How DCA parking works
If you can walk, use Parking 1 or 2. They sit on the terminal and the airport runs a grace window in those garages so a quick pickup does not become an hour of garage fees. That grace is for getting someone, not for a three-hour meeting in Crystal City.
Economy is cheaper and farther. Construction has eaten Economy capacity through 2026, so the lot hits Limited earlier than it used to. If Economy is already tight on the board, do not count on a space after you sit in GW Parkway traffic.
National has no long-haul international hall. Most people are gone one to four days. That is why the terminal garages fill first. For a week in Europe you are usually better off on the Metro than leaving a car here.
Which lot
- Pickup or a few hours: Parking 1 or 2.
- A cheaper overnight: Economy, if it still shows Open.
- A week away: consider Metro instead of a car.