Travelling to Bethesda for work. Which airport to choose?
 

Travel to DC for 2 weeks. Client location is in Bethesda. Planning to stay over weekend instead of flying back and forth again. Employer pays for my tickets.I have to buy tickets for Family. Return leg is cheaper from BWI. How difficult is to go from Bethesda/DC area to BMI Airport during the weekends (end of the 2nd week).

Google Maps can help.

David

If you’re renting a car, it’s very easy. If you’re not, it’s a big pain. Booking an airport shuttle or limo service would be the best option. By train, MARC and Amtrak are the two trains connecting BWI with DC’s Union Station—you’d take that and then turn around and get back on the DC metro to Bethesda. You can also take a bus from BWI to Shady Grove metro station, then take the metro south to Bethesda. Both of those options take a long time and involve changes.

Not difficult but it takes a bit of time as you’d take the Red Line to Union station and then Amtrak to BWI. You could do that to pick them up and then rent a car for the weekend at BWI for the weekend if you wanted one and return it when you drop them off (or, if feasible, let them return it so you don’t have to make the trip). Or let them take the train to Union Station if they can manage and you meet them there and then metro to Bethesda.

Hi Travelmad478, David and dlffla,
Thanks for the information. I will be traveling at the beginning of W1 for work. Family will be joining me at the end of W1 for weekend. We are planning to fly to DCA. We most probably stay at the same place (Bethesda) and visit Washington DC during 1st weekend. Looks like we can take Red line to go to main attractions in DC during the weekend. At end of W2, we are planning to be fly out from BWI. I guess, we can switch to hotel close to BWI and spend a day in Baltimore.

One time travel to BWI airport at the end of trip to fly out. It is around $490 per person to fly to DCA and fly out from BWI. If we plan return trip also from DCA, prices are around $575. My ticket is paid by Employer. I have to pay for other tickets for family members. That is the reason we are exploring fly out from BWI option to save on flight expense. We are not sure if it is worth it or big hassle to fly out from BWI to save $100 per ticket (3 people).

Just book a private shuttle for the four of you to get from Bethesda to BWI. It’ll cost around $100 and be dramatically easier and quicker than trying to mess with the trains, which will also cost money (in other words, the shuttle won’t cost vastly more than four people taking the train/bus).

I would also look into how much it would be for a Lyft/Uber. It’s not that far of a drive (as short as just under an hour, depending on traffic).

Thanks for the information. Either way, we have to pay to go to Airport. With BWI, We have saved good amount of money with cheaper ticket price. Employer still not confirmed about hotel options. Ideally, I should be able to book hotel with 2 queen beds. If I need to pay for hotel for family members, is it good idea to travel before July 4th weekend. This way, we all can all fly back and forth together and cover my W1 work. I can fly alone for work during W2. Employer is not responding to hotel request for the weekend. Why bother saving them money and splitting our journey.

it would seem the money saved per ticket departing BWI will offset the cost of an uber or taxi to BWI, not to mention the convenience and time savings over mass transit.

Bethesda to BWI on a weekend should be about 40 minutes.

Is it better to travel before July 4th weekend which comes before my W1 client visit. We are not sure if Client going to accommodate hotel for Family during our stay. We can start early and cover DC during July 4th long weekend and go back to DFW by end of W1.We end up paying for hotel from our pocket during long weekend. If possible, we can switch to client provided hotel during the working days.

traveling over DC on weekend of the 4th will be expensive. DC is popular destination then.

how close is the place you are staying in Bethesda to the metro station?

to get to BWI it’s metro to union station the $7 MARC train to BWI airport station the free bus to airport. It’s about 45 min to take the train/ bus to the airport. The bus is usually there waiting for the MARC arrival.

the week your family is in you could stay a little closer to the city along red line like DuPont circle area

with red line you go to metro center or galleria stations and transfer to other lines to get to the mall in DC and the near by things.

Client is going to book hotel during working days. They are insisting on going back and traveling again for following week. July 4th week is short working week. That is reason thinking about traveling early to DC (1st July) and spend July 4th weekend. There are some Hilton hotels where i can use my points. My family can fly back after July 4th or We can fly back together at the end on Friday. This way, we are only depending on Client provided hotel for 2-3 days.

4th of July is a great time to visit DC - nothing more patriotic than visiting the Archives to view our founding documents, Emancipation Proclamation, a host of other stuff and then watching the fireworks over the mall with all our iconic national buildings as the backdrop is something that can't be beat. All the fabulous Smithsonian Museums are open and free (well, check for Air and Space as it is being renovated) and then the wonderful folk-life festival on the mall (boy, I miss the days watching the Beach Boys play the mall...).

But also for exactly those reasons this is the highest point of the high season and there is no "better" time to visit on either side of the holiday. Suggestion: you might also check with your congress-critters office's about whether or not they are able to arrange any tours (White House, Capitol, house or senate office buildings) while you are here.

Thanks for the information. There are 2-3 homewood/Embassy suites around Chinatown and dc downtown. Which area is better for Hotel. I am going to use points. They are asking around 60k per night.

the motto is close to the main arena ( Capitol one) where NHL/NBA teams play. A metro entry is at the arena on the side the hotel is in so it’s a block away.

from DCA you take yellow line to Chinatown station.

The arena area has survived better with Covid with events going on. Parts of Chinatown/ downtown has been hammered by people working from home after Covid.

i work near McPherson station and many of the restaurants/stores around there closed. Some reopened some transferred ownership. You used to have Starbucks just about everywhere within3 blocks you were standing. Many of those closed with only about 1 in 5 or so surviving.

mixuse neighborhoods survived much better or places where people still go into work like the White House area had better survival.

only last month did my work finally say we are all telework but I still go in some because of what I do,

Thanks for the information. HWS and ES are close to Arena and asking 60-70k points per night. These are the 2 Hilton hotel chains offering free breakfast. is ES better than HWS in this area (Convention center)? Main Hilton hotels (Capital and HGI) doesn't offer free breakfast for all family even for Diamond member.

Thanks