National Harbor

Understand

The site has a convention center, six hotels, restaurants, shops, and condominiums. National Harbor hosted Cirque du Soleil in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 and features outdoor activities such as a culinary festival and outdoor concerts by military bands, an outdoor movie screen facing the river, an annual ice sculpture exhibition, and a Peeps Day with a Peeps eating contest. The national spelling bee competition is held there. The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, with 2,000 rooms, is the largest hotel between New Jersey and Florida, and the largest in the Washington area.

The site includes a beachfront walking path and a connection to a bike trail on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge that crosses into Alexandria, Virginia. Amusements include a children's carousel, and the Capital Wheel, a 175-foot Ferris wheel on a pier that extends into the Potomac River.

Get in

By car

National Harbor is just south of the intersection of I-95 and I-295. There are numerous parking garages in the area.

By bus

• Metrobus routes NH1 and NH2 operates service from/to the Southern Ave Metro Station and the King Street Metro Station in Alexandria, Virginia respectively, where further connections can be made to Washington, D.C. For more information on riding the Metrorail and Metrobus, see Washington DC#By_public_transportation.
• National Harbor Passenger Shuttle operates between hotels in National Harbor and the King Street Metro Station in Alexandria, Virginia. The bus is free for guests staying at a hotel in National Harbor (show your key card) or residents/employees of National Harbor and costs $10 for non-guests.

By boat

• Potomac Riverboat Company operates a water taxi between Alexandria, Virginia, the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, and downtown National Harbor. Round-trip fares are $16 for adults, $8 for children and the rides lasts about 25 minutes.
• National Harbor Marina allows docking of private boats. Advance reservation required.

By air

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to National Airport, about 8 miles (12 km) away. It has mostly domestic flights and a few international flights.
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) has domestic flights and many international flights. It is 36 miles (57 miles) from National Harbor.
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) has domestic and international flights. It is 38 miles (61 km) from National Harbor.

Get around

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National Harbor is very easy to walk around, and walking around is one of the pleasures of being there. The hotels are all within a short, pleasant walk from many restaurants and shops. A few places, such as the MGM casino and the outlet mall, are further away, and are easier to reach by using the National Harbor Circulator, a bus operating 7 days a week from 11AM-4AM. It costs $5 for an all-day pass. The National Harbor Circulator bus stops at:

• Downtown National Harbor (St. George Blvd & Waterfront St bus shelters)
• Gaylord National
• Tanger Outlets (by the merchant wall on Oxon Hill Rd)
• MGM National Harbor (on Monument Dr)

Go next

• Alexandria, Virginia is just across the Potomac River
• Washington, D.C. is a 30-minute drive or accessible by bus/metro.