the piper at your hotel. The money saved by parking at the airport, the Union Station, the PMI garage or the remote Metro lots is probably not going to be worth the inconvenience unless you are staying in the area adjacent to the parking.
Reader Comments (2)
Well, since I live here, I agree that tourists shouldn't bring cars, just because we don't need another idiot on the road.
First, if you are visiting DC and you are driving, figure out where you are going before you drive. Don't stop or slow down in traffic circles or follow the speed limit. Lights are timed usually for driving 40-45 mph and we have idiots driving 25-30mph causing issues. Traffic laws are rarely enforced in DC unless you do something stupid. Also, don't block the box, if you can't make it through the intersection, don't attempt to. If you block the box, you deserve the fine and points!
Second, there is plenty of free parking in the burbs (i.e. the neighborhoods in dc), usually not so much close to the metro, so you will need to walk, catch a bikeshare, or taxi. But it's fun, don't come to DC if you don't like to walk. You can go to the police station and get a visitors permit, so you don't have to follow the 2 hour parking. Also, do not park in rush hour zone. On busy streets, you will get towed. However, they relocate your car, so you have to go walk around the city and try to find it, like a game. There is no tow fee, but you will get a fine for your parking violation. So just look, if the street is busy, then it's a rush hour street most likely. Look for the red sign. It's usually safe to park on 1 lane each way streets with townhouses.
Also, a good hint, look at the street sign, in the bottom right corner, you will see NW, if you see anything else, like NE SE SW. Well you're in an area that you will most likely get shot.
Good luck! Come to my city and spend some money!!
Hey now! Lot's of great things in SE, NE, and SW DC! Like, for example, my home, the neighborhood I live in, and the school my children attend. I'm not going to deny that crime, especially violent crime, is localized in a few areas of the city, but to just rule out over half of the city is short-sighted.