Origin
Alexandria, VA
Morning in Alexandria on Sunday
Local time
6:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Alexandria, VA to Fairfax Station, VA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
18.7 mi
30 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Alexandria, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Fairfax Station, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Alexandria, VA to Fairfax Station, VA is 18.7 miles and takes about 31 minutes via Braddock Road and Capital Beltway (Local), with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within Virginia's Southeast region, offering a straightforward local drive. Given its short distance and duration, this route is ideal for a single-day excursion, allowing for plenty of flexibility in your schedule. You'll primarily navigate local roads with some involvement on the Capital Beltway's local lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Braddock Road | 5.9 mi | 11m |
| Capital Beltway (Local) | 5 mi | 6m |
| Capital Beltway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| Ox Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Washington Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Patrick Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Gibbon Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Saint Asaph Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Braddock Road
— 5.9 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Alexandria, VA and Fairfax Station, 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
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
·
Capital Beltway
14
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 54B-A
Toward SR 620: Braddock Road
Use the slight right lane.
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Exit 54A
Toward SR 620 West: Braddock Road
Use the straight lane.
16
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Exit 54A
Toward SR 620 West: Braddock Road
Use the right lane.
17
Turn straight onto SR 620
5.9 mi
·
11 min
·
Braddock Road
Use the left lane.
18
Turn left onto VA 123
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Ox Road
Use the left lane.
19
Arrive at destination
VA 123
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 175 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 10.6 — 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
7
10.1 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward SR 620: Braddock Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 54B-A
Toward SR 620: Braddock Road
9
10.3 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Keep slight left at fork toward SR 620 West: Braddock Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Exit 54A
Toward SR 620 West: Braddock Road
9
10.6 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Keep slight right at fork toward SR 620 West: Braddock Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Exit 54A
Toward SR 620 West: Braddock Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.92 one way
$5.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $3.20 | $6.39 |
| premium | $4.70 | $3.46 | $6.92 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.13 | $8.26 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.96 | $0.90 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.64 | $0.75 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.62 | $1.20 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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.
Destination
Fairfax Station, VA
Morning in Fairfax Station on Sunday
Local time
6:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
50°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
19 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
31m 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 for this 18.7-mile journey, with 0% highway share. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 5.9 miles on Braddock Road. This route emphasizes navigating through familiar neighborhoods and local thoroughfares rather than high-speed highway travel. Be prepared for frequent turns and traffic signals as you make your way from Alexandria to Fairfax Station.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.9 mi on Braddock Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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
9/10
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 17 decision points packed into just 18.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
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 10.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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 31m. Total distance: 18.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.9 miles on Braddock Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Fairfax Station, 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 10.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Fairfax Station, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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