Planned for wheelchair riders
Blue and Yellow Lines at the top of Old Town Alexandria. The elevators bring you to Commonwealth Avenue. After that come the brick sidewalks of King Street and the slope down to the waterfront.
Written for riders who need to know about the slopes in Old Town.
Station C13
The real barrier
Station elevators · then the King Street slope
Even when the elevator works, you face brick, curb cuts, and a slope down toward the Potomac.
Disability & mobility
King St–Old Town is the Metro stop for Alexandria’s historic main street. No station is simply named Alexandria. Trust the station, then plan for King Street and the waterfront as real work outside.
Street
Brick sidewalks and shop doorsteps toward the center. Wheelchairs and strollers feel every block. Each shop has its own access.
Accessibility page for King Street · Old Town Alexandria
Best for central King Street
Water
A longer downhill route, or the King Street Trolley when it works for your trip. Plan for the uphill return either way.
Accessibility page for Torpedo Factory / waterfront
Best for the waterfront and Torpedo Factory
Calling it Old Town is accurate. For accessibility, what matters is the brick and the slope.
If the King Street elevators are out, Braddock Road is not the same as Old Town. It means a different route outside. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) elevator-outage shuttle: 202-962-1825 · TTY 202-638-3780.
On the ground
Three steps: the elevator, King Street, the waterfront.
01
All three elevators matter. If one is out, a short day in Alexandria ends before you reach the brick sidewalks.
02
Slopes, brick, and curb cuts toward the water. Working elevators do not make it flat.
03
The Torpedo Factory and the riverfront mean a long route or a trolley ride, then the uphill trip back.
Why this stop feels different
No Metro stop called just “Alexandria” takes you all the way into Old Town. King Street is the right stop, and the trip outside is the main part of the trip.
The station is at the top of the historic main street, not by the water. Visitor maps show the whole district as one place. For a wheelchair or stroller, the distance is real.
This guide is here so the brick, the slope, and the length of the route to the waterfront are not a surprise after you have already boarded the Blue or Yellow Line.
On the street
King St–Old Town station
1900 King Street · Alexandria, Virginia
United States
Commonwealth Ave station entrance · downhill on King Street
Blue · Yellow
Nearby: King Street, Torpedo Factory, waterfront. When elevators are out: don’t assume Braddock Road gives you the same Old Town trip.
Open King St-Old Town on the live mapLive elevator status at King St-Old TownAfter the elevator
Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace, including the King Street slope — not live routing, and slower than on the flat Mall.
At the venue
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.
Source: Visit Alexandria
Source: Torpedo Factory Art Center
Last look
Four things to check before you go.
All three elevators matter at a station with an elevated platform.
If the brick and slope are not realistic today, Old Town is not realistic either, even with working elevators.
The Torpedo Factory is a longer trip outside or a trolley ride. Decide before you leave the station.
Getting back up to Metro when you’re tired is also an access problem.
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.