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A footbridge over the Northwest Branch on the Anacostia River Trail
ONE DAY, THREE DAYS, FIVE DAYS

Itineraries

Washington rewards a plan more than most cities: the sights are close together but the Mall is long, the museums are huge, and a few places need passes. These days are built on walking, one side of the Mall at a time.

Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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A day at a time01

Five days in the capital

  1. Day one: the Hill and the east end

    A morning tour of the Capitol, the Library of Congress across the street, then down the hill to the National Gallery and, before closing, the founding documents in the Archives rotunda.

    1. 1The United States Capitol
    2. 2The Library of Congress and the Supreme Court
    3. 5The National Gallery of Art
    4. 4The National Archives

  2. Day two: the monuments

    Up the Washington Monument with a booked ticket, west past the World War II, Vietnam and Korean memorials to the Lincoln Memorial, then round the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson at dusk.

    1. 10The Washington Monument
    2. 11The World War II, Korean War and Vietnam Memorials
    3. 12The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool
    4. 13The Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial

  3. Day three: the museums of the Mall

    Two big museums on the north side in the morning, a picnic on the lawn, then Air and Space and the Hirshhorn's sculpture garden on the south side.

    1. 6The National Museum of Natural History
    2. 7The National Museum of African American History and Culture
    3. 8The National Air and Space Museum
    4. 9The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

  4. Day four: the President's Park and Georgetown

    The White House from Lafayette Square and the Ellipse, a walk west to Georgetown for lunch and the canal towpath, and a bus up Wisconsin Avenue to the cathedral.

    1. 14The White House and Lafayette Square
    2. 16Georgetown and the C&O Canal
    3. 17Washington National Cathedral

  5. Day five: across the river and downtown

    A booked tour of Frederick Douglass's house in Anacostia, back across the river to the Portrait Gallery and its courtyard, and a last look at Union Station's great hall.

    1. 18Cedar Hill, the Frederick Douglass House
    2. 15The National Portrait Gallery and the Old Patent Office
    3. 3Union Station

In full02

Itineraries

How these days work

The days below follow the plan of the city. Each keeps to one part of the Mall or one side of it, so you are not crossing the long lawn back and forth, and each mixes a booked visit with free places that need nothing but time. The order can change, but the White House, the Washington Monument, the Library of Congress and Frederick Douglass's house need passes or reservations, so fix those days first (see booking ahead).

The Seven Buildings, a row of early houses on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House
The Seven Buildings, a row of early houses on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White Houseengineerchange, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Two museums a day is plenty. The Smithsonian museums are vast, and trying to see four in a day means seeing none of them properly. Leave the memorials for the mornings and evenings, when the light is best and the heat least, and keep the museums for the middle of the day.

If you have one day

Start at the Capitol with a morning tour, then walk down the Mall past the museums, stopping at one: the National Gallery for art, Natural History for the family, or Air and Space for flight. In the afternoon, continue west to the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial and the Reflecting Pool, and reach the Lincoln Memorial for the view back along the whole axis to the Capitol. That is the plan of the city in one walk, about two miles with detours.

If you can, come back after dark: the Lincoln Memorial, the Monument and the Capitol dome are lit, and the memorials never close. The White House is a short walk north from the Monument if you have the energy for one more view.

If you have three days

Take the first three days above. The first covers the Hill, the Capitol, the Library of Congress with its great reading room, and the east end of the Mall with the National Gallery and the Archives. The second is the monuments, from the top of the Washington Monument to the memorials and the Tidal Basin. The third is the museums on both sides of the Mall.

The Anacostia River and its bridges from the air, the riverwalk trail along the bank
The Anacostia River and its bridges from the air, the riverwalk trail along the bankDuane Lempke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Book the African American History and Culture Museum early if passes are in use; it deserves most of a day on its own, so on the third day you might choose it alone, with a short visit to a second museum at the end.

If you have five days

Add the White House, Georgetown and the cathedral on the fourth day, and Frederick Douglass's house and the Portrait Gallery on the fifth. These are the sights beyond the Mall, and they show the city as a place people live, from the brick streets of the old port to the hilltop in Anacostia with its view back to the Capitol.

The fifth day is also the one to keep flexible. If a pass fell through earlier in the week, use it to catch up; if the weather turns, swap the outdoor and indoor days.

With more time

A sixth or seventh day is best spent outside the District: Arlington National Cemetery and the Marine Corps War Memorial just across the river, Old Town Alexandria, George Washington's house at Mount Vernon, the falls of the Potomac at Great Falls, or Annapolis and the Naval Academy on the Chesapeake (see day trips).

The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail curving under a bridge by the river in Southeast
The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail curving under a bridge by the river in SoutheastDuane Lempke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Each of these is a half day or a full day, and most are reached by Metro, commuter train or a short drive. Arlington is the easiest, a few stops away on the Blue Line; Mount Vernon and Great Falls are easiest with a car or a tour.

Getting between the stops

Most of these days are walked. For the longer hops, the Metro is quickest: Smithsonian station is on the Mall, Capitol South and Union Station serve the Hill, Foggy Bottom is nearest Georgetown's edge and the western memorials, and Anacostia on the Green Line serves Cedar Hill. Buses run up Wisconsin Avenue to the cathedral, and Capital Bikeshare docks are all around the Mall (see getting around).

The walks are longer than they look on the map. From the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is about two miles in a straight line, and every museum you enter adds more. Count on covering several miles on foot on each of these days, wear shoes you trust, and use the Metro or a bikeshare bike without guilt for the longer hops, especially on the hot afternoons of summer.

With children

A shaded walking trail on Theodore Roosevelt Island in the Potomac
A shaded walking trail on Theodore Roosevelt Island in the PotomacSer Amantio di Nicolao, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Natural History, with its dinosaurs, its insect zoo and the Hope Diamond, and Air and Space, with real aircraft and spacecraft hanging overhead, are the great children's museums, and the American History Museum and the free National Zoo up Connecticut Avenue are close behind. The Mall has plenty of open lawn to run on, and the Park Service offers paddle boats, bike tours and ranger walks in season.

Keep the days short and the walks shorter: the distances on the Mall wear small legs out quickly. Plan around snacks and shade, use the museum cafes, and let children choose one thing in each museum rather than trying to see it all. The Washington Monument's elevator ride and the view from the top are a favorite with older children, so book those tickets early.

On a rainy day

Stay indoors on the Mall and choose museums on one side, so that you only get wet once; the underground link between the two buildings of the National Gallery keeps you dry between them. The Library of Congress, the Archives and the Portrait Gallery's glass-covered courtyard are all good in the rain, and the Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum can fill a whole wet day under one roof.

Summer storms usually pass within an hour or so, so when thunder starts, head for the nearest museum rather than giving up the day. In winter, a cold, wet day is a good one for Union Station's great hall and the Capitol Visitor Center, both reached directly from the Metro or the street.

Evenings and rest

A freight train passing under the Anacostia River Trail bridge
A freight train passing under the Anacostia River Trail bridgeTim Evanson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Save one evening for the memorials after dark, and the others for the neighborhoods: U Street and Shaw for music and food, the Wharf for the waterfront, Capitol Hill for its bars around Eastern Market (see eating and drinking). The days here are long, so leave an afternoon free: a rest in the hotel, a slow walk along the canal or a bench in Lafayette Square does more for a trip than a fifth museum.

Seen on the way03

More photographs

  • Two rowers on the Anacostia River, the trail's bridge behind them
    Two rowers on the Anacostia River, the trail's bridge behind themTim Evanson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0