Bus

There are many options for taking the bus to Washington DC.  By far the most inexpensive way to get to DC from other east coast cities is taking one of the so-called "chinatown" bus lines.  These lowfare bus carriers pickup from many different points in the DC area and serve most east coast cities within five or six hours from Washington.  GotoBus.com sells tickets for most chinatown bus lines and has information about destinations, bus stop locations, and schedules.  Greyhound and Trailways both have busses connecting to destinations throughout the US. Their bus station is located near Union Station (the main train station).