Best and worst times for D.C. Memorial Day 2026 travel

The big picture: This comes even as gas and plane ticket prices soar due to the Iran war.

• Most holiday weekend fliers booked trips before prices jumped, says AAA.

State of play: Washington-area traffic is expected to hit peak congestion Thursday at 4:15pm on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway headed out of D.C., says AAA.

• Travel time from D.C. to Baltimore will jump to an estimated 1 hour and 56 minutes — a 116% increase.

Nationally, the worst time to head home will be Monday afternoon.

• Sunday is expected to be the country's lightest traffic day.

And if you're snagging a rental car, Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest times for pickups, per info Hertz shared with AAA.

Travel hacks: Maryland has a list of best and worst times to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge this weekend for those headed to the water.

• And it has live Bay Bridge traffic cams.

Plus: Virginia will lift most lane closures during the long weekend.

• VA also has a map showing expected peak congestion times for drivers.

Zoom out: The majority of travelers — an expected 39.1 million — will be driving.

• Another 3.66 million are expected to fly.

The intrigue: Travel by other means — aka cruise, bus, or train — is expected to be up 5% compared to last year.