Washington DC is served by three major airports , two on the outskirts and one right in the city center. Dulles International Airport , 26 miles west in northern Virginia, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), halfway between DC and Baltimore, get the majority of the international traffic. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and its major state-of-the-art terminal, along the Potomac River just west of the Mall, is mostly used by domestic flights. Taking a taxi downtown from BWI or Dulles costs around $50, but express buses run from both airports to a downtown terminal at 1517 K St NW, just three blocks north of the White House. Washington Flyer Express (tel 1-800/927-4359) serves Dulles (every 30min; 40min journey; $16 one-way, $26 round-trip) and the SuperShuttle (tel 1-800/BLUE-VAN) runs from BWI (every 30min; 1hr journey; $30 one-way). From Dulles, the cheapest method, though more time-consuming, is to take the Washington Flyer Express as far as West Falls Church Metro station ($8) and the Metro subway system from there. A SuperShuttle runs from National (every 30-60min; $13 one-way), though this airport is on the Metro system, just a short ride from downtown. Taxis downtown from National cost around $15.

 

By train - from Philadelphia, New York and Boston, as well as direct from BWI Airport - you arrive amid the gleaming malls of bustling Union Station , 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, two blocks north of the US Capitol and with its own Metro station. Greyhound and other buses stop at a modern station at 1005 First St NE, in a fairly dodgy part of the city, ten blocks from downtown; take a cab, especially at night, at least as far as Union Station Metro (around $6). Driving into DC is a sure way to experience some of the worst traffic on the east coast - the main I-95 and I-495 freeways circuit Washington on the Beltway , jammed eighteen hours a day.

Once in the city, stop at the DC Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center , Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm; tel 202/328-4748), which can help with maps, tours, bookings and citywide information. Look for visitor information desks at the airports and Union Station. The White House Visitor Information Center , 1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW (daily 7.30am-4pm; tel 202/208-1631), supplies free maps and handy guides to museums and attractions; the most useful is the free Washington DC Visitors Guide .

The main post office is across from Union Station on Massachusetts Avenue and Capitol Street NE (Mon-Fri 7am-midnight, Sat & Sun 7am-8pm; tel 202/523-2628; zip code 20002).