<p>Can anyone recommend a good (and preferably cheap but not too sketchy) way to get from Philadelphia to DC? I'm thinking about making a day trip down there next weekend...Also, is it easy to get around the city via public transit?</p>
<p>I take the chinatown bus to go from Philly to DC all the time. It’s like $15 each way and not that bad. Boltbus and Megabus are better, but you have to go to NYC first (which is a little out of they way for me).</p>
<p>In DC it should be really easy to get around on metro. Most major things are within a few minutes of a metro stop.</p>
<p>Yes, the only good alternative to the Chinatown bus is Amtrak, and the vastly greater cost (even with discounts) far exceeds the less-sketchiness value or the value of the extra hour you save. Megabus would add 5 hours to a 3-hour trip – not worth it. Chinatown bus is the clear value leader.</p>
<p>On Chinatown I go roundtrip for $30 (I never go for the roundtrip discounts because I always holdout in hopes that I can hitch a ride back to Penn). The cheapest Amtrack ticket I’ve ever had was $45 one way. The bus drops you off a few blocks from the Verizon Center and the metro station. The chinatown bus in Philly is also right by a SEPTA stop.</p>
<p>I would not take Greyhound. It was in a really sketchy part of DC and cost twice as much as Chinatown.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. So is the Chinatown bus the Apex bus line (<a href=“https://www.apexbus.com/Default.aspx[/url]”>https://www.apexbus.com/Default.aspx</a> )?Any experience with New Century ([New</a> Century Travel bus- Daily bus between New York Washington DC and Philadelphia online tickets](<a href=“http://www.2000coach.com/)?%5DNew”>http://www.2000coach.com/)?)</p>
<p>I’ve taken both. I usually go with whichever has a more convenient time.
In Philly New Century has a less sketchy pickup point, but in DC both have pretty sketchy dropoff points (not in terms of neighborhood, but in terms of randomly stopping in China town). I would probably buy a ticket there instead of online too.</p>
<p>public transit is really easy in DC. it’s incredibly crowded so buses are mostly standing but that’s not too bad</p>
<p>Why not grayhound? It costs $25 one way but takes only 3hrs and 15 min from Philly to DC.</p>
<p>^Greyhound makes more stops so it takes longer. It also costs $10 more and wasn’t particularly cleaner on the bus. Also, the location of the station in DC was pretty darn sketchy for my tastes. If name brand makes you want to pay more money, go for it.</p>