Home / United States / Washington / Washington Dulles International Airport
Dulles airporttoWashington city center
To Downtown Washington at Metro Center · One way · All prices are totals for 1 adult · All service hours
3 transfer optionsCar hire · not ranked
Not all night: the Silver Line train to Metro Center runs 05:00–23:15.
Recommended
The cheapest way in. The Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington is 9 minutes quicker for US$120.25 more, which is not worth it at this party size.
Metro
Silver Line train to Metro Center
Silver · WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)
49–50 min rideEvery 10 min05:00–23:15
Washington Dulles International Airport station→Metro Center station downtown
US$6.75total for 1 adultUS$6.75 eachBuy ticketOn WMATA
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Washington Dulles International Airport station, through the walkway from the Main Terminal
$6.75 on weekdays from 05:00 to 21:30; $2.25 to $2.50 after 21:30 and all weekend. Tap a contactless bank card or phone at the faregates going in and out, or a SmarTrip card; each rider aged 5 and over needs their own. Up to two children aged 4 and under ride free with each paying adult.
Hours. Every 10 minutes on weekdays and 12 at weekends; from 06:09 on Saturdays and Sundays, and until 01:15 on Friday and Saturday nights.
Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington
Driver meets you in arrivals
40 min rideTraffic dependentRuns all night
Driver meets you outside the arrivals hall exit doors with a name board→Any address in Washington
Non-stop24-hour servicePer vehiclePre-book
€110total for 1 adult€110 each · about US$127 in allBook transferPartner link · through Welcome Pickups
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Driver meets you outside the arrivals hall exit doors with a name board
Charged in euros: €110 for the sedan, €154 for the minivan, €380 for the minibus. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
The options are still here — your budget or journey-time filter is drawn tighter than any of them. Widen either one, or reset the filters, to bring them back.
How do I get from Dulles airport to Washington city center?
For one traveler we recommend the Silver Line train to Metro Center at US$6.75, 49–50 min, which is also the cheapest way in; the fastest is the Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington at €110, 40 min. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
Partner offers
Not transport options · Affiliate links
Car hire at Dulles airportDiscover Cars
Hire a car for Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, Virginia's hunt country or the Chesapeake Bay at your own hours, which no train on this page reaches. You are staying downtown: the Silver Line reaches Metro Center in about 50 minutes for US$6.75 on weekdays, US$2.25 to US$2.50 evenings and weekends, and downtown parking is costly. Discover Cars shows the full price before you book.
A flight three or more hours late, or cancelled at short notice, can be owed up to €600 a passenger under EU and UK rules, depending on the flight. AirHelp charges only if the claim succeeds.
These links pay us a commission. They never change which transfer we rank first.
Arriving late?
Not everything runs around the clock: the Silver Line train to Metro Center runs 05:00–23:15. Outside those hours, the Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington is what remains. Set the hour you leave arrivals and the board keeps only what is running.
Going somewhere specific?
"The center" is not one place, and the answer changes
The Metro station is joined to the Main Terminal by an indoor walkway with moving sidewalks, from the ticketing and baggage claim levels: about 600 feet, a 5-minute walk. Follow the signs for Garage 1 and Metro.
Tickets
Tap a contactless bank card, phone or watch at the faregates going in and again going out, with the same card, or use a SmarTrip card. Riders aged 5 and over pay the fare and need their own card or device.
The taxi rank
Washington Flyer taxis, the airport's only taxi on demand, wait 24 hours a day on the lower level: go down the ramp to Door 1 or Door 7, where a representative is on duty. No reservation is needed.
Uber and Bolt
Uber and Lyft pick up at the 3rd curb on the ground level outside Baggage Claim, through Doors 2, 4 or 6; the app tells you your zone, 3A to 3H.
Which terminal
Domestic arrivals ride the AeroTrain from the midfield gates to the Main Terminal; most international arrivals clear customs first. Baggage claim, the taxis and the walkway to the Metro are in the Main Terminal.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
Silver · WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)Silver Line train to Metro Center
From
Washington Dulles International Airport station, through the walkway from the Main Terminal
To
Metro Center station downtown, where the Red, Blue, Orange and Silver Lines meet
Runs
05:00–23:15
Journey
49–50 min
$6.75 on weekdays from 05:00 to 21:30; $2.25 to $2.50 after 21:30 and all weekend. Tap a contactless bank card or phone at the faregates going in and out, or a SmarTrip card; each rider aged 5 and over needs their own. Up to two children aged 4 and under ride free with each paying adult.
Board a train towards Largo or New Carrollton; both stop at Metro Center.
Tap out with the same card or phone you tapped in with. Weekend track work sometimes stretches the wait to 24 minutes.
Every 10 minutes on weekdays and 12 at weekends; from 06:09 on Saturdays and Sundays, and until 01:15 on Friday and Saturday nights.
