Amtrak to Washington DC
Book tickets on Amtrak for a car-free trip to Washington D.C. Trains arrive in walking distance of the Capitol Building and National Mall, or transfer to the WMATA subway, MARC commuter trains or other transit services at Union Station to reach other parts of the district.
Many Amtrak trains travel to D.C. daily from major cities on the East Coast (including Boston and New York City). You can also board trains in the Midwest and South, including in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Savannah, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa and Miami for direct service to the capital.
To view your travel options, use the Find Trains feature on the Amtrak.com homepage and explore the Amtrak routes that travel to Washington D.C. below.
DC Amtrak Routes
- Acela Express (East Coast)
- Capitol Limited (Midwest)
- Cardinal (Midwest)
- Carolinian (South)
- Crescent (South)
- Northeast Regional (East Coast)
- Palmetto (South)
- Silver Meteor (South)
- Silver Star (South)
- Vermonter (Northeast)
- Taxis are usually available in front of the DC Amtrak station.
- Need to rent a car? Choose from Alamo, Avis, Budget and Hertz inside the station.
- Late March to early April is great time to visit if you want to see the cherry blossoms.
Travel Times
- DC to/from Baltimore is 30-40 minutes.
- DC to/from Richmond is about 2.5 hours.
- DC to/from Atlanta is just over 14 hours.
- DC to/from Chicago is about 17.5 hours via Capitol Limited.
- DC to/from New York City is about 3 hours, and faster if you book tickets on the Acela.
- DC to/from Boston is over 8 hours on the Northeast Regional and about 7 hours on Acela.
More Information
- DC Union Station Reviews
- Things to do in Washington D.C.
- National Cherry Blossom Festival
- Best Amtrak day trips from Washington D.C.
- Northeast airports with the best connections to Amtrak
