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Trip from Alexandria, VA to Belmont, VA

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

56m

Distance

41.3 mi

67 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 52m ★
6 AM
0h 57m
8 AM
1h 6m
10 AM
1h 0m
12 PM
0h 59m
3 PM
1h 1m
5 PM
1h 6m
8 PM
0h 54m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Alexandria, VA, VA

Alexandria, VA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Belmont, VA, VA

Belmont, VA

Magda Ehlers

Trip Overview

This 41.3-mile drive from Alexandria, VA to Belmont, VA is a straightforward, one-day trip that will take about 56 minutes to complete. You'll primarily use the Capital Beltway, Dulles Toll Road, and Dulles Greenway, with no significant highway driving. The estimated fuel cost is around $6, and with no designated stops, this route is best suited for a quick excursion rather than an overnight adventure. Given both locations are within the Southeast region, expect a familiar driving environment as you navigate your way.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Capital Beltway 12.5 mi 15m
Dulles Toll Road 11.3 mi 15m
Dulles Greenway 7.9 mi 9m
Capital Beltway (Local) 5 mi 6m
Belmont Ridge Road 2 mi 3m
South Washington Street 0.3 mi <1m
South Patrick Street 0.2 mi <1m
Gibbon Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Capital Beltway — 12.5 mi, about 15m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Alexandria, VA and Belmont, VA.

1

Start on VA 400

75 ft · 6 sec · South Washington Street
2

Turn right onto King Street

314 ft · 14 sec · King Street
3

Turn right onto South Saint Asaph Street

0.2 mi · 41 sec · South Saint Asaph Street
4

Turn right onto Duke Street

334 ft · 18 sec · Duke Street
5

Turn left onto VA 400

0.2 mi · 50 sec · South Washington Street
6

Turn right onto Gibbon Street

0.2 mi · 37 sec · Gibbon Street
7

Turn left onto US 1

0.2 mi · 34 sec · South Patrick Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
8

Take the exit

438 ft · 10 sec
Toward I 95 South, I 495 West, I 95 North, I 495 East: Richmond, Baltimore Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork

0.6 mi · 1 min
Toward I 95 South, I 495 West Use the slight right lane.
10

Merge onto I 95; I 495

5.0 mi · 6 min · Capital Beltway (Local)
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork onto I 495

0.7 mi · 47 sec · Capital Beltway
Use the straight lane.
12

Continue on I 495

2.4 mi · 2 min · Capital Beltway
Exit 170A Toward I 495 North: Tysons Corner Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight right at fork onto I 495

9.5 mi · 11 min · Capital Beltway
Use the straight lane.
14

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Exit 45 Toward VA 267 Toll West: Reston, Herndon, Dulles Airport Use the slight left lane.
15

Merge onto VA 267

1.1 mi · 1 min · Dulles Toll Road
16

Keep slight left at fork

0.4 mi · 22 sec
17

Merge onto VA 267

10 mi · 13 min · Dulles Toll Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Continue on VA 267

7.9 mi · 9 min · Dulles Greenway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 21 sec
Exit 4 Toward VA 659: Belmont Ridge Road Use the slight right lane.
20

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 24 sec
Toward VA 659 North Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
21

Turn straight onto SR 659

2.0 mi · 3 min · Belmont Ridge Road
Use the left lane.
22

Arrive at destination

SR 659

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

census-designated place and unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

McLean, VA

21 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Ashburn, VA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 41 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

McLean, VA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 20.7 miles from Alexandria, VA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 39.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

8
0.9 mi into trip | ~3m in

Take the exit toward I 95 South, I 495 West, I 95 North, I 495 East: Richmond, Baltimore

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 95 South, I 495 West, I 95 North, I 49...
8
1 mi into trip | ~3m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 95 South, I 495 West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 95 South, I 495 West
8
19.1 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward VA 267 Toll West: Reston, Herndon, Dulles Airport

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left lane. Exit 45 Toward VA 267 Toll West: Reston, Herndon, Dulle...
7
39 mi into trip | ~52m in

Take the exit toward VA 659: Belmont Ridge Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 4 Toward VA 659: Belmont Ridge Road
8
39.1 mi into trip | ~53m in

Keep slight right at fork toward VA 659 North

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward VA 659 North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.46 one way

$12.92 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $7.06 $14.12
premium $4.70 $7.64 $15.29
diesel $5.61 $9.12 $18.24

Estimated Tolls: $4.23

Dulles Toll Road (11.3 mi) $2.26
Dulles Greenway (7.9 mi) $1.97

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$4

Total

$11

Estimated CO2 emission: 14.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.4 0 $4.34 $1.98
Efficient EV 10.3 0 $3.61 $1.65
EV Truck/SUV 16.5 0 $5.78 $2.64

Gas CO2

14 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (64% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Alexandria, VA

Late night in Alexandria on Sunday

Local time

4:02 AM

EDT

Current temp

69°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Belmont, VA

Late night in Belmont on Sunday

Local time

4:02 AM

EDT

Current temp

79°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

10 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

56m on the road

Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with a highway share of 0%. While the longest uninterrupted stretch is 12.5 miles on the Capital Beltway, the overall journey involves frequent transitions between major arteries like the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway. This means you'll be managing more navigational changes than on a pure interstate trip. The character of the drive is less about open highway cruising and more about efficiently connecting different segments of the local and toll road network.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.5 mi on Capital Beltway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.9 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 19 decision points packed into just 41.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 56m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Alexandria, VA and Belmont, VA, road signs point toward Herndon and Dulles Airport.

Herndon

19.1 mi in | ~26m

Dulles Airport

19.1 mi in | ~26m

About the Cities

Starting in Alexandria, VA

Full guide →

Alexandria is a city in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., in the United States.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 56m. Total distance: 41.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

56m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 12.5 miles on Capital Beltway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $4.23 in tolls one way, starting with Dulles Toll Road. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Belmont, VA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Belmont, VA before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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