Car Rental Washington

Washington is the capital of the US and a fantastic city to visit for a few days. Drive past the White House, visit the museums and while away a few hours at the art galleries, all with the assistance of your Washington hire car. It’s an expensive city so you’ll be relieved to hear that we do our best to reduce your holiday costs by finding low cost car hire in the capital.

Washington Mini Guide

How do I get to Washington?
Good news for South African travellers is that South African Airways fly direct from OR Tambo to Washington’s Dulles Airport. If you want to do a stopover first you can also fly to New York, Atlanta, London or Amsterdam before connecting. 26 miles west of the city centre, you need to take the 267 Dulles Toll Road to Washington.

Getting Around the City
Washington’s building regulations mean that the city is very big and spread out. A car is essential and Route 495 forms a ring road around it. Use this as your way of getting around the city before taking the spoke roads into the centre and you’ll not go wrong.

Getting out of the City
There are plenty of attractions nearby too, the best of which is Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River on Route 66. Great Falls Park is fourteen miles away northwest along the Potomac and has great hiking trails as well as the waterfalls.

Where to Stay in Washington
The Capitol Hill Hotel is only a short distance from the landmark it takes its name from and is a good price at R1600 a night. The River Inn-A Modus is slightly cheaper because of its location but a bit more upmarket.

What Should I see in the City?

• The Mall. This contains the majority of the capital’s sights including the White House, the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial and it’s where you’re likely to use your camera most.
• The National Cathedral. Everything in the city is designed to exude power and the cathedral is no exception. It’s huge and very impressive inside and out.
• The National Zoo. With city sights not usually impressing kids, they’ll be pleased that this is one of the best zoos in America, if not the world and with plenty aimed at their age.
• Rock Creek Park. Right in the centre of the city, this is Washington’s equivalent of Central Park and is so big you can hike and camp there without realising you’re in the centre of the city.