Metro for Tourists

Are you visiting DC and trying to figure out how to ride the metro?  This blog special feature provides a step-by-step tourist guide to riding the Washington, DC metro.

Quick and Dirty Metro Etiquette for Tourists

 Only have five minutes?  Click here for the basic tips.




Part 1: Where are we?

This post tackles the first step, otherwise known as "where the heck are we??"  There are three main ways a newcomer finds a metro station: look it up on a map, ask someone (friend, concierge, the homeless man who you actually gave money to), or walk around until you see one of the Metro signs.

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Part 2: Using the system map

Now that we know our starting and ending stations,  let's look at how to get from one to the next.  This post talks about navigating the metro system map, and no, those big double circles are not carousels.

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Part 3: Financing the journey with passes and farecards

How much does your trip cost?  Can you pay with a credit card?  How do day passes work?  Can you just throw your kids over the fare gate?  If these questions keep you up at night (or one of them has crossed your mind), this post does its best to answer those thoughts.





Part 4: Financing the journey with SmarTrip

When do you need to pay for parking?  When can you buy a regular fare card and when do you need one of those special plastic ones?