planning a trip in May. Thinking about train trip from NY to Washington instead of flying.....yes or no??
Not sure if this is the right forum to ask, but would be grateful for opinions.
Thanks x
I prefer taking the train between New York and DC, or even New York and Boston, or anything in between. Saves the hassle of security.
Amtrak trains are generally very comfortable and the Acela trains provide more leg room than the planes.
The journey isn't particularly picturesque - although the route between Boston and New York is lovely, in case you were considering visiting Boston too.
We did this in April except it was DC to NY and it was great . You dont have the hassle of security and travelling back and forth to airports, the train will drop you slap bang in the middle of DC. I highly reccomend it and the trains are so much cooler than ours. Cheers!
Bus or Train is better than flying in my opinion.
Check the train schedules and cost on http://www.amtrak.com
If that seems too much for you check the schedules and cost of a bus
Megabus
Bolt Bus
Washington Deluxe
inexpensive bus options above
Greyhound is usually a little more than the ones above.
Thanks everyone, and so quick in replying!!
I'm mum travelling with two teenage daughters, what about safety if we got a late train? Trying to make the most of our time in NY (4 days) then 3 in DC.
The area around Union Station in DC is fine. There will be a line of cabs, anyway, so if you are worried just grab a cab to your hotel.
Amtrak is great. Safety is absolutely not an issue. Most of the trains between New York and Washington make just a few stops and the people who ride the trains are either business people or people like yourselves, the train does not cater to a seedy element. There are Conductors on the train and there aren't any stops where people can board the train and cause any problems. Nothing to worry about.
In terms of rail safety, I haven't heard of anything happening on the Northeast Corridor in at least ten years. There was an incident maybe twenty years ago but the train is still significantly safer than anything that travels on the highway. I always think flying is the safest method of travel but I would not think twice about boarding a train, Amtrak is very safe.
And when you add up the time to and from the airports plus the hour and a half in advance to get there, there is no contest....if you buy your tickets in advance, you can get to the station (either in DC or NYC) twenty minutes or so before the train departs and sit in a comfortable lounge until they post the track...there is a restaurant/bar car and as has been said, lots of leg room...i think you might enjoy the views out the windows even though it is not like traveling say in Switzerland...no mountains, but you can see the lovely area around Princeton, you can see the Schyukill (sp?) River in Philly along with parts of U of P and the Art Museum and it is really very pleasant...it is definitely much more $$ than the bus but i think it is worth it
I guess I'll be the dissenting opinion lol.
I often find the train crowded and sometimes delayed, maybe I've just had bad luck. I prefer the airlines. I've used both Delta and UsAir shuttles, partial to Delta.
There is no need to arrive at the airport 90 minutes before the flight as Delta uses the "Marine Terminal" at LaGuardia, very small and only used for flights to DC and Boston and a few others. (Chicago?) Anyway, I've learned to arrive only 45 minutes before departure and it's plenty of time, security takes about 2 minutes.
Time wise, I've actually made better time flying than on the train, even allowing for departure delays in the busy NYC airspace. I've made it "door to door" from mid-town Manhattan to my car in the economy lot at DCA in under 3 hours.
Check the fares, the shuttle may be comparable to Amtrak, but of course you need to factor in taxi fare to LaGuardia.
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To read more about editing your posts, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/help/how_to_edit_your_postsAcela is insanely overpriced and not much faster than the regional on this route. I take the regional trains when I need to do business in Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington, and they're a good combination of price and comfort. There's enough legroom to open my laptop, which I can't say of the bus lines.