Traveling to the Cherry Blossoms
Visitors attending the National Cherry Blossom Festival will enjoy four consecutive weekends free of daytime track work starting on Monday, March 20, when weekend ridership can nearly double. Additional trains will operate during the weekend, with the same service frequencies as weekdays on all lines throughout the day and evening hours. Metro may schedule track work after 10 p.m. when ridership is extremely light.
On weekends, fares are a flat $2 for any one-way trip, no matter how far you travel and parking is free at all Metro owned parking garages and lots all day.
Getting to the blossoms
- Plan your trip
- Metro's trip planner makes it easy to get to all of the Cherry Blossom festivities.
- When planning your trip, remember, in addition to Metrorail, there are multiple Metrobus routes that can get you to the blossoms as well.
- You can chat with one of our customer service agents Monday-Friday from 7AM-7PM for assistance in planning your trip.
- Ready to ride
- Avoid the wait at fare vending machines. Use Metro’s mobile pay options for iOS or Android to purchase a SmarTrip card or transfer an existing card to a phone or mobile device. Instantly add funds and purchase passes.
- Visitors can purchase an unlimited One-Day Pass for $13.00. Passes can be added directly to your virtual SmarTrip card through mobile pay or the SmarTrip App. Customers may also buy passes in advance online (allow additional time for mailing) or through the SmarTrip App and at any Metrorail station or retail location. The pass can be loaded onto any SmarTrip card, and can be used for unlimited rail travel on the day it is first used.
- Don't let waiting get you down, see where the buses and trains are before you enter the station with our real-time Next Arrivals.
- Getting there
- Smithsonian Station can become extremely busy with visitors at this time of year.
- Riders should consider using L'Enfant Plaza, Archives, Arlington Cemetery or Federal Triangle during Cherry Blossom Season.
- Avoid transfers. Except for the Red Line, the Tidal Basin is accessible on all lines without transfers.
- Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, L’Enfant Plaza
- L’Enfant Plaza, Archives
- Arlington Cemetery
- On weekdays, visitors are encouraged to travel during non-rush hour times, if possible, and try to avoid traveling at the height of the afternoon peak period, from 4 to 6 p.m.
- On weekends, consider traveling on Sunday when trains are less crowded. On Saturday, if possible, travel before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. to avoid the busiest ridership periods between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 and 6 p.m.
- For your safety
- Always stand back from the platform edge.
- When boarding the train, please move as far into the car as possible to allow others to board.
- When exiting trains, please move as far away from the door as possible to allow others to exit.
- Do not hold or block train doors at any time.
- Stay informed
- Connect to our free in-station Wi-Fi
- Sign up for MetroAlerts
- Send us a message on Twitter
@Metrorailinfo and
@Metrobusinfo or
Facebook 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. weekends.