Flying to the NIH

[thedelicatessen]

What is the closest airport to the NIH in Bethesda, MD? Any personal experiences? I will be visiting some labs in the near future.

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[Touchdown]

The most accessible airport to get to NIH is Reagen, from there you hop on the yellow line Metro (the stop is right there) to Gallery Place/Chinatown transfer to the red line and take the train out to MEDICAL CENTER METRO/NAVAL MED CTR & NIH station.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Dulles (DIA) is somewhat close... you can get to Bethesda thru the toll road, but it takes a while so expect to pay some cab fare.

 

[PariPari]

The most accessible airport to get to NIH is Reagen, from there you hop on the yellow line Metro (the stop is right there) to Gallery Place/Chinatown transfer to the red line and take the train out to MEDICAL CENTER METRO/NAVAL MED CTR & NIH station.

if you're flying into national why not just take the blue line to metro center & then switch to the redline going toward naval med center?

 

[Touchdown]

Blue to Metro Center=9 stops
Yellow to Gallery Place=6 stops, Red Gallery Place to Metro Center=1 stop (on your way to NIH)

It doesnt actually matter though, you should just take the first train to arrive at Reagen.

 

[tacrum43]

Dulles (DIA) is somewhat close... you can get to Bethesda thru the toll road, but it takes a while so expect to pay some cab fare.

Isn't the abbreviation for Dulles IAD?

I would think that any of the airports (DCA, IAD, or BWI) would be fine for getting to Bethesda. BWI will probably be the cheapest airfare, and while it's a little bit of a cab/shuttle van ride of the freeway, it should be fairly quick since you won't have to go through the city.

 

[GWmdwannabe]

Reagan Airport (DCA), then take the Metro. Can be a bit of a wait for a train in the middle of the day, but overall an easy trip.

 

[cdpiano27]

Reagan for sure.
Dulles has no metro access whatsoever.

 

[SaturdayDwarf]

What is the closest airport to the NIH in Bethesda, MD? Any personal experiences? I will be visiting some labs in the near future.

If you are going into BWI (cheapest flights, check Airtran) there is a bus that goes from the airport to the Greenbelt metro station. You can get to the NIH from there. Don't remember the name of the bus, check www.wmata.com for more info (this site will also help with metro information).

If you go to Dulles (second cheapest flight) you're screwed. Don't do this.

If you go to National / Reagan (most expensive flights) take the metro or the FREE NIH SHUTTLE straight to NIH. The latter takes awhile during rush hour, though. Look for details on the NIH website or PM me, and I can help you find it.

 

[Writer1985]

Isn't the abbreviation for Dulles IAD?

I would think that any of the airports (DCA, IAD, or BWI) would be fine for getting to Bethesda. BWI will probably be the cheapest airfare, and while it's a little bit of a cab/shuttle van ride of the freeway, it should be fairly quick since you won't have to go through the city.

Ahahahaha.

Sorry. Just amused by the description of 495 as a "freeway."

OP, I agree with those who suggested flying to National and then taking the Metro. It's a bit more of a hassle, but you'll save considerably on cab fare.

 

[dsprague12]

If you are going into BWI (cheapest flights, check Airtran) there is a bus that goes from the airport to the Greenbelt metro station. You can get to the NIH from there. Don't remember the name of the bus, check www.wmata.com for more info (this site will also help with metro information).

If you go to Dulles (second cheapest flight) you're screwed. Don't do this.

If you go to National / Reagan (most expensive flights) take the metro or the FREE NIH SHUTTLE straight to NIH. The latter takes awhile during rush hour, though. Look for details on the NIH website or PM me, and I can help you find it.

Dulles has a bus from the airport to the West Falls Church Metro Stop. It's a better 2nd option than BWI - both have bus service but Dulles is closer overall.

 

[dbhvt]

Dulles has a bus from the airport to the West Falls Church Metro Stop. It's a better 2nd option than BWI - both have bus service but Dulles is closer overall.

I love SDN.

Asking a group of premeds for directions is always fun.

 

[psufan]

Listen to Touchdown...definitely DCA and then the yellow line & catch the red line @ Chinatown/Gallery Place

I've investigated the options in the past and this is the best one by far, plus I've done the trip multiple times (I currently work @ the NIH).

While there is a shuttle bus to and from IAD, it only goes every hour at very best. With the metro you don't have to hit all of the traffic, and as long as you are arriving at a semi normal hour you shouldn't have to wait long for a metro (unless it's a Sunday and then that can sometimes be awhile).

That being said, if the flight into IAD is considerably cheaper then the DCA flights it may be worth it. I would avoid BWI personally.

 

[oneaat]

are you going straight from the airport to NIH, or are you staying overnight? if so, where? that might change your best travel route.

 

[dsprague12]

Listen to Touchdown...definitely DCA and then the yellow line & catch the red line @ Chinatown/Gallery Place

I've investigated the options in the past and this is the best one by far, plus I've done the trip multiple times (I currently work @ the NIH).

While there is a shuttle bus to and from IAD, it only goes every hour at very best. With the metro you don't have to hit all of the traffic, and as long as you are arriving at a semi normal hour you shouldn't have to wait long for a metro (unless it's a Sunday and then that can sometimes be awhile).

That being said, if the flight into IAD is considerably cheaper then the DCA flights it may be worth it. I would avoid BWI personally.

As everyone has said National is the best option, but the bus from Dulles to the Metro runs every half hour, not every hour. It is reliable, I've taken it a number of times.

http://www.washfly.com/

 

[thedelicatessen]

I would most likely stay overnight probably somewhere near NIH.

 

[oneaat]

if you're in a hurry (eg - leaving after work, so your flight doesn't arrive in dc until 10 pm or something like that) i would say fly into national, take the metro to whichever METRO-ACCESSIBLE hotel you're staying at. i would suggest staying at a hotel on the red line (this is more important than staying in a hotel near NIH).
if you have all the travel time in the world, look for a cheaper flight into dulles. between the bus and the metro, you'd end up paying about 20 extra in ground travel, so make sure the flight is more than $20 cheaper. bwi, unless you can take the MARC train, is actually pretty expensive to get to and from, so you'd have to find a significantly cheaper flight for that to be worthwhile.

 

[PARK8]

I believe NIH operates a shuttle from the airport directly to the NIH for free.. look into this:

http://dtts.ors.od.nih.gov/patient_shuttles.htm

 

[psufan]

I believe NIH operates a shuttle from the airport directly to the NIH for free.. look into this:

http://dtts.ors.od.nih.gov/patient_shuttles.htm

This is actually the bus that I was talking about. I know people who have used it, but it doesn't stop very often. From what I have heard though it appears to be reliable.

Are you interviewing for the position or just visiting a lab in which you already have the position? When I visited last summer, my lab paid (reimbursed) for me to stay in a hotel for two nights, although it did take me 6 months to get my money back b/c of stupid gov't red tape. Either way there are tons of hotels both in bethesda and in the area that are near the red line.