Dulles (IAD) to Downtown DC: Metro, Taxi, Uber and Lyft

The Metro station at Dulles connects to the Main Terminal by an indoor tunnel with moving sidewalks. Follow the signs down to the pedestrian walkway. It is about 600 feet, roughly a 5 minute walk, and there are elevators at both ends. You cannot check a bag at the platform.

The station is on the Silver Line. A trip to Metro Center in downtown DC costs $6.75 on weekdays. Weekday fares run from $2.25 to $6.75 by time and distance, and drop to $2.25 to $2.50 after 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.

Fares change, so confirm with the WMATA Trip Planner. Train frequency varies by time of day, so use the Trip Planner or the arrival board in the station for the next train. First and last trains are listed below.

Station open and close times:

• Monday to Thursday: 5 a.m. to midnight
• Friday: 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Saturday: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Sunday: 6 a.m. to midnight

First and last trains leaving Dulles, from WMATA's station page (checked October 15, 2026). WMATA says the station opens 10 minutes before the first train.

• Monday to Thursday: first train 5:00 a.m. (Largo) or 5:24 a.m. (New Carrollton); last train 11:15 p.m. (Largo) or 11:06 p.m. (New Carrollton)
• Friday: first train 5:00 a.m. (Largo) or 5:24 a.m. (New Carrollton); last train 1:15 a.m. (Largo) or 1:06 a.m. (New Carrollton)
• Saturday: first train 6:01 a.m. (Clarendon); last train 12:51 a.m. (Clarendon)
• Sunday: first train 6:01 a.m. (Clarendon); last train 10:51 p.m. (Clarendon)

Trains toward Ashburn run on a different schedule, so they are not listed here. If your trip is close to a first or last train, check the WMATA Trip Planner for your stop.

Tap a credit or debit card (physical or mobile wallet) at the faregate to enter, and tap the same card to exit. If you want a 1, 3 or 7 day pass, buy a SmarTrip card from the fare machines in the mezzanine.

Washington Flyer is the official airport taxi, and it serves Dulles only. Follow the signs for Ground Transportation or Taxi to the lower level of the Main Terminal, then down the ramp to Door 1 or Door 7. The airport's FAQ says Doors 2 or 6 instead, so follow the Taxi signs inside the terminal. No reservation is needed, and a customer service representative is there 24 hours a day.

Fares come from the meter or a pre-paid online booking. Rates are set by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission. A $5.00 trip fee is added to every fare to or from Dulles (effective Jan. 10, 2024), and pre-paid online bookings carry a $2.00 processing fee (effective Sept. 10, 2024). The airport's fare map (effective January 2024) lists these estimates from Dulles: Washington, DC $65 to $73 (26 to 30 miles), Rosslyn $61, Pentagon City $67, Reagan National Airport $73, Bethesda $69, Chevy Chase $69, Tysons Corner $47 and Reston $28. The map says mileage and fares are approximate and subject to change, and the meter sets the real fare. The map's meter rates are $3.50 for the first quarter mile and $0.54 for each additional quarter mile.

Cabs take cash, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and airline vouchers. Vehicles that seat up to 6 with luggage, child seats and wheelchair accessible vehicles are available on request. Pets in carriers are welcome.

Call 703-572-8294 for a reservation, or book a pre-paid ride online. Reservations placed 24 hours ahead are preferred. Washington Flyer cannot take you between two points in town, such as a hotel and downtown. Other cab companies can drop you off at Dulles, but they must arrange pickups in advance and may not solicit riders at the airport.

Uber and Lyft have a dedicated curb, Curb 3, on the ground level outside Baggage Claim. Reach it through Door 2, 4 or 6. Zones are lettered 3A to 3H, and the app tells you which one to use.

For drop offs, drivers use curbs 3A/B and 3G/H. You walk a short way inside to the escalators up to ticketing. Prices are set by the app. The airport does not publish a fare estimate.

Follow signs in the terminal to Garage 1, Metro, Kiss and Fly and public buses. All of these stop at Garage 1, Stop 2:

• Loudoun County Transit commuter bus from Dale City, Virginia
• Fairfax Connector 952 (Reston, including Wiehle-Reston East, Reston Town Center and Herndon Metro stations)
• Fairfax Connector 983 (Udvar-Hazy museum, museum hours only)
• Virginia Breeze (Blacksburg to Dulles and Union Station)
• Megabus (Charlottesville to Dulles and Union Station)
• OurBus

Fares and schedules are not on the airport page, so check each operator.

Downtown Washington is about 32 miles from the airport by road, around an hour without traffic by OpenStreetMap routing. Rush hour will add to that. From downtown, go west on I-66 to exit 67 and follow signs to the airport, about 16 miles from the exit. On weekday rush hours, solo drivers on I-66 inside the Beltway pay tolls (see 66expresslanes.org).

The airport's taxi fare map gives 26 to 30 miles to downtown DC, a bit shorter than the routing figure above, depending on where in downtown you end up. Travel times to specific neighborhoods are not published by the airport, so check your ride app for a live estimate.

Take the Silver Line to Rosslyn, about 50 to 55 minutes, then transfer to the Blue Line to the DCA Metro station.