Gaithersburg is a city of 70,000 people (2020) in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Understand

Gaithersburg was settled in 1765 for agricultural purposes. It grew into a town after the opening of a stop on the B&O Railroad in 1872; however, the area remained predominately rural until the 1970s. It is now famous for being the site of the headquarters of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Get in

By plane

Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI ^IATA) is a 45-minute drive from Gaithersburg. It is also accessible via ICC Bus 201.

Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA ^IATA) is a 35-minute drive from Gaithersburg and is accessible via the Metrorail (though this takes more time than driving).

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD ^IATA) is a 40-minute drive from Gaithersburg but takes significantly longer using public transportation.

• 1 Montgomery County Airpark (GAI  ^IATA), 7940 Airpark Dr, ☏ +1 301-963-7100, +1-877-435-9424. Serves private planes only.  

By train

MARC offers service to/from Union Station in Washington, D.C. as well as service to/from Rockville, Germantown, Frederick, and Harpers Ferry via its Brunswick line. The schedule is geared towards commuters with relatively few trains during midday and none on weekends. 2 Gaithersburg station is located at 5 S Summit Ave and 3 Metropolitan Grove station is also in Gaithersburg.

The end of Metrorail's Red Line, Shady Grove Station, is very close to Gaithersburg.

By bus

RideOn Bus operates service between Gaithersburg and other locations in Montgomery County, including Rockville, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Wheaton.

By carMe

From D.C. and the south or west take the Capital Beltway (I-495) to Interstate 270 North. Exits 8, 9, 10, and 11 serve Gaithersburg.

Get around

By car

A car is best used to get around the city. The local public bus system, RideOn Bus, can be used if traveling along major routes.

See

• 1 Gaithersburg Community Museum, 9 South Summit Avenue, ☏ +1 301-258-6160, museum@gaithersburgmd.gov. Tu-Sa 10AM-3PM. In the 1884 B&O Railroad Station complex. (updated Aug 2017)

Do

Parks

• 1 Seneca Creek State Park, 11950 Clopper Rd, ☏ +1 301-924 2127. A 6,300-acre historic park featuring hiking/mountain biking trails, a lake where visitors can rent canoes or paddle boats and go fishing, picnic areas, and hunting for deer and other game. Scenes from the movie The Blair Witch Project were filmed within the park boundaries.  
• 2 Water Park at Bohrer Park, 512 S Frederick Ave, ☏ +1 301-258-6445. Features a 250-foot water slide. Residents: $5.75; non-residents: $10-16. 
• 3 Agricultural History Farm Park, 18400 Muncaster Rd, ☏ +1 301-948-5053. 

Festivals and events

• 4 The Montgomery County Fair, ☏ +1 301-926-3100. June and July. Features Maryland farm and livestock displays, rides, and carnival attractions. 
• 5 Gaithersburg Labor Day Parade, Downtown Gaithersburg. September. Fire trucks, bands, ethnic dance groups, antique cars, and giant ballons. Free parking in the Olde Towne garage, located at corner of Olde Towne and South Summit Avenues. free. 
• 6 Gaithersburg Book Festival, Gaithersburg City Hall, 31 South Summit Ave. May. Features more than 100 nationally known authors and includes book signings, writing workshops, cooking demonstrations, children's activities, and food trucks. 

Buy

• 1 Washingtonian Center, 9811 Washingtonian Blvd. Outdoor shopping center with restaurants. Includes Target, Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, Kohl's, and more. Can rent paddleboats on the lake during warm weather. 
• 2 Wonderbook, 15976 Shady Grove Rd, ☏ +1 301-977-9166. 10AM-7PM. Used books, DVDs, video games, CDs, and large collection of used records for sale. 
• 3 Downtown Crown, Sam Eig Highway at Fields Road (off I-270 (exit 8 Fields Rd)), ☏ +1 301-657-0700. Vibrant walkable downtown neighborhood in a suburban setting with numerous restaurants, bars, shops, and green space. (updated Nov 2016)

