Which Washington Airport is best to fly or closest to City?

Ronald Reagan Washington National airport is theclosest to central Washington, D.C region located12 miles (20 km) and the fast Metro Washington DC Blue line, takes 15 minutes to the city centre. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is 32 miles (51 km) from the city and its fastest public transport link is the Metro Washington DC train (green & yellow lines) which is connected by the B30 metro buses from the airport to central Washington, D.C and it takes about 79 minutes for this trip. Washington Dulles International Airport is the furthest located 33 miles (52 km) away just one mile further by road than BWI. The fastest public transport the Metro Washington DC line 5A bus takes about 44 minutes to Washington, D.C city.
Compare airport distances and transfer times to the center of Washington, D.C by public transport below.

Distance to Central Washington, D.C:
Ronald Reagan Washington NationalAirport: 12miles / 20 km
Baltimore/Washington InternationalAirport: 32 miles / 51 km
Washington Dulles InternationalAirport:33 miles / 52km

Ronald Reagan Washington NationalAirport to the Central Washington, D.CJourney Times:
By Train: 15 minutes
By Taxi: 5 minutes

Baltimore/Washington InternationalAirport to Central Washington, D.CJourney Times:
By Train (Bus + Metro Train): 79 minutes
By Bus (Line 201 to Burtonsville + 305, 315 city centre): 156 minutes
By Taxi: 42 minutes

Washington Dulles InternationalAirport to Central Washington, D.CJourney Times:
By Train (Silver Line Express + Metro Washington DC Silver): 59 minutes
By Bus (Metro Washington DC5A): 44 minutes
By Taxi: 41 minutes

Deciding which airport is best to fly greatly depends on the destination you are departing from, airport and airline also determines which airport you will arrive into in Washington, D.C.
Ronald Reagan Washington National airport is just 20 kilometres to the city and is served by fast public Metro Washington DC Blue train line which will get you to the city centre in 15 minutes. Though it closer to the city centre, this airport handles some international flights to Canada and mostly domestic flights within the country but it has the capacity to handle inbound flights from international destinations. It is the closest commercial airport serving Washington DC region, airlines that serve this airport include Sun Country Airlines, Air Canada Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways Airlines, Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Envoy Air, United Airlines, American Airlines,Virgin America Airlines, and Envoy Air. It is faster for travellers to get to top attractions such as The White House, United States Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, The Pentagon, and more within Washington DC from this airport than the other two airports. It has all the facilities to make your flight worthwhile such as free Wi-Fi, airport lounges, shopping and dining, and many more. This airport has 3 terminals connected by metro rails and shuttle buses making it less a hassle for passengers with a lot of luggage, most business travellers will likely use this airport to fly into Washington DC.
Baltimore/Washington International airport is the primary airport serving Baltimore area and Baltimore-Washington D.C regional city, it is the largest of the three airports with 5 concourses (A, B, C, D, & E) which are connected together but is a bit inconveniencing for people with a lot of luggage and or travelling with kids as you have to walk around on foot. The airport is 51 kilometres from Washington DC, and the public transport links are not convenient for passengers with children or plenty of luggage due to connections. The Metro Washington B30 bus connects the Metro train Green & yellow lines while the Maryland Transit bus 201 from this airport to the city centre connects to lines 301 & 315, this can be tiring and journeys longer for travellers. It takes about 1hour 19 minutes by train and 2 hours 36 minutes by bus, this is very long for passenger transfer and is inconveniencing for business travellers on a schedule. Automatically, taxis are the best means to transfer from the airport taking just 42 minutes. Many top flag airlines serve this airport with domestic and international flights to major cities across the world. Airlines include Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Boutique Air, British Airways, Condor, Contour, Delta Air Lines, Icelandair, JetBlue, Southern Airways Express, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin America, WOW air and many other airlines.
Washington Dulles International Airport is the furthest from the city centre just a mile further than Ronald Reagan airport at 52 kilometres, it is the large airport also with a single terminal building that houses four concourses (A, B, C & D). These concourses are linked together by inter-terminal AeroTrain and Mobile Lounge (People Mover), it will take you 44 minutes by bus (Metro Bus 5A) to the city centre. Using the train from this airport is not convenient as it does not have a direct train station bus the Silver Line Express runs daily to the Silver Line Express train station nearby and it takes 59 minutes to central Washington DC. DullesInternational airport is also served by major airlines such as Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, AirCanada, Airchina, Airfrance, AirIndia, Alaska, American Airlines, ANA, Austrian, Avianca, British Airways, Brussels airlines, CopaAirlines, Delta, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad Airways, Frontier, Icelandair, JetBlue, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, and many others to many destinations across the country and the world.

Ronald Reagan Washington National airport can be considered better than Baltimore/Washington and Dulles airports because it is closer to the city centre and linked to parts of Washington DC by fast Metro trains which takes just 15 minutes total transfer journey time. It will cost you around $2-$4 for the trip to the city centre, as an airport serving the capital of the United States of America and Baltimore region, you might experience some queues at security and immigration due to influx of tourists.

