Parking
A DC rental with somewhere to put the car.
Free private off-street parking with EV charging in Foggy Bottom. Free registered street parking on Capitol Hill. In this city, that is not a small thing.
Parking is the detail guests raise more than almost anything else. Nearly a quarter of our reviews mention it without being asked, which tells you something about what it is like to drive into Washington and hope for the best.
The city makes it hard on purpose. Most residential blocks inside the old street grid are zoned for permit holders, which means a visitor's car is good for two hours and then it is a ticket. Commercial garages exist, charge by the night on top of whatever you are already paying for a room, and are rarely where you actually want to be. Hotels that advertise parking usually mean valet at a nightly rate.
Both of our homes solve this, in different ways, and neither costs you anything extra.
Foggy Bottom: your own space behind the house
A private off-street parking space, 21 feet by 10 feet, directly behind the home and reserved for you for the length of your stay. Not a garage two streets over and not a space you share. It fits full-size SUVs and pickups without drama, which is the question we are asked most often.
It also has a ChargePoint Level 2 EV charger, and its use is included. Level 2 will take most cars from low to full overnight, so you can arrive on fumes after a long drive and leave with a full battery. In this part of the city, a private space with charging attached is close to unheard of. See the Foggy Bottom home.
Capitol Hill: free street parking, handled for you
Capitol Hill is a residential permit zone, which is exactly the problem described above, and we take care of it rather than leaving it to you. Before you arrive we send a short vehicle form. We register your license plate with the District at no charge, and the restrictions stop applying to your car.
It is entirely plate based. There is nothing to print, nothing to hang from the mirror, nothing to feed, and no meter to run back to. Guests generally find a space within sight of the house, and the ones arriving in larger vehicles tell us the same. See the Capitol Hill home.
What this actually saves you
- A nightly parking charge, which most downtown hotels add on top of the room rate and which nobody enjoys discovering at checkout.
- The two hour problem. No moving the car before breakfast, no watching the clock during dinner, no ticket on the windshield at the end of a good day.
- The charging question, if you drive an EV. Public chargers in DC exist and are frequently occupied.
- Arriving late without a plan. Both homes have keypad entry and a place for the car, at any hour.
You probably will not need it once you are here
Worth saying plainly: neither home requires a car to enjoy. Foggy Bottom Metro is six minutes on foot from one, on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. Union Station, with the Red Line, Amtrak, and the buses, is a ten minute walk from the other. Most guests park on arrival and do not touch the car again until they leave.
Where it earns its keep is getting here, and getting out again: Mount Vernon, Great Falls, Annapolis, the Shenandoah, or simply not paying for four airport transfers. Park it, forget it, and use it on the day you want it.
Common questions
Is there a Washington DC vacation rental with free parking?
Yes. The Foggy Bottom home includes a free private off-street space, 21 feet by 10 feet, directly behind the house, with complimentary use of a ChargePoint Level 2 EV charger. The Capitol Hill home has free street parking, with your license plate registered with the city before you arrive so the residential permit restrictions do not apply to you.
How does the Capitol Hill street parking registration work?
Before arrival we send a short vehicle form. We register your license plate with the District at no charge to you. It is entirely plate based, so there is nothing to print, display, or feed. Guests usually park within sight of the house, larger vehicles included.
Can I charge an electric car at your DC rental?
At Foggy Bottom, yes. The private parking space has a ChargePoint Level 2 charger and its use is included in your stay at no extra cost. Level 2 will fully recharge most vehicles overnight.
Will my SUV or large vehicle fit?
The Foggy Bottom space is 21 feet by 10 feet, which takes full-size SUVs and pickups comfortably. On Capitol Hill the street spaces are generous, and guests with larger vehicles report no difficulty.
Do I need a car in Washington, DC?
No, and most guests park once and walk or take the Metro for the rest of the stay. Parking matters mainly for getting here and for day trips out of the city.