There’s a lot to love about living in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Access to some of the city’s best restaurants and shopping, roads and walkways that are friendly to both foot and bicycle traffic, and a community-driven culture that gives residents all the city action with a comfortable suburban character.
But one significant advantage to living in Columbia Heights is the seamless access to public transportation. In this guide, we want to give our community’s newest members a look at what it’s like to live and work in Columbia Heights while taking advantage of DC’s public transportation system.
For those brand-new to the Metro, we encourage you first to check out our DC Public Transportation Commuter’s Guide. It will walk you through getting your Smartrip Card, understanding the various routes, and much more.
Getting Familiar with Columbia Heights Station
Columbia Heights Station is located on 14th St and Irving, right in the middle of all the neighborhood’s action. In fact, it’s one of the most widely used stations in the city because of its proximity to local sights and other popular neighborhoods.
The station gives residents effortless access to the Green and Yellow Lines.
You’ll find a station entrance on both the Northeast and Southwest corners of the station. Because it has a center platform, entering the station is as simple as taking the escalator down and waiting for the right train.
Because of the station’s convenient location, commuters who rely on public transportation to navigate the city will find themselves right at home. For our apartment residents, the station is just an 8-minute walk from the Vintage and 15-20 minutes from 1900 Lamont. For cyclists, getting to the station is a breeze.
Columbia Heights to Downtown DC
For those who work downtown, just take the Yellow or Green Line down to Gallery Pl-Chinatown Station and walk to your destination or take a Metrobus. The whole trip should take 20-30 minutes depending on how far you live from Columbia Heights Station.
Columbia Heights to Bethesda
If you work in Bethesda or at the Medical Center you’re looking at a longer commute, but it’s certainly doable.
If you are leaving early in the morning, board the Green Line train toward Branch Ave. Transfer at Gallery Pl-Chinatown station onto the Red Line train toward Grosvenor. Get off the train at Bethesda or Medical Center Station.
If you commute later in the day, you can take the Yellow Line for your first leg instead.
Columbia Heights to Georgetown
Georgetown University students and faculty can complete their daily commute by getting to Dupont Circle Station and taking a bus from there.
From Columbia Heights Station, take the Green or Yellow Line (depending on the time of day) to Gallery Pl-Chinatown Station and transfer to the Red Line train headed toward Shady Grove. Exit the train at Dupont Circle Station.
Then you can take advantage of the GUTS Bus, which provides free transit from Dupont Circle Station to the campus. If you are not affiliated with the university, you can take a Metrobus with service to Georgetown.
Use WMATA’s Trip Planner to Plan Your Commute
If you’re considering moving to Columbia Heights, we hope this guide helps you get an idea of what your commute might look like. If your commute isn’t listed above or you want to explore alternatives, check out WMATA’s Trip Planner. You can input your starting point and destination as well as the time and date you will be traveling to get a clear picture of what you can expect.
