Arlington Cemetery Station - DC Metro
Blue Line - station in Arlington, VA.
About Arlington Cemetery station
This is the rare Metro station that exists to serve a single destination. Arlington Cemetery station sits on the Blue Line at the eastern edge of Arlington National Cemetery, a short level walk from the Welcome Center where visitors begin their tour. There is no station parking and the surrounding area is parkland and memorial roadway rather than neighborhood, so almost everyone passing through the faregates is either a visitor to the cemetery or someone attending a service. The station is quiet for much of the day and then busy in waves as tour groups arrive. Ridership patterns here look nothing like the rest of the system: heaviest in the middle of the day, lightest at rush hour.
The area around Arlington Cemetery
There is effectively no neighborhood here in the usual sense. The station sits among the memorial landscape on the Virginia bank of the Potomac – cemetery grounds to the west, Memorial Avenue and the approach to Arlington Memorial Bridge to the east, and the green corridor toward the Netherlands Carillon to the north. Riders are visitors, cemetery staff and families attending burials. Nothing commercial is within walking distance.
What is near Arlington Cemetery station?
The visitor entry point for the cemetery, with orientation exhibits, restrooms and the start of the tour route.
3 min walkThe guarded tomb at the Memorial Amphitheater, with the changing of the guard performed on a set schedule.
16 min walkThe hillside grave with its eternal flame, looking back across the river toward the city.
14 min walkThe curved memorial and museum built into the ceremonial entrance gate at the cemetery s eastern edge.
4 min walkA bell tower on the ridge north of the cemetery, next to the Marine Corps War Memorial, reached along Memorial Avenue.
20 min walkFirst and last trains at Arlington Cemetery
Departure times by direction. Which way you are traveling matters – the last train toward one terminal can be an hour before the last train the other way.
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Downtown Largo | 5:29 am | 9:55 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Franconia-Springfield | 5:31 am | 9:53 pm |
| Fri | Downtown Largo | 5:29 am | 9:55 pm |
| Fri | Franconia-Springfield | 5:31 am | 9:53 pm |
| Sat | Downtown Largo | 6:27 am | 9:55 pm |
| Sat | Franconia-Springfield | 6:31 am | 9:53 pm |
| Sun | Downtown Largo | 6:29 am | 9:57 pm |
| Sun | Franconia-Springfield | 6:31 am | 9:53 pm |
Travel times and fares from Arlington Cemetery
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 9 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 16 min | $2.30 | $2.30 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 13 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Union Station | 20 min | $2.70 | $2.50 |
| Smithsonian | 12 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 8 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 53 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 3 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Downtown Largo | 38 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Franconia-Springfield | 26 min | $6.35 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Arlington Cemetery
Arlington Cemetery is served by the Blue Line only.
Parking at Arlington Cemetery
Tips for using Arlington Cemetery
- There is no parking at this station – drivers use the cemetery’s own paid visitor lot instead, reached from Memorial Avenue.
- Arlington Cemetery is served only by the Blue Line, so if you are coming from an Orange or Silver line station you will need to change at Rosslyn.
- The cemetery grounds are large and hilly; the walk from the station to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier takes well over fifteen minutes on foot.
- Cemetery opening hours are shorter than Metro service hours, so plan the visit around the cemetery rather than the trains.
Arlington Cemetery station FAQ
Very close. The station sits beside the cemetery s eastern boundary and the Welcome Center is a level walk of about three minutes. This is the standard arrival point for visitors using public transit, and signage from the platform to the entrance is clear.
Only the Blue Line stops here. Riders on the Orange or Silver lines usually change at Rosslyn, one stop away; riders coming from downtown Washington can stay on a Blue Line train straight through from Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn.
No, the station has no Metro parking facility. Arlington National Cemetery operates its own paid visitor parking garage accessed from Memorial Avenue, which is the option for drivers. Most visitors arriving by transit simply walk from the station platform.
You can, but it is a walk of roughly twenty minutes north along Memorial Avenue and up toward the ridge, outside the cemetery walls. Rosslyn station is a comparable distance from the memorial and some visitors find that approach easier.