Capital One Arena has had several names since its opening in 1997. It was originally called the MCI Center from 1997 to 2006. From 2006 to 2017, it was known as the Verizon Center. In 2017, Capital One purchased the naming rights to the arena and it has been known as Capital One Arena ever since.

The arena is owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment and its capacity varies depending on the event. For basketball games, it can seat up to 20,356 people. For ice hockey games, it can seat up to 18,573 people.

Washington DC is served by Dulles International Airport (IAD) which is located 26 miles west of Downtown Washington DC. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and United Airlines all fly direct from the UK.

If your already in the US and looking to travel to/from Washington DC then you have the choice of most US domestic airlines including Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

Washington DC is also served by Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), which provides internal flights by Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Jet Blue, Southwest and United Airlines. Washington DC is also well served by AMTRAK Train connecting East Coast cities.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is the principal public transport operator in Washington DC and immediate area. The Silver Line runs from Dulles International Airport and takes about 50 mins to get to downtown Washington DC. Click Here for the WMATA Website.

Finding a Metro Station

At the airport, the Metro station is well signposted once you get through Customs.

Once in Washington DC, Tall brown columns with a large M identify the station entrance. Colour stripes on the column show the lines that serve the station.

Paying the Fare

Fares are based on length of trip and entry time, and are subject to change during special events. Due to these caveats, I would recommend buying a 3-day ($28.00) or 7-day ($58.00) pass, depending on the length of visit.

You can also just add $ value to the card and app, and as you have to tap in and tap out of stations, it works out your fare and reduces your credit accordingly.

You will need to load the pass or $ value on a SmarTrip card, which can be purchased from a farecard machine at any Metro Station or downloading the SmarTrip app to your phone and purchasing via the app. I downloaded the app prior to getting to Washington and purchased a pass and it activated on first scan.

One other reason to use a SmarTrip card or app, which also covers busses in Washington DC, is if you transfer from Bus to Metro or vice versa, is that you get free or discounted fares for 2 hours after you start your journey.

There are plenty of choices of places to stay in Washington DC depending on your preferences and budget. As the Metro system covers a lot of Washington DC, getting to the ballpark is quite easy from anywhere, you can balance budget and location accordingly.

For first time visitors to Washington DC, I would suggest staying somewhere near the National Mall, because it is home to most of the main attractions such as iconic monuments, federal buildings and Smithsonian museums, which you will be glad to know are all free to visit.

As with most major cities, you have the choice of all the usual accommodations, from Airbnb and Sonder to Premium hotels, either booked directly or via one of the hotel reservation booking sites.

The Washington Capitals sell their tickets via Ticketmaster.

The official ticket partner for the NHL is Ticketmaster.

Here are links to the main ticket resale sites. Click on the link, which will open up a new window, and you can compare the prices on the different ticket resell sites, bearing in mind that the prices shown are before the selling platform fees are added, so take time to have a read of my tips to Buying Tickets in North America.

• SeatGeek
• SportsEvents365 (Click on the Search Button)
• StubHub International
• StubHub US
• Ticketmaster US
• TicketNetwork
• Viagogo
• Vivid Seats

I recommend downloading the team’s Mobile App to your phone as it contains much Gameday information for the stadium.