Helping getting from Carlisle to Washington, D.C. (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: renting, buses)

[hazel3eyes]

I am going to be new to Carlisle in August. My boyfriend and I are going to take a two-day trip to Washington DC when we first get there. I've been told that since I am going to be in Carlisle I will first have to go to Harrisburg and then go from Harrisburg to DC. Is this correct? What's the cheapest way to do this?

[Sicilee]

Are you driving?

[hazel3eyes]

Originally Posted by Sicilee

Are you driving?

I will not have a car so I won't be driving unless renting a car is the best option. What do you think?

[CHIP72]

IMO, renting a car is the best option.

If you drive, you'd take 1) PA 94 south to Dillsburg, 2) US 15 south to Frederick, 3) I-270 south to suburban DC (Bethesda area), 4) I-495 south/west to the George Washington Parkway in northern Virginia (near McLean), 5) the George Washington Parkway east to the Rosslyn section of Arlington, and finally 6) I-395 across the Potomac River into DC. (I should note the transition from US 15 to I-270 in Frederick is seamless; you actually stay on the same physical road, which is a limited-access highway.) There are various roadway and transit options once you get to the DC area; one of the best transit options is to get off I-270 in the Gaithersburg/Rockville area, use I-370 east to the Shady Grove Metrorail station, and ride into DC from there. (I would actually advise doing this rather than driving all the way into DC, assuming you can get overnight parking at the Shady Grove Metro station.) If you plan on traveling during rush hours, you could also drive to the Frederick area and use the MARC Brunswick Line train between Frederick and Washington.

If you use transit, the most direct but infrequent option is take Greyhound between Harrisburg and Washington. You can get from Carlisle to downtown Harrisburg (2nd and Market) using the Harrisburg area Capital Area Transit (they have Carlisle-Harrisburg buses), and in downtown Harrisburg you can make a short walk over to near 4th and Market to the Harrisburg Transportation Center where the Greyhound bus station (and Amtrak train station) is located and use Greyhound from Harrisburg to Washington. I believe the Greyhound buses make intermediate stops in York and Baltimore; just stay on the bus at those stops (or if there is a brief layover in Baltimore, get off and go to the station restroom if you need to).

I should note direct transit options between Harrisburg and Washington (and for that matter Harrisburg and Baltimore) are pretty limited*; your most frequent transit options between the two cities will require you to travel via Philadelphia (via Amtrak). (Most of the intercity transit in the Harrisburg area that connects to larger cities is focused on connecting Harrisburg with Philadelphia, New York, and to a lesser degree Pittsburgh.) Driving to the DC area from the Carlisle/Harrisburg area really is your best option; it is only about a 2 hour trip.

*Not too long ago there used to be more frequent bus service on Greyhound and Bieber Tourways, as well as some Megabus service, between Harrisburg and Washington, but it appears the Greyhound/Bieber Tourways service has been cut back (with Bieber pulling out entirely) and Megabus service has been eliminated entirely.