Analise

Let me first say I haven't been to DC since the mid 90s so it's been a while! There was no DC Circulator back then. As I look at that bus service, I'm impressed especially as I was used to walking 25 minutes between Foggy Bottom and Georgetown.

We have one free day and night to ourselves this fall on a Friday as we'll be going down to DC for a wedding and we'll be staying in Crystal City. We want to go to the National Gallery and Air & Space for the first part of the day. In the afternoon, we'll want to see the memorials (Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam War). The DC Circulator looks incredibly convenient. Then at night, we'll either go to Georgetown or Dupont Circle for dinner.

I believe the DC Circulator buses have a $3 one-day unlimited trips on a SmarTrip card on all its routes. Where do we buy the SmarTrip card when we arrive in DC? If we want to do pay-per-ride on the Metro, do we need a separate card? Is there a fee for the card alone?

If we transfer from the DC Circulator to the Blue Line/Yellow Line back to Crystal City, do we still pay the full Metro fare (peak/off peak)? Or is there a discount on the Metro?

Thanks for your help.

ambyr

You can find out where to obtain a SmarTrip card here: https://www.wmata.com/fares/stores.cfm. They can also be ordered online. The card itself costs $2, with a certain amount of starting value on top of that. You must have a SmarTrip card to ride Metrorail; paper fare cards were discontinued more than a year ago. But yes, the same card works for both Metro and the Circulator. There's a 50 cent discount when you transfer Circulator to Metrorail or vise versa within two hours.

Analise

So even if we weren't taking the Circulator, we'd each still have to buy the SmarTrip card for $2?

edcaya

In order to use the Circulator passes, each rider will need their own SmarTrip card. If you choose not to hang on to it as a souvenir, kindly consider donating it to local charity .

ambyr

If you want to use Metrorail, yes.

jerryc436

I will be visiting DC for the first time in October. Will be staying in Annapolis for 2 nights and Arlington for 2 nights and looking for suggestions for transportation into DC and getting around to museums, monuments and capitol building from these locations. Any advice would be appreciated since I do not want to drive into DC. Also is there a hop on hop off bus tour available once I get into town?

Often1

There is commuter bus service from Annapolis to downtown DC. Check schedules for off-peak hours.

Arlington, depending on where you are staying, is on the Metro system, so easy rail, bus, Circulator. Definitely check the convenience of the closest Metro stop to your specific location.

Remember that Metro is SmartTrip based. It costs $2 per card (each passenger requires own card) and comes loaded with somewhere from $8+. Also, consider day pass and even week pass depending on how much use. You can order these in advance so that there is no waiting around or running to a store to purchase when you arrive.

Analise

So the cheapest SmartTrip card to buy at a Metro station (our 1st entry to the Metro will be from the Crystal City metro station) is $10 ($2 plus the $8 mentioned above)? Do you buy them from a ticket machine like the NYC metro card?

We might be taking the Metro 3 times that day and won't be back to DC after that.

jerryc436

Thanks for the reply. I am planning either 2 or 3 days in DC but have not decided what I am going to try and see yet. Not sure how much I will be using card on each day but may be smart to get day pass for a few days. I know I want to see the Smithsonian, the monuments, capitol building and white house. Would appreciate any other must see sites suggestions from anyone familiar with DC.

blockski

Yes, you can buy them from the ticket vending machines at the stations. You can also order them online and have them mailed to you in advance if you wish.

Metro fares vary based on the time of day (they charge more for rush hour) and based on the distance traveled.

During peak hours, the minimum fare is $2.25. Off-peak, the minimum fare is $2.00. So, the $8 on the card is good to cover about three trips.

For the DC Circulator - the easiest way to travel is simply by using your SmarTrip card. The fare is $1 per ride, but you get a free transfer within 2 hours (so if you ride the Circulator to a memorial, and get back on within 2 hours of the first tap-in, your ride is free) and they are automatically deducted by tapping your SmarTrip card.

The Circulator's National Mall route is a nice way to get around between monuments and museums - it helps cover a lot of ground and connects near to several metro stations:

http://www.dccirculator.com/circulat...rmation-guide/

Analise

Thanks. It's just easy to buy at the machine there. May I assume they take AMEX or Visa?

This is really challenging to plan. I didn't realize that Crystal City to Archives is more than Crystal City to L'Enfant Plaza. I didn't realize that there is yet another amount between Dupont Circle and Crystal City. If the DC metro wanted the distance fare model, why not copy London's model and do it by fare zone with the touristed central area in the same fare zone? Since we're not sure what our plans are, it's hard to figure out what to put on the SmarTrip card in advance of the day with fares varying as much as they do.

If we want to use the Circulator and we need to top up the SmarTrip card, can we do so on the Circulator bus? We can pay cash to top off!

Thanks. I read that but wasn't sure if that applied to the same Circular bus line.

Thanks.

blockski

Yep.

The system is focused on commuters that do the same commute regularly; or ones that have a balance on their cards and aren't worried about the loose change.

Do you know what day you'll be using Metro? If it's a weekend, you'll pay the off-peak rates, which are much simpler and cheaper.

Even during peak periods, most of the shorter trips will still just be the minimum fare.

Crystal City to L'Enfant Plaza is the minimum: $2.25 peak, $2.00 off peak.
Crystal City to Dupont is a bit more: $2.85 peak, $2.45 off peak.

https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/st...-city.cfm?y=45

Best advice is to start with $8-10 bucks on the cards and re-load as you need to, depending on how many trips you take.

Note: you can go into a negative balance on your card for one trip. So, if you had $2.25 on your card and take that Crystal City to Dupont Circle trip, the card will go into the red; you just need to add value before entering the system again.

With that in mind, you don't need to be precise in calculating how many trips you'll take in advance, and how much they'll cost.

You can, but I would recommend topping off fare cards at rail stations, not on the bus. Doing it on the bus requires cash, and you have to do it via the farebox and that stops the entire bus.

Analise

Yup, Friday.

Ok. Thanks.

Interesting, good to know. I noticed that, like London, riders have to tap out at the exit turnstiles. Does that mean we could tap out if there were a negative balance?

That I recognize. Given how many tourists come to DC (we're just here for a wedding), the system makes travel without an advanced agenda for the day difficult to budget. $14.75 unlimited Metro rail travel (not including Circulator rides) plus the $2 for the card is not an option for us.


Does that farebox accept dollar bills or just coins?

If we have the bills in our hands (as opposed to fumbling in our pockets for change), I would think it would be quick.

Thanks so much.

mhnadel

There are several companies running hop-on hop-off bus tours around DC. Big Bus Tours has three routes. Old Town Trolley Tours appears to have fewer stops, but it might just be the way their map is laid out. You probably want to buy tickets on-line in advance to save money.

These all look quite pricy for what you get, in my opinion, but I tend to like doing my sightseeing on foot in most cities.

mhnadel

Yes, they accept bills. If you have a supply of singles that could be faster for you.