Gallery Pl-Chinatown Station - DC Metro
Red Line, Green Line and Yellow Line - interchange station in Washington, DC.
About Gallery Pl-Chinatown station
Three lines meet at Gallery Pl-Chinatown – Red on one level, Green and Yellow on another – which makes it one of the busiest interchanges on the DC Metro and one of the most useful stations for a visitor to know. Eight street entrances feed out into Penn Quarter and Chinatown, and the arena above the station means the crowd swings dramatically depending on whether there is a game or a concert. On an ordinary weekday it is office workers and museum visitors; on an event night the platforms and escalators fill in a matter of minutes. The Friendship Archway over H Street, two Smithsonian art museums, and Ford’s Theatre are all within a few minutes’ walk.
The area around Gallery Pl-Chinatown
Penn Quarter and Chinatown: restaurants, theaters, bars, and hotels packed into a compact downtown grid, with the arena as the anchor. Chinatown itself has shrunk over the decades to a few blocks around the archway, but the area is one of central Washington’s liveliest at night. The crowd mixes office workers, theatergoers, sports fans, and museum visitors.
What is near Gallery Pl-Chinatown station?
Downtown arena hosting the Capitals, the Wizards, and major concerts, directly above the station.
1 min walkThe ornate Chinese gate spanning H Street NW, the visual center of what remains of DC Chinatown.
2 min walkTwo Smithsonian museums sharing the historic Old Patent Office Building, with a covered courtyard between them.
3 min walkThe theater where Abraham Lincoln was shot, with a museum and the Petersen House across the street.
7 min walkVast brick building with an enormous columned Great Hall, devoted to architecture and design.
7 min walkFirst and last trains at Gallery Pl-Chinatown
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 | 5:35 am | 12:12 am |
| Mon-Thu | Shady Grove | 5:27 am | 12:03 am |
| Fri | Glenmont | 5:35 am | 2:12 am |
| Fri | Shady Grove | 5:27 am | 2:03 am |
| Sat | Glenmont | 6:35 am | 2:12 am |
| Sat | Shady Grove | 6:27 am | 2:03 am |
| Sun | Glenmont | 6:35 am | 12:12 am |
| Sun | Shady Grove | 6:27 am | 12:03 am |
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Branch Av | 5:25 am | 11:56 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Greenbelt | 5:22 am | 12:21 am |
| Fri | Branch Av | 5:25 am | 1:56 am |
| Fri | Greenbelt | 5:22 am | 2:21 am |
| Sat | Branch Av | 6:25 am | 1:56 am |
| Sat | Greenbelt | 6:22 am | 2:21 am |
| Sun | Branch Av | 6:25 am | 11:56 pm |
| Sun | Greenbelt | 6:22 am | 12:21 am |
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Greenbelt | 5:24 am | 11:59 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Huntington | 5:27 am | 11:58 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Mt Vernon Sq | 5:36 am | 11:30 pm |
| Fri | Greenbelt | 5:24 am | 1:59 am |
| Fri | Huntington | 5:27 am | 1:58 am |
| Fri | Mt Vernon Sq | 5:36 am | 1:30 am |
| Sat | Greenbelt | 6:24 am | 1:57 am |
| Sat | Huntington | 6:28 am | 1:58 am |
| Sat | Mt Vernon Sq | 6:34 am | 1:30 am |
| Sun | Greenbelt | 6:24 am | 11:59 pm |
| Sun | Huntington | 6:28 am | 11:58 pm |
| Sun | Mt Vernon Sq | 6:36 am | 11:31 pm |
Travel times and fares from Gallery Pl-Chinatown
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 2 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 3 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Union Station | 4 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Smithsonian | 10 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 13 min | $2.80 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 60 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 8 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Shady Grove | 38 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Glenmont | 29 min | $6.45 | $2.50 |
| Branch Ave | 22 min | $4.95 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Gallery Pl-Chinatown
1 min away
NEXT · REDJudiciary Square1 min away
PREVIOUS · GREENArchives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter1 min away
NEXT · GREENMt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center2 min away
PREVIOUS · YELLOWArchives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter1 min away
NEXT · YELLOWMt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center2 min away
Parking at Gallery Pl-Chinatown
Tips for using Gallery Pl-Chinatown
- The two Smithsonian art museums are unusually close to the station – use the F Street or 7th Street entrances and you are there in a couple of minutes.
- After arena events the station is extremely crowded; if you can wait fifteen minutes in a nearby bar or cafe, the platforms clear noticeably.
- Red Line and Green/Yellow Line platforms are on different levels here, so follow the signs carefully when transferring.
Gallery Pl-Chinatown station FAQ
The station has entrances directly at the arena on the 7th and F Street side, so the walk is essentially nothing. Signage inside the station points toward the arena. Expect heavy crowding at these entrances immediately before and after events.
The Red Line on one level and the Green and Yellow Lines on another. It is one of the key interchanges in the system, connecting the Red Line to the Green and Yellow corridor. Metro Center, one stop away, connects the Red Line with Blue, Orange, and Silver instead.
Around three minutes on foot. The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery share the Old Patent Office Building between F and G Streets NW, directly beside the station. Both are free to enter.
No, they are separate stations one stop apart on the Red Line. Metro Center connects the Red Line with the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines; Gallery Pl-Chinatown connects the Red Line with the Green and Yellow Lines. Between them they cover every line in the system.