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Bus travel from Dulles Airport in Washington DC to New York City

Posted by (new york, ny) on

On a Sunday early in April, I have a flight from Amsterdam to Newark that has an eight hour layover at Dulles airport
and then a flight to Newark that arrives at 11:30 PM.
Since we live in New York City, My husband and I have been thinking that it might be easier (and not much more money)
to take a bus into New York City directly from Dulles instead of waiting the eight hours at the airport and then having to take a cab at midnight from Newark into the city.

Has anyone ever taken a bus from Dulles into NYC? From looking at some schedules, it appears that it would involve taking a
bus from the airport to Arlington or some other location and then getting on a NYC bus.
Any suggestions for good bus lines?

Posted by
7054 posts

Even if you took the 5A bus from Dulles Airport to the L'Enfant Metro Stop in DC, transferred to the Union Station Metro Stop, and then took a Bolt or Megabus from there, the whole trip (with all the transfers) would still take a minimum of 6.5 hours...and then you have to "time" two buses plus the metro and build in at least 1 hour of cushion time (so now you're looking at 7.5 hours, not even counting passport control). Most buses heading to NYC from DC depart from Union Station - I've taken both companies and like Bolt Bus the best. I didn't realize Megabus was trying out a service directly from Dulles, but it seems like there is only 1 run per day at 1:30pm.

There is a company called Vamoose that goes to NYC from the Rosslyn Metro Station, which is reachable via the 5a airport bus. I almost forgot about that option.

You'll essentially be skipping a leg on a flight. Personally I wouldn't do it, and you definitely shouldn't if you're checking your bags. As an alternative, I'd take a trip to Udvar Hazy Space Center near Dulles and kill at least 3 hours there. It's a really interesting place - it's part of the Smithsonian Institute.

Posted by
5849 posts

I haven’t taken a bus in years (I prefer Amtrak to NY), but I don’t think you will save much time. First, you will have to get off the plane, take the mobile lounge to international arrivals, and get through immigration. That could be anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour. It will take over an hour to get from Dulles into DC (or Arlington) by public transit and then you’ve got a 5 hour bus ride to NY. That’s 7 hours right there.

Posted by
7 posts

You might also look into buses in and out of Chinatown. Not sure it will exactly suit your needs, but could be something to consider.

Posted by
7054 posts

Actually, Vamoose is a great (bus) service too. The difference is that it leaves from Arlington (Rosslyn Metro Station).

Most of the Chinatown buses have been sidelined and put out of service (too many violations of all sorts), by the way. Maybe there's one left. The District of Columbia centralized the remaining services (except for Vamoose) by making Union Station "the" hub for all outbound trips to NYC.

Posted by
4071 posts

If you really want to take the bus to NYC, it's either Bolt or Megabus. Pick whichever is convenient to you. Do NOT take Chinatown buses when Bolt and Megabus are safe AND inexpensive.

Have you looked at one-way flights? I picked April 5 (Thursday) and see Jetblue goes from IAD to JFK for $54 and $64 midday. There is also one Delta flight to JFK for $64 leaving at 10:05.

Food for thought!

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