Friendship Heights Station - DC Metro
Red Line - station in Washington, DC.
About Friendship Heights station
Friendship Heights straddles the boundary between the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Maryland, which is why it has an unusually large number of street entrances for a single Red Line station – seven in total, scattered along Wisconsin Avenue and the streets around it. The station sits under a retail and office district that grew up around that state line, and it has long been the northwest corner’s shopping stop. Ridership is a mixture of Maryland commuters riding in toward downtown, office workers in the buildings above, and shoppers. Knowing which entrance you want matters here more than at most stations, because the exits are spread over several blocks.
The area around Friendship Heights
Friendship Heights is a dense pocket of mid-rise apartments, offices, and retail at the top of Wisconsin Avenue, surrounded on all sides by leafy, expensive residential streets in both DC and Chevy Chase. It is a commercial island in a residential sea. The retail mix has shifted considerably over the years, so it is worth checking current listings before making a special trip.
What is near Friendship Heights station?
The retail corridor immediately above the station, running north into Chevy Chase, Maryland.
1 min walkMulti-level retail and office complex on the DC side of the state line, connected to the station area.
2 min walkTree-lined streets of substantial early 20th century houses just north and east of the commercial core.
6 min walkFirst and last trains at Friendship Heights
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 | Glenmont | 5:20 am | 11:51 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Shady Grove | 5:21 am | 12:24 am |
| Fri | Glenmont | 5:20 am | 1:51 am |
| Fri | Shady Grove | 5:21 am | 2:24 am |
| Sat | Glenmont | 6:20 am | 1:51 am |
| Sat | Shady Grove | 6:27 am | 2:24 am |
| Sun | Glenmont | 6:20 am | 11:51 pm |
| Sun | Shady Grove | 6:33 am | 12:24 am |
Travel times and fares from Friendship Heights
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 15 min | $3.35 | $2.50 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 17 min | $3.45 | $2.50 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 25 min | $3.85 | $2.50 |
| Union Station | 21 min | $3.85 | $2.50 |
| Smithsonian | 23 min | $3.65 | $2.50 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 35 min | $5.10 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 73 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 30 min | $4.40 | $2.50 |
| Shady Grove | 21 min | $6.30 | $2.50 |
| Glenmont | 46 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Friendship Heights
Friendship Heights is served by the Red Line only.
Parking at Friendship Heights
Tips for using Friendship Heights
- With seven entrances spread along Wisconsin Avenue, check which one serves your destination before you go down – the wrong choice can cost you several blocks.
- The station straddles the DC-Maryland line, so some exits leave you in the District and others in Montgomery County.
- Retail here has changed a lot in recent years; confirm a specific store is still open before traveling to it.
Friendship Heights station FAQ
The station runs under a dense commercial district that sits astride the DC-Maryland boundary, with office and retail buildings on both sides of Wisconsin Avenue. Multiple entrances connect directly into those buildings and to the surrounding streets, which is why there are seven in total.
Both, effectively. The station is at the boundary, so some of its entrances open in the District of Columbia and others in Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland. This matters for local buses, taxes, and jurisdiction, but not for riding the train.
WMATA does not operate a park-and-ride facility here. There is commercial garage parking in the surrounding retail buildings, but it is privately run and paid. Most riders arrive on foot, by bus, or by train from further out on the Red Line.
The Red Line only. Trains run southeast through Tenleytown-AU and Woodley Park toward downtown Washington, and northwest through Bethesda and Grosvenor-Strathmore toward the Shady Grove terminus. There is no transfer to another line at this station.