The off-site Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria at $8.50/day with free 24/7 shuttle. Among airport-operated options, the Economy Lot at approximately $14/day with shuttle is the cheapest official tier. The closer-in Garage A (Terminal 1) and Garage B/C (Terminal 2) tiers are $24/day.
| Lot | Daily rate | Walk/Shuttle | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheraton Old Town Alexandria (off-site) | $8.50/day | Free shuttle | Cheapest; trips of any length |
| Westin Crystal City (off-site) | $12.25/day | Free shuttle | Closer-in alternative; reserved spot |
| Economy Lot | ~$14/day | Free airport shuttle | Cheap official option |
| Garage A (Terminal 1) | ~$24/day | Connected walkway | Premium, closest to gate |
| Garage B/C (Terminal 2) | ~$24/day | Connected walkway | Premium, closest to T2 gates |
| Cell Phone Waiting Lot | Free | N/A | Picking up arrivals |
Off-site rates from PA inventory data. Airport-operated rates pending verification with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) — flyreagan.com page blocks automated retrieval.
For DC-proper and Northern Virginia residents inside the Beltway, often yes. Reagan National Airport Metro station is inside the terminal complex on the Yellow and Blue lines — you exit the train and walk into Terminal 2 directly. Round-trip Metro from downtown DC, Arlington, Alexandria, or Crystal City is roughly $5-$10 depending on time of day. For a 4-day trip, parking at Sheraton Old Town ($34) costs more than Metro round-trip ($10), and you skip the parking-and-shuttle hassle entirely. Parking starts to win when:
Both run free shuttles to DCA. Sheraton Old Town Alexandria at $8.50/day is the cheaper option ($30+ savings on a 7-day trip vs. Westin) and rates higher in user reviews on PA (4.0★ over 1,434 reviews). Westin Crystal City at $12.25/day is closer to the airport (smaller shuttle ride) and has a slightly higher review score (4.1★ over 1,621 reviews) — useful if you're returning very late or very early when Old Town's shuttle wait might stretch. For most DC-area travelers, Sheraton Old Town is the right answer; Westin is the upgrade if you want to be 5 minutes closer to DCA at a $4/day premium.
| Origin | Distance | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Capitol Hill / Downtown DC | ~5 mi | 12-25 min (rush 30+) |
| Georgetown | ~7 mi | 15-30 min |
| Crystal City / Pentagon | ~3 mi | 8-15 min |
| Old Town Alexandria | ~5 mi | 10-20 min |
| Arlington (Clarendon) | ~5 mi | 15-25 min |
| Tysons Corner / McLean | ~13 mi | 25-45 min |
| Bethesda, MD | ~12 mi | 25-45 min |
| Silver Spring, MD | ~13 mi | 25-45 min |
| Reston | ~22 mi | 35-55 min (consider IAD) |
| Falls Church | ~10 mi | 20-35 min |
| Annapolis, MD | ~32 mi | 40-60 min (consider BWI) |
| Baltimore | ~45 mi | 50-75 min (use BWI) |
The DC area has three major airports and parking math differs significantly:
For 5:30-7:30 AM departures, plan to be at your parking spot 75 minutes before boarding in Garage A/B/C (connected walkway, no shuttle), 90 minutes from Economy with shuttle, and 100 minutes from off-site Sheraton or Westin. DCA's TSA wait runs 15-25 minutes outside of peaks but the airport is space-constrained — security lines back up faster here than at IAD or BWI when staffing is light.
DCA has a federally-imposed perimeter rule that limits most flights to destinations within 1,250 miles of Washington — with a small number of grandfathered "beyond-perimeter" exemptions to cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, and Salt Lake City. Practical effects for parking-related decisions:
Reagan National operates two terminal buildings. Terminal 1 (the original 1941 Eero Saarinen design with later additions) houses some carriers including Frontier, Spirit, and limited regional service; Terminal 2 (the 1997 Cesar Pelli design) houses the major carriers — American (the largest tenant), Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, and most international and transcontinental flights. Garage A serves Terminal 1 most directly; Garage B/C and the Metro station serve Terminal 2. The Economy Lot uses a continuous shuttle that loops both terminals. For most travelers flying mainline US carriers, Terminal 2 is the destination — the gates, lounges, and most concession options are there. Before parking, confirm your terminal assignment via your boarding pass or the airline app — Terminal 1 ↔ Terminal 2 is a connected post-security walk but takes 7-10 minutes through the central terminal.
The Cell Phone Waiting Lot is free indefinitely while you wait for an arriving passenger.
The MWAA-operated lots (Economy, Garage A, Garage B/C) historically offered limited online reservation for the Garage tiers. Off-site lots like Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria and Westin Crystal City accept reservations through parkingaccess.com — strongly recommended during cherry blossom season, presidential inauguration windows, and federal-holiday travel weeks.
Reagan National Airport Metro station (Yellow and Blue lines) is connected to Terminal 2 via covered walkway. Trip time to L'Enfant Plaza is roughly 12 minutes; to Foggy Bottom about 18 minutes; to Capitol Hill about 15 minutes. Headways are typically 5-10 minutes during business hours, longer late at night.
Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria is a hotel partner offering airport parking via free 24/7 shuttle to and from DCA. The lot is in Old Town Alexandria, roughly 7-10 minutes from the airport. Reservations are available through parkingaccess.com with confirmed pricing.
Westin Crystal City is a hotel partner in Arlington, roughly 5 minutes from DCA. Free 24/7 shuttle. The closer location makes it useful for very early or very late return flights when shuttle timing matters most.
MWAA-operated lots (Economy, Garage) have no published maximum stay. Two weeks at Economy runs approximately $196 ($14 × 14). Off-site Sheraton Old Town at $8.50/day runs $119 for 14 days — a $77 savings on a 14-day trip plus a guaranteed reserved spot.
Cherry blossom peak (late March-early April) drives heavy DC tourism but doesn't typically max out airport parking the way a SXSW or ACL would at AUS — DCA's traveler base is mostly domestic short-haul, and tourists tend to come via Amtrak, IAD, or BWI rather than DCA. Garage A/B/C can still tighten on peak weekend afternoons.
The Garage tiers offer the closest premium options to the terminal entrance.
Yes — Metro (Yellow/Blue line) is the standout option, with the station inside the terminal. Uber and Lyft are price-competitive from anywhere inside the Beltway. WMATA buses serve some routes. Many federal employees use the Metro option as their default and skip the airport parking decision entirely.
Operational details verified as of 2026-04-29 from publicly available sources and PA inventory. Airport-operated rate figures pending direct confirmation with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority — flyreagan.com page blocked automated retrieval. Always confirm current rates at flyreagan.com before traveling.
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