The White House has been the official residence of all the President of the United States since the second President John Adams in 1800. It is faster from Ronald Reagan Washington National airport taking just 28 minutes using the Metro Washington DC train blue line which costs $2-$4, buses charge $2 for the 37 minutes trip. These public transport links get you to the Farragut square where you have to walk down to the White House for sightseeing and photographs. Taxi and Uber are faster means taking just 6 minutes, taxis charge $15-$19 and Uber $9-$15. Other attractions in Washington DC to see include Lincoln Memorial, United States Capitol, Washington Monument, The White House, The Pentagon, National Mall, Smithsonian Institution Offices, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Capitol Hill, National Gallery of Art, Arlington National Cemetery, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Tidal Basin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, International Spy Museum, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Newseum, Ford's Theatre, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, World War II Memorial, United States National Arboretum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Hirshhorn Museum, Downtown Washington, National Museum of the American Indian, Washington National Cathedral, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Supreme Court of the United States, and many more.

From Ronald Reagan Washington NationalAirport by: Train (Metro Train Blue Line):$2-$4 single
–https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/Train runs every 15 minutes from Mon-Fri: 5 am - 11:30 pm, Friday: 5 am - 1 am, Saturday: 7 am - 1 am & Sunday: 8 am - 11 pm.
Taxi: $118.56–https://dcyellowcab.com/Available 24/7.
Uber:$23 - $77 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate//Available on demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

From Baltimore/Washington Airport by: Train (Bus + Train):$7.35-12.65 single - http://www.wmata.com/Bus runs hourly and train runs every 15 minutes from 6:30am to 9:30pm.
Bus (Maryland Transit 201):$3-$10
single-https://mta.maryland.gov/local-and-statewide-transit-infoBus runs hourly weekdays from 5:05 a.m. to 11:05 p.m. and on weekends/holidays from 9:05 a.m. to 11:05 p.m.
Taxi:$140-$180 –http://nextdestinationllc.com/Available 24/7.
Uber:$42 - $158 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate// Available on demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

From Washington Dulles Airport by: Bus (Metro Bus 5A): $19.38-$21.85- http://www.wmata.com/Bus runs every 35 minutes, 4:50am to 11:20pm.
Taxi: $150.82–http://www.restonexpress.com/Available 24/7.
Uber:$48 to $170 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate//Available on
demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

Hotel prices can vary greatly depending on how far in advance you book, the demand for rooms, and which hotel you book but the prices below will give you a rough idea and you can do further research and hotel booking at https://www.tripindicator.com/hotel.html
Ronald Reagan Washington NationalAirport Hotels:From $189 per night.
Baltimore/WashingtonAirport Hotels: From $119per night
Washington DullesAirport Hotels: From $199per night

All of the airports mentioned offer competitive prices and a range of cars to suit your needs. Prices are based on the type of car, driver age, length of hire, and demand but you can get a rough idea for each airport below.

Ronald Reagan Washington NationalAirport Car Rental: Standard Cars – Mitsubishi Galant - $220.58 per week
Economy Cars – Chevrolet Spark -$209.83 per week
Compact Cars - Nissan Versa-$167.18 per week
Intermediate Cars-Toyota Corolla-$215.8 per week.
Compare prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-rental.html

Baltimore/WashingtonAirport Car Rental: Standard Cars –Nissan Tiida - $340.90 per week
Economy Cars – Chevrolet Spark - $303.85 per week
Compact Cars –Chevrolet Sonic - $236.86 per week
Intermediate Cars-Toyota Corolla - $330.88 per week.
Compare Prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-rental.html

Washington DullesAirport Car Rental: Budget Cars – Fordka - $109.56 per week
Economy Cars – vw Gol - $106.23 per week
Compact Cars - VW Voyage 6 - $139.30 per week
Intermediate Cars - Sentra - $321.36 per week.
Compare Prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-rental.html

DCA is the busiest airport, it serves major international and domestic flights. It generally operates 795 flights monthly.

At BWI: Aloft BWI Baltimore Washington International (2km).
At DCA: Global luxury Suites at Crystal City(1km).
At IAD:  Westin Washington  Dulles Airport.

Ronald Regan Washington National Airport is very close to the Washington, D.C. region. It is located just across the Potomac River in Virginia. It is the primary airport which serves Washington D.C

At BWI:  The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore located 10.7 miles from BWI, a perfect destination for visitors. It has world standards, extraordinary architecture, and innovative layouts.
At DCA: Washington Monument is the nearest place to visit from DCA, it is located 4.9 miles at 555 feet 51/8 inches tall with 55 feet wide base.
At IAD: The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Virginia location of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Located next to Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, VA, this 760,000 square-foot Museum houses nearly 3,000 collections of art that chronicle the history of aviation and spaceflight including a Space Shuttle.

BWI charges higher flight fares than DCA and IAD, based on destinations.

BWI is the largest airport in Maryland. It Serves the tri-state area of Washington D.C.

IAD has a single terminal, with two modified terminal buildings: Concourses A/B and C/D.