new york to washington DC

Visiting friends in NY and then on to do the tourist in Washington DC.

What%26#39;s the best way to get there for two 55 year olds?

Drive, bus, train?

I was thinking of hiring a car but wife worries about driving. Have driven in us many times but not near NY. can we get car from outskirts?

new york to washington DC

For 55 year olds or 21 year olds - what%26#39;s the difference?

If it were me I%26#39;d take AMTRAK - direct, no hassles, comfortable.

Poppa (64 and still plugging!!!)

new york to washington DC

Since you don%26#39;t want a car in either city, I would suggest Magabus. Cheap, convienent, and comfortable.

Amtrak (train) operates the Acela high speed train between NYC (Pennsylvania Station) and Washington DC (Union Station) frequently. Travel times differ, but shortest run is 3 hrs. Rates range from $49 to $99 per person, one way. Here%26#39;s a link to their site:

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak

Driving is about 5 hrs. You could do it if you like, but perhaps you%26#39;d be more comfortable in a train or plane due to the driving on the different side of the road issue. Car rental companies will charge a daily fee, insurance, plus mileage, so this may cost you at least, if not more, than flying or taking the train. And then there%26#39;s the issue of navigating on unfamiliar roads.....and parking costs once you%26#39;re in DC ($$$)

Jet Blue airlines also has frequent flights from NYC to DC. Flight time about 1 hr 30 min. Fare around $135 USD plus tax. I always suggest travelers use www.kayak.com to search for great fares!

Good luck with your planning. Hope this helps a bit getting you started!

Unless you plan on stopping along the way, driving is a hassle with lots of heavy traffic and then you have to pay for parking once you get there. There are some very nice stopping options though, if you have the time. I wouldn%26#39;t bother taking a train or bus to get out of Manhattan to go rent a car although you can if you want and might save some money. YOu could take a njtransit.com train to Edison, New Jersey and rent from Enterprise car rental who will pick you up at the train station.

Keep in mind insurance can sometimes double the price of a car rental.

whizzcarrental.com

is a co. from the UK that includes all insurance in their quote.

If the objective is just to get there, train is easiest/most comfortable and bus is cheapest. For train

amtrak.com

is the website. There are quite a few discount codes around to reduce cost of tickets.

megabus.com

boltbus.com

are newish bus services that are cheap and cheerful with decent reviews here.

Agreed.

Now, I personally like driving in spite of the hassles, but I like to get off the highways, explore and take my time. If you want to do that (you can see Philadelphia, and Baltimore or alternately, Annapolis and Chesapeake bay. Then in DC you can drive around in Virginia, maybe even Blue Ridge mountains ( a little over an hour from DC) But then it is (at least) a full day trip.

You definitely do not need a car in NYC, it is worse to have one.

If you do rent a car, I suggest doing it at Newark Airport which is cheaper, and already on the way to DC. You usually do not have to pay extra miles, but you have to check rules about driving that distance, and also drop-off fees if you don%26#39;t plan round trip. In USA, personal car insurance can handle rental cars too, but don;t know about UK visitors.

So, unless you want to do it, as others have said, train or bus is best.

You don%26#39;t really want to drive in NYC and you don%26#39;t really want to drive in DC too. The cheapest would be the bus but then possibly less comfortable due to the confined space. The best compromise would be the train (Acela Express) which is probably about similar price as a flight but less hassle with security/check-in etc.