There is a great flight rate for a possible short trip to DC in October that I am thinking about with my D2 over her fall break. The flight is to BWI - how easy/hard/expensive would transportation be to get to the DC area or suburbs (Alexandria or something) for sightseeing? I’m mildly adventurous. 
Easy except for traffic if you rent a car. Or try this:
bwiairport.com/en/travel/ ground-transportation/trans/wmata
Express bus service from BWI to Greenbelt metro station once every 40 minutes. Once you are on metro you are golden.
I’m not sure about the cost…but Alexandria is in VA…and a bit of a trek away.
Yes, metro is golden! Would NOT rent a car! Would be open to staying wherever - I’m just a little familiar with Alexandria. So an express bus from BWI to Greenbelt metro…
and/or
https://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train
Just put in BWI as the starting point, and your target in the DC area as your end point. Transit time is about an hour from BWI to the mall.
What is it you want to do? If it’s sightseeing, and you’re not going to have a car, I think it probably makes more sense to be downtown than in Alexandria.
I don’t know the answer…but do any of the DC hotels have transport from BWI?
From BWI, there’s a free shuttle to the BWI Amtrak station. From that station, you take the train to Washington Union Station. There are two options, either:
- MARC commuter train (about 7 bucks), about 45 min ride
- Amtrak (more expensive)
You buy either ticket from the same counter. The counter agent will ask which one you want. You need to show picture ID. You can easily google the timetables for either train line.
From Washington Union Station, you transfer to the Metro (subway) to get around locally, or take an Uber.
Alternatively you could take an Uber from BWI, but I have no idea what that costs.
To use the Washington Metro you buy a rechargeable fare card. That card can also be used to ride the bus. You can use Google Maps to find out which bus line to get around.
It’s all doable. I just did it myself from BWI to go to DC for the 4th July.
Highly unlikely. BWI is really closer to Baltimore. If you’re not going to have a lot of luggage, I’d either take a MARC train from BWI to Union Station in DC, or take the shuttle bus to Metro as others have mentioned.
You guys are so helpful!
I just bought us tickets - so I guess I have to figure it out…round trip $82!!!
I would go for the MARC train. You catch a shuttle right outside of baggage claim that takes you to the MARC station, which is really close by. The shuttles come by regularly, just like the ones that go to the parking garages. The ride on the MARC train to Union Station in DC is maybe 40 minutes and the trains run regularly. It is a different vibe from Metro, with conductors going through to check your ticket and all.
If you take the bus to Greenbelt Metro, that is 40 minutes right there and then you’re another 30-40 minutes on the green line to the center of DC. Union Station in DC is beautiful and only about 3-4 blocks from the US Capitol.
abasket, keep in mind that Metro is under extensive renovation - you will want to check when the work surges are on various lines when planning your accommodations.
What are “work surges”??? Various lines would be shut down???
Yes - it’s called “Safe Track” and at various times through the year different portions of the Metro have reduced service while safety work is being performed. Metro also stops running earlier now (I think it’s midnight), so after midnight it’s a cab or Uber - this might be only on the weekends, though. This might be helpful when you’re planning where to stay:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/metro-closures/
MARC train does not run as frequently on the weekend, because it’s intended for workday commuters. Google the timetable.
When you shop for a hotel, pick one close to a Metro station.
I had 2 trips to DC in the last 2 months-- both times arriving at BWI. First stay, my hotel was a painful hike from the Metro. 
I didn’t make that mistake again the 2nd trip.
We’ve flown into BWI several times when we were going to visit S2 in DC. We’ve taken the express bus to Greenbelt or the MARC train to Union Station depending on which was arriving sooner after our arrival at BWI. It’s time consuming, but the price is right, and may not be any more time consuming than driving (which we’ve never done).
Just know that for the express bus, you either need a Smarttrip Metro card or exact fare if paying in cash.
If you stay in Alexandria or Bethesda, it will be a fairly long metro ride.
Getting to Amtrak from BWI is very easy.
I would rent a car, stay in Bethesda or Rockville near a Metro station, and leave the car at the hotel and use the Metro whenever you want to go to DC. Just remember to take into account the cost of parking the car at the hotel when you plan your budget. At some hotels, it’s substantial.
Another possibility is to stay in the same area but at a hotel that is not within walking distance of the Metro. Such hotels are likely to be cheaper, and you might even be able to park the car for free. But you would need to take a taxi to get to the Metro on weekdays (because the Metro parking lots may fill completely quite early in the day). On the weekend, you could drive the car to a Metro station that has parking (and parking at the Metro is free on the weekends).
Rationale: You pay the same amount for a rental car no matter how many people ride in it. I believe you have a group of four. It may actually cost less to rent a car than to use some bus/train combination to and from the airport.
Also check out this: http://www.mdta.maryland.gov/ICC/ICC.html It’s a fairly new toll road that would enable you to drive from BWI to the Bethesda/Rockville area without ever going on the formidable Capital Beltway. (You don’t actually pay the toll. It’s charged to your EZPass or, if you don’t have one, you get a bill in the mail.)