Parking Near the National Mall in Washington, DC

Public parking is very limited near the National Mall. On-street parking in Washington, DC is restricted during morning and evening rush hours. There are many free parking spaces on the National Mall along Madison and Jefferson Drives in front of the Smithsonian museums, but they usually fill quickly. Most of the free on-street parking is restricted to two hours.

The best way to get around the downtown area and especially around the National Mall area is to take public transportation. If you choose to park in a parking garage or public parking lot in the downtown area, you should expect to walk a good distance to popular Washington, DC attractions.

See a map and directions to the National Mall

Large Parking Lots and Access to the National Mall

East Potomac Park/Hains Point
Ohio Drive. 320 parking spaces. This parking lot is FREE and convenient to the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial.

Union Station
50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE. More than 2,000 parking spaces. Rates: $10-16. The parking garage is near the east end of the National Mall near the U. S. Capitol Building. To get to the west end of the mall (and the Tidal Basin), take the DC Circulator Bus for $1 or ride the Metro to Smithsonian Station. This is also a starting point for sightseeing tours -Old Town Trolley, DC Ducks and Tourmobile.

Center City Parking (the former Convention Center site)
9th Street between New York Avenue and H Street. Rates: $10. The parking lot is near the west end of the National Mall north of the White House. To get around the mall (and the Tidal Basin), take the DC Circulator Bus for $1 or ride the Metro from the Gallery Place/Chinatown station to Smithsonian.

Colonial Parking Garages
Colonial owns many parking garages in Washington, DC. Some of the closest locations to the National Mall include:

• 1201 Pennsylvania Ave NW
  
• 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW
  
• 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW
  
• 122 C St NW
  
• 409 3rd St SW
  
• 400-430 10th S SW

Handicapped Parking

The National Park Service has designated 36 free handicapped parking spaces near the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. Here are the locations:

• 7 spaces on Jefferson Drive, in front of the Freer Gallery of Art
  
• 7 spaces between the carousel and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden
  
• 7 spaces in front of the National Air and Space Museum
  
• 3 spaces on Madison Drive, at the east end of the National Museum of Natural History
  
• 2 spaces in front of the National Museum of Natural History
  
• 5 spaces in front of the National Museum of American History
  
• 5 spaces near the National Gallery of Art, which is not part of the Smithsonian

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