Arch
Friendship Arch · Chinatown sidewalk
A short trip outside once the elevators bring you up to 7th & H. The gate, shops, and curb cuts are part of the neighborhood. Weather and crowds still matter.
Best for the Arch and time outside in Chinatown
Gallery Place
Planned for wheelchair riders
Red, Yellow, and Green Lines under Chinatown. Four elevators get you through the transfer levels. Then it’s a short trip outside to the Friendship Arch, the Capital One Arena block, and the Portrait Gallery courtyard.
Written for riders who need the right elevator for a trip to Chinatown or the museums.
- Red
- Yellow
- Green
Station B01
- Elevators
- 4 · lines on different levels
- Escalators
- 30 · Not a substitute for elevators
- After the elevator
- Street level at 7th & H
The choice that matters
Chinatown Arch · or Portrait Gallery courtyard
Same station. Different routes outside once you come up at 7th & H.
Disability & mobility
Four elevators. Decide where you’re going before the mezzanine.
Gallery Place–Chinatown serves the Red, Yellow, and Green Lines on different levels. At this stop, “accessible” only means an elevator exists somewhere in the station. Not every elevator brings you out on the side of the Arch you want.
Gallery
National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum
The same Penn Quarter block, mostly indoors. Courtyard and street entrances are on the museum page. Metro only gets you to the street.
Accessibility page for National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum
Best for the Portrait Gallery and a day indoors
At this stop, “accessible” only holds when the elevators are working. Even then, not every 7th Street exit leads to the same place.
If the elevators on your platform are out, check our live map before you transfer, while you can still change your route. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) elevator-outage shuttle: 202-962-1825 · TTY 202-638-3780.
On the ground
What the trip actually feels like
Three steps: the elevator, 7th & H, the place you picked.
01
Check the elevators before you board
The Red, Yellow, and Green Line platforms are deep and stacked. The only other way down is stairs. Check our map while you can still change your route.
02
Come up at 7th & H
At street level you’re on the sidewalks of Chinatown and Penn Quarter, with tourists, curb cuts, and traffic.
03
Arch or courtyard
Decide on the Friendship Arch or the Portrait Gallery before you leave the elevator. They are different routes outside.
Why this stop feels like this
Known as Chinatown. Built as a transfer station.
- 1976Gallery Place opens
- LaterChinatown added to the name
- LinesRed · Yellow · Green
- Today4 elevators · 30 escalators
Gallery Place exists for neighborhood trips. Whether you can make one depends on the elevators.
The stop sits under 7th & H so Red, Yellow, and Green Line riders can reach Chinatown and the Portrait Gallery with a short trip outside. Because the platforms are stacked, the wrong elevator can cost you an afternoon.
Before you board, decide where you’re heading (the Arch or the courtyard). If an elevator is out, change plans; don’t treat it as a small delay.
On the street
Where you'll come out
Gallery Place–Chinatown station
7th Street & H Street NW
Washington, District of Columbia
7th & H elevators · to the Arch or the Gallery
Red · Yellow · Green
Nearby when the elevators work: Friendship Arch, Chinatown sidewalks, National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. When they don’t: Archives may still reach the Gallery, with a longer trip outside. Compare before you ride.
Open Gallery Place on the live mapLive elevator status at Gallery PlaceAfter the elevator
Travel time from this station
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.
At the venue
What each place offers
We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.
National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Only the entrance at 8th and G Streets is step-free, with ramps on both sides of the stairs. The F Street entrance has stairs only.
- Loaner wheelchairs from the security officer at the G Street entrance.
- Elevators serve the whole building. Family and companion care restrooms on the first and second floors, near the F Street elevators.
Source: National Portrait Gallery
Accessibility page for National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum
Capital One Arena block
- Under renovation until the 2027–28 season, and closed in summer while work goes on. A new 6th Street entrance has direct street access for accessible drop-off and pick-up.
- Staff can take you to your seat in a wheelchair. Ask any team member at the entrance, or Guest Services across from Sections 102 and 402.
- Every public restroom is accessible. Family restrooms across from Sections 114, 215, and 400.
Source: Capital One Arena
Last look
Before you go
Four things to check before you go.
Check the map
Four elevators matter here. An outage can leave you stuck inside the station before you reach Chinatown.
Pick where you’re going
The sidewalk to the Arch or the Portrait Gallery courtyard. Decide before you leave the platform.
Keep Archives as a backup
If the Gallery Place elevators are out, Archives can still reach the Portrait Gallery, with a longer trip outside.
Verify building access
Museum courtyards and elevators inside are on each museum’s page. Metro elevator status is on our map. Check both.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.