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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Reston
Give Reston one night as a Dulles base or a half-day for Lake Anne Plaza; its real draw is the Silver Line into Washington, DC, 45 min away.
Reston is a planned community of about 58,000 people, 32 km west of Washington, DC, built from 1964 around Lake Anne and now anchored by Reston Town Center and two Silver Line Metro stations. Sights are thin and spread out; the town works best as an airport-adjacent base or a quiet stop between DC and Dulles.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and humidity)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Fairfax County non-emergency police 703-691-2131
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $4–7 |
| Casual lunch | $12–20 |
| Reston Town Center dinner, mid-range | $25–45 |
| Draught beer | $7–10 |
| Silver Line Metro ride | $2–6.75 (check) |
| Rideshare, 5 kmRideshare, 3.1 mi | $12–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- IAD · Washington Dulles International
- About a 10-min drive; the Silver Line also serves the airport.
Typical fares
- Metro Reston → Washington, DC
- about $6.75 peak, 45 min (check)
- Rideshare Dulles → Reston
- $20–30, about 15 min (check)
- Fairfax Connector bus
- about $2, exact change or card (check)
Get around
The Silver Line runs to Washington, DC in about 45 min and to Dulles airport in a few stops. Fairfax Connector buses cover the town; Capital Bikeshare and the Reston path network suit short trips. Roads wind and a GPS helps.
See and do
Known for
- Lake Anne Plaza
- Reston Town Center
- Silver Line Metro to Washington, DC
- Planned-community design
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | Silver Line Metro from Reston Town Center or Wiehle-Reston East | About 1 h |
| Herndon | Fairfax Connector bus or a short drive west | About 20–30 min |
| Falls Church | Dulles Toll Road east, then Route 7 | About 30 min |
| Mount Vernon | Drive via the Beltway and Route 1 | About 50 min |
| Lorton | Drive south on Fairfax County Parkway | About 35 min |
Sleep
- Reston Town Center
- Hotels, restaurants and the ice rink on one walkable block; Silver Line station nearby.
- Sunrise Valley Drive
- Business hotels with airport shuttles; quieter, car-first.
- Lake Anne
- The original 1960s village; small, low-rise, best for a quiet night.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the Metro station? | Where is the Metro station? |
| The check, please | The check, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Reston is car-first outside Reston Town Center; pavements do not connect everything.
- Summer afternoons are hot and humid; plan indoor stops midday.
- Metro fares and hours change; check WMATA before a late return.
Reston is a low-crime suburban town; the real risks are traffic on the parkways and unlit path sections after dark. 911 covers police, fire and ambulance.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Reston yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lake Anne Plaza
- Reston Town Center
- Silver Line Metro to Washington, DC
- Planned-community design
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Reston Association: www.reston.org/
- Fairfax County Park Authority: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/
- WMATA — Metrorail: www.wmata.com/
- Washington Dulles International Airport: flydulles.com/iad/dulles-international-airport
- Wikivoyage: Reston, revision 5310040 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5310040
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Reston
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Fairfax County non-emergency police703-691-2131
No embassies in Reston; they are in Washington, DC, about 45 min by Metro.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/reston). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.