Eat

• Barking Mad Cafe, 239 Spectrum Ave, ☏ +1 240 297-6230. 9AM-3PM, 5-9PM. Hip all-day café/restaurant that feels more Adams Morgan than Gaithersburg. Extremely popular for brunch on weekends. Open kitchen. $10-20. (updated Mar 2022)
• Buca di Beppo, 122 Kentlands Blvd, ☏ +1 301-947-7346. Italian, family style restaurant. 92 locations nationwide. 
• Coastal Flats, 135 Crown Park Ave, ☏ +1 301-869-8800. Steak, seafood & pasta. 
• Copper Canyon Grill, 100 Boardwalk Pl, ☏ +1 240-631-0003. Known for its rotisserie chicken. 
• Neal's Bagels, 113 Commerce Square, ☏ +1 301-216-0070. Excellent homemade bagels and all the other good stuff to go with them. (updated Mar 2024)
• New Fortune, 16515 South Frederick Ave (north of I-370, in the Walnut Hill shopping center), ☏ +1 301-548-8886. Su-Th 11AM-1AM, F Sa 11AM-2AM; Dim Sum served daily 11AM-3PM. One of the best Chinese restaurants in the Washington area, serving Dim Sum along with delicacies like sea cucumber and abalone. 
• Outta the Way Cafe, ☏ +1 301-963-6895. As the name would suggest, this is way out of the way from downtown Gaithersburg. 
• Paladar, 203 Crown Park Ave, ☏ +1 301-330-4400. Latin eatery & rum bar. 
• Pho Nam, 15942 Shady Grove Rd, ☏ +1 240-632-9500. Daily 11AM - 8PM. Small Vietnamese restaurant with excellent pho. under $10. 
• Red, Hot & Blue, 16811 Crabbs Branch Way, ☏ +1 301-948-7333. Memphis pit barbecue. 22 locations nationwide. 
• Sardi's, 430 N Frederick Ave, ☏ +1 301-977-3222. Peruvian chicken. 
• Ted's Montana Grill, 105 Ellington Blvd, ☏ +1 301-330-0777. Known for its bison burgers. 
• Thai Express Restaurant, 351 Kentlands Blvd, ☏ +1 301-337-6166. Thai food. 
• Tortacos, 9629 Lost Knife Rd, ☏ +1 240-632-9423. Family-owned taqueria. 
• Vasilis Mediterranean Grill, 353 Main St, ☏ +1 240-977-1011. Greek food made from scratch. 
• Ziki Japanese Steakhouse, 10009 Fields Rd, ☏ +1 301-330-3868. Hibachi tables and sushi. 
• Yuraku Japanese Restaurant, 19773 Frederick Rd, ☏ +1 301-515-7448. Excellent sushi and Japanese cuisine (updated Jul 2019)

Drink

• 1 Dogfish Head Ale House, 800 West Diamond Ave, ☏ +1 301-963-4847. This bar is popular with the happy hour crowd from the many local biotechnology companies. It features award-winning beer and a wide and varied menu. (updated Aug 2017)
• 2 iRock Karaoke Lounge, 15964 Shady Grove Rd, ☏ +1 301-355-6177. Private karaoke rooms. Beer, sake, and Asian food. (updated Aug 2017)
• 3 Old Town Pour House, 212 Ellington Blvd, ☏ +1 301-963-6281. 90+ craft brews. (updated Aug 2017)
• 4 Peppers Taco & Wine Bar, 216 Market St W, ☏ +1 301-888-1049. More than 90 craft brews. (updated Aug 2017)
• 5 Shishababa's House of Hookah, 8600 Zetts Ave, ☏ +1 301-820-8200. (updated Aug 2017)
• 6 Union Jack's British Pub, 9811 Washingtonian Blvd, ☏ +1 240-780-7139. Billiards, darts, and live music. (updated Aug 2017)
• Greene Growlers, 227 E. Diamond Ave, ☏ +1 240-261-6196. Restaurant, craft brewery and whiskey bar in Olde Town. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights. (updated Apr 2018)

Sleep

• Comfort Inn Shady Grove - Gaithersburg - Rockville, 16216 N Frederick Rd, ☏ +1 301-330-0023. 
• Courtyard Gaithersburg Washingtonian Center, 204 Boardwalk Place, ☏ +1 301-527-9000. 210-rooms. 
• Extended Stay America - Washington D.C. - Gaithersburg - South, 201 Professional Dr, ☏ +1 301-963-3539. 
• Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Blvd, ☏ +1 301-590-0044. 
• Hilton Washington DC North/Gaithersburg, 620 Perry Pkwy, ☏ +1 301-977-8900. Free shuttle service within a 5-mile radius. 
• Homewood Suites Gaithersburg, 805 Russell Ave, ☏ +1 301-670-0008. 
• Hyatt House Gaithersburg, 200 Skidmore Blvd, ☏ +1 301-527-6000. From $155. (updated Nov 2022)
• Motel 6 Washington DC - Gaithersburg, 497 Quince Orchard Rd, ☏ +1 301-977-3311. From $76. (updated Nov 2022)
• Residence Inn Gaithersburg Washingtonian Center, 9721 Washingtonian Blvd, ☏ +1 301-590-3003. 
• SpringHill Suites Gaithersburg, 9715 Washingtonian Blvd, ☏ +1 301-987-0900. 
• TownePlace Suites Gaithersburg, 212 Perry Pkwy, ☏ +1 301-590-2300. 
• Tusculum Farm, 4601 Damascus Rd, toll-free: +1-833-733-2276, info@tusculumfarm.com. (updated Aug 2018)

Go next

• Rockville
• Frederick
• Germantown
• Washington, D.C. — About 25 minutes south via Interstate 270 or Metro.

Routes through Gaithersburg

Frederick ← Germantown ←	W  E	→ Rockville → Washington, D.C.
END ←	N  S	→ Rockville → East End, Washington
Martinsburg ← Germantown ←	NW  SE	→ Rockville → Washington, D.C.