Silver→Red · WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)Silver and Red Line trains to Union Station
From
Washington Dulles International Airport station, through the walkway from the Main Terminal
To
Union Station, the railway station on Capitol Hill, for Amtrak and MARC trains
Runs
05:00–23:06
Journey
54–55 min
One fare for both trains: $6.75 on weekdays from 05:00 to 21:30; $2.25 to $2.50 after 21:30 and all weekend. Tap a contactless bank card or phone at the faregates going in and out, or a SmarTrip card; each rider aged 5 and over needs their own. Up to two children aged 4 and under ride free with each paying adult.
Change at Metro Center to a Red Line train towards Glenmont; Union Station is the third stop.
From 06:09 on Saturdays and Sundays, and later on Friday and Saturday nights. Red Line trains leave Metro Center every 5 or 6 minutes.
transfer · Welcome PickupsWelcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington
From
Driver meets you outside the arrivals hall exit doors with a name board
To
Any address in Washington
Runs
All night
Journey
40 min
Charged in euros: €110 for the sedan, €154 for the minivan, €380 for the minibus. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
The price is fixed and paid when you book. An hour of waiting after landing is included.
Rush-hour traffic on the way into Washington can stretch the ride well past 40 minutes.
What is the best way from Dulles airport to Washington city center?
For one traveler, the Silver Line train to Metro Center at US$6.75, 49–50 min. The cheapest way in. The Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington is 9 minutes quicker for US$120.25 more, which is not worth it at this party size. The same holds for a group of up to eight. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from Dulles airport to Washington city center?
For one traveler, the Silver Line train to Metro Center at US$6.75. Per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not, so check the total for your group rather than the single fare.
How do I get from Dulles airport to Washington city center by metro?
One metro reaches Downtown Washington at Metro Center: the Silver Line train to Metro Center, US$6.75 for one traveler, 49–50 min, to Metro Center station downtown. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into Washington by any means. The fastest way overall is the Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington, 40 min. See every option by metro
How do I get from Dulles airport to Washington city center by taxi?
For one traveler the cheapest taxi is the Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington at €110, 40 min, and it is also the fastest. It is not the cheapest way in: the Silver Line train to Metro Center at US$6.75 is. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from Dulles airport to Washington city center?
Silver Line train to Metro Center: 49–50 min. Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington: 40 min. Kiwitaxi transfer from Dulles to Washington: 40 min
How far is Dulles airport from the city center?
Dulles Airport does not publish a distance to the city. By time: the fastest way in, the Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington, takes 40 min; the cheapest, the Silver Line train to Metro Center, 49–50 min.
Where is the train station at Dulles airport?
The Metro station is joined to the Main Terminal by an indoor walkway with moving sidewalks, from the ticketing and baggage claim levels: about 600 feet, a 5-minute walk. Follow the signs for Garage 1 and Metro.
Is there Uber or Bolt at Dulles airport?
Uber and Lyft pick up at the 3rd curb on the ground level outside Baggage Claim, through Doors 2, 4 or 6; the app tells you your zone, 3A to 3H.
Where do I catch the Silver Line train to Metro Center at Dulles airport?
Washington Dulles International Airport station, through the walkway from the Main Terminal. Follow the signs from arrivals. It leaves you at Metro Center station downtown, where the Red, Blue, Orange and Silver Lines meet.
Is there a train from Dulles airport to Washington at night?
The Silver Line train to Metro Center runs 05:00–23:15. Outside those hours the Welcome Pickups transfer from Dulles to Washington is what remains; it is €110 for the vehicle. Every 10 minutes on weekdays and 12 at weekends; from 06:09 on Saturdays and Sundays, and until 01:15 on Friday and Saturday nights.
Does the Silver and Red Line trains to Union Station go to Downtown Washington at Metro Center?
Union Station on Capitol Hill, three Red Line stops east of Metro Center: the one to take for Amtrak, MARC or a hotel near the Capitol.
Worth knowing
Washington has three airports: Dulles (IAD), Reagan National (DCA) and Baltimore BWI, each with its own trains and taxis. If your ticket says DCA or BWI, nothing on this page applies.
Metro fares depend on the hour: $6.75 to downtown on weekdays from 05:00 to 21:30, and $2.25 to $2.50 after 21:30 and all weekend.
Washington Flyer taxis run on the meter: $3.50 for the first quarter mile, 54 cents each further quarter mile, $1.50 for each extra passenger and a $5 airport surcharge. Tolls and the tip are extra.
The airport puts a taxi to Washington, DC at about $65 to $73, before tolls and the tip.
Can we count your visit?We use Google Analytics to see which airports people look up. It sets cookies. Nothing runs until you say yes, and refusing changes nothing about the site. What is stored · Privacy
