There are 7 ways to get from Washington DC to Charleston by plane, train (Amtrak), bus (Greyhound, Flixbus), car, subway, or train
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Charleston International Airport
best- Fly from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Charleston International Airport (CHS)plane DCA - CHS
4h 47m$555–1,106Subway to Washington Dulles International Airport, fly to Charleston International Airport
cheapest- Take the subway from McPherson Square, Blue/Orange/Silver Line Track 2 Platform to Washington Dulles International Airport, Silver Line Center Platformsubway
- Fly from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Charleston International Airport (CHS)plane IAD - CHS
5h 18m$74–425Train (Amtrak)
- Take the train from Washington Union Station to Charleston Amtrak Stationtrain Silver Meteor / ...
10h 54m$302–472Bus
- Take the bus from Washington Union Station to Raleigh Bus Stationbus Greyhound US0670 / ...
- Take the bus from Raleigh Bus Station to Charleston Bus Stationbus Greyhound US0645S
15h 50m$101–171Drive 500 mi
- Drive from Washington DC to Charlestoncar 500 mi
9h 18m$89–128Train to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, fly to Charleston International Airport
- Take the train from Washington Union Station to BWI Thurgood Marshalltrain
- Fly from Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) to Charleston International Airport (CHS)plane BWI - CHS
5h 29m$756–1,454Fly Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Hilton Head Airport, drive
- Fly from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Hilton Head Airport (HHH)plane DCA - HHH
- Drive from Hilton Head Airport (HHH) to Charlestoncar
5h 41m$116–630
Washington DC to Charleston by foot and bus
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Washington DC to Charleston is to drive which costs $85 - $130 and takes 9h 18m.
The fastest way to get from Washington DC to Charleston is to fly which takes 4h 47m and costs $550 - $1,200.
No, there is no direct bus from Washington DC to Charleston. However, there are services departing from 11 St NW+F St NW and arriving at Transit Mall via Washington Union Station, Raleigh Bus Station, North Charleston Transit Center and Rivers Ave / Cosgrove Ave. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 15h 50m.
No, there is no direct train from Washington DC to Charleston station. However, there are services departing from Metro Center, Red Line Track 1 Platform and arriving at Charleston Amtrak Station via Washington Union Station. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 10h 54m.
The distance between Washington DC and Charleston is 469 miles. The road distance is 502.9 miles.
The best way to get from Washington DC to Charleston without a car is to train which takes 10h 54m and costs $300 - $480.
It takes approximately 4h 47m to get from Washington DC to Charleston, including transfers.
Washington DC to Charleston bus services, operated by Greyhound USA, depart from Washington Union Station.
Washington DC to Charleston train services, operated by Amtrak, depart from Washington Union Station.
The best way to get from Washington DC to Charleston is to fly which takes 4h 47m and costs $550 - $1,200. Alternatively, you can train, which costs $300 - $480 and takes 10h 54m, you could also bus, which costs $100 - $180 and takes 15h 50m.
What companies run services between Washington DC, USA and Charleston, SC, USA?
American Airlines and Delta fly from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Charleston International Airport (CHS) every 3 hours. Alternatively, Amtrak operates a train from Washington Union Station to Charleston Amtrak Station twice daily. Tickets cost $270–430 and the journey takes 9h 24m.
- Website
- aa.com
Flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Charleston International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 58m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $100–650
Flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Charleston International Airport via Charlotte
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 3m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $110–650
Flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Charleston International Airport via Charlotte
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 58m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–430
Flights from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Charleston International Airport via Charlotte
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 10m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $85–500
Flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Hilton Head Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–600
Flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Hilton Head Airport via Charlotte
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 17m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–600
- Website
- delta.com
Flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Charleston International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 9m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–750
Flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Charleston International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 10m
- When
- Monday, Sunday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $95–500
Flights from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Charleston International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 21m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $110–600
- Website
- southwest.com
Flights from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Charleston International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 51m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $80–490
- Website
- united.com
Flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Charleston International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 52m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–420
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from Washington Union Station to Charleston Amtrak Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 24m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $270–430
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from Washington Union Station to BWI Thurgood Marshall
- Ave. Duration
- 35 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $16–25
- Website
- Amtrak
Subway from McPherson Square, Blue/Orange/Silver Line Track 2 Platform to Washington Dulles International Airport, Silver Line Center Platform
- Ave. Duration
- 48 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- $2–3
- Website
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
- standard fare after 9:30 p.m
- $2–3
- Phone
- 1-866-743-3682
- Website
- Maryland Transit
Train from Washington Union Station to BWI Thurgood Marshall
- Ave. Duration
- 35 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $2–9
- Website
- Maryland Transit
- Standard Fare
- $2–9
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak Acela
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from Washington Union Station to BWI Thurgood Marshall
- Ave. Duration
- 20 min
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- $6–550
- Schedules at
- Amtrak Acela
- Website
- Amtrak
- Business Class
- $6–440
- First Class
- $100–550
Rome2Rio's guide to Greyhound USA
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 214-849-8100
- [email protected]
- Website
- Greyhound
Bus from Washington Union Station to Raleigh Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 35m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- $45–75
- Website
- Greyhound
Bus from Raleigh Bus Station to Charleston Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 5m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $55–90
- Website
- Greyhound
- Phone
- +1 (855) 626-8585
- Website
- Flixbus USA
Bus from Washington Union Station to Raleigh Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 5m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $40–65
- Schedules at
- Flixbus USA
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Booking & Getting There
Washington DC to Charleston bus services, operated by Greyhound USA, arrive at Raleigh Bus Station.
Washington DC to Charleston train services, operated by Amtrak, arrive at Charleston Amtrak Station.
Yes, the driving distance between Washington DC to Charleston is 503 miles. It takes approximately 9h 18m to drive from Washington DC to Charleston.
There are 1899+ hotels available in Charleston.