Baltimore-Washington International Airport is located about 40 miles to the north of Washington, D.C. and about 12 miles to the south of Baltimore. The distance to the airport can be huge and makes it a bit hard to get to even with a car, but often the fares are so much cheaper than flying out of National or Dulles that it could be worth it. But, I try to avoid going to BWI if I can.
If you have to get to BWI there are a few different options that you can use:
Driving
Depending on the day this can be the best or worst option there is to get to BWI. I have seen it take 40 minutes to over two hours to get to BWI because of traffic. On the weekend, it usually isn't too bad and can take about 40 minutes from downtown DC or northern Virginia.
If you are driving you will need to take I-95 N out of Washington, D.C. and drive 20 miles until you get to I-195 which is the direct highway route to BWI.
Super Shuttle
As with Dulles there is always the option to take a Super Shuttle from BWI, but this method is often hit or miss. You can get the price down to $15-20 one-way in a shared ride van, but they never seem to group people in a van that are going to the same place. I once ended up going to three different part of DC before my address which meant I arrived home past midnight after landing at BWI at 8:45.
I've heard similar stories when you are going to the airport, so if you choose this method make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get picked up and allow for a few other pick ups before going to the airport.
B30 Metro Bus
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) which operates the Metro system inWashington, D.C. operates a bus route to BWI from their Greenbelt Station, which is the end of the "Green" line on the Metro system. If you are in downtown DC you will want to board the Metro system and get on the green line and take it all the way to Greenbelt.
When you get to Greenbelt you will want to exit the station and look for the bus shelter that has a sign for the B30 bus (there will usually be fellow travelers waiting so look for the suitcases).
The bus leaves generally every 40 minutes and takes 30-40 minutes depending on traffic. The cost is $6.00 one-way.
The Marc Train
If you are traveling to BWI on a weekday the best option you have is to take the MARC train which is a commuter train system that ferries commuters from suburban Maryland into Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.
The Penn Line, which leaves from Union Station in Washington, D.C. has a stop at the BWI Train Station which will get you to the airport. To take the train you will need to take the Metro system from downtown DC to Union Station on the Red Line. From there you will want to enter Union Station and look for signs to the MARC trains. To buy a ticket you will want to find an AMTRAK Self-Ticket Machine and say you want to buy a new ticket. Now this is where you have to be really really really careful. The machine will gladly sell you an AMTRAK ticket for an AMTRAK train that stops at the BWI Train Station, but that ticket can run $20 or more. When using the Self-Ticket machine look for an option to purchase a MARC ticket and then punch in your destination as BWI Station. The ticket should cost you $6.00 and will allow you to board ANY MARC train on the Penn line, so you can then find the next train that stops at BWI Train Station and board. The ride will take about 20-30 minutes depending on how many other stops there are.
When you exit the train at the BWI Train Station you will need to go straight toward a parking garage and stop once you have crossed the bus/taxi lane into the station. There will be a bus stop at this point to the main terminal at BWI which comes every 5-10 minutes.
NOTE: The MARC train DOES NOT run on the weekend, so don't try this on a Saturday or Sunday unless you want to shell out the money for an AMTRAK train.
Hope this helps you the next time you are weighing your options on which DC airport to fly into.
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