Typically known as “Dulles”, Washington Dulles International Airport has no current Metrorail station, though a track which will service the airport is under construction. The airport is 24 miles west of DC, so ground transportation to Dulles can be somewhat time consuming and pricey. Options include:
- The 5A Metrobus from L’Enfant Plaza Station (Blue, Green, Orange, and Yellow Metrorail lines) or Rosslyn Station (Blue and Orange Metrorail lines) for $6.00
- The Washington Flyer coach bus from West Falls Church Station (Orange Metrorail line) for $10, or $18 round trip
- The SuperShuttle, which provides a door-to-door shared ride, for approximately $30 for one person, and $10 for each additional passenger
- Taxi, for approximately $50 to $70 depending on traffic and exact pickup or drop-off location
The 5A Metrobus
My experience with the 5A Metrobus has been good. It is a reliable way to get to the airport, but since it runs on an hourly schedule, and can take 40 minutes to an hour to get from L’Enfant Plaza or Rosslyn to the airport, some flexibility needs to be built into your schedule. Also, while the 5A has some luggage space, but is not great for lots of gear. If you aren’t traveling light, this may not be your best option.
The buses don’t tend to wait around, so make sure you’re a little bit early if you’re headed to IAD. You have less control on the way back, since you’re limited by your flight, so if you get unlucky, you may find yourself waiting the better part of an hour for the 5A to get to IAD. Look for the 5a at location 2E in the ground transportation area. The timetable is here.
Hours:
- Weekdays: 5:50 a.m. – 11:40 p.m. (IAD to L’Enfant Plaza), 4:50 a.m. – 10:28 p.m. (L’Enfant Plaza to IAD)
- Weekends: 6:32 a.m. – 11:40 p.m. (IAD to L’Enfant Plaza), 5:30 a.m. – 10:25 p.m. (L’Enfant Plaza to IAD)
The Washington Flyer
The Washington Flyer is a coach bus service which picks up from the West Falls Church metro station, at the end of the Orange line. As a coach bus, it can be a more luggage friendly mode of transportation than the 5A, however this can be a wash if you take the metro to get to or from the flyer, as lugging bags around on the metro can be a significant inconvenience during times of heavy traffic.
Hours:
- Weekdays: 5:45 a.m. – 10:15 p.m. (IAD to West Falls Church), 6:15 a.m. – 10:45 p.m. (L’Enfant Plaza to West Falls Church)
- Weekends: 7:45 a.m. – 10:15 p.m. (IAD to West Falls Church), 8:15 a.m. – 10:45 p.m. (West Falls Church to IAD)
The SuperShuttle
The SuperShuttle is a door-to-door shuttle service. You are placed on a shuttle with other passengers and are picked up or dropped off one-by-one. Sometimes, this can be an economically effective method of transportation. However, there are many stories which you can find online of how this service offers less than expected. Because of the door-to-door nature of the service, you may be stuck driving all over to pick other passengers up, or drop others off.
I’ve never used this service, though I have heard first hand that it can work well. However I would be wary. There are numerous stories available online about cases where the SuperShuttle has canceled on people, simply not arrived, or arrived significantly late. I would advise this option only if you have plenty of time built into your schedule, and are able to quickly switch plans to a taxi or another mode of transportation if the need arises. It seems like a much safer option to take from the airport, rather than to the airport when trying to catch a flight. The SuperShuttle is economic for one person, but parties of 2+ will find little to gain when compared with a regular taxi.
Taxi
The taxi ride from IAD into the DC area should run around $50-$70. Travel to the nearest metro station (West Falls Church, on the Orange line), drops the cost to about $40. In a party of 2+ the price of a taxi is on par with some of the other transportation methods, and is not limited to particular schedules for early leaving or late arriving flights. (More about taxi fares)
If you have any questions, comments, or stories about travel to or from IAD, please feel free to share them in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
Information about other area airports