Washington travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Washington, planned over three days
Best time to visit Washington
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter, cold, quiet and cheapest. Museums emptiest, hotels lowest, outdoor picks shrink.
Spring, cherry blossom then the sweet season. April to May is warm, patios open, baseball starts.
Summer, peak crowds and serious heat and humidity. Museums at midday, monuments at night.
Fall, locals favourite and the best answer. October foliage and perfect Mall walking weather.
What's on
- DC Restaurant Week January
Prix fixe value at top rooms, with a second August edition.
- ZooLights late November-December
Holiday lights at the National Zoo, with downtown holiday markets.
- National Cherry Blossom Festival late March to mid April
3000 plus trees around the Tidal Basin, a parade, kite festival and Petalpalooza. Peak bloom moves each year between mid March and mid April; the Park Service forecasts it in early March.
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival late June-early July
Free tents of music, crafts and food on the Mall, each year built around a featured country or theme.
- Independence Day 4 July
Fireworks over the Mall, a bucket list night with security screening and huge crowds.
- DC Restaurant Week August
The August edition of prix fixe value at top rooms.
- DC JazzFest late August-early September
Jazz across the city's clubs, ending in a big free weekend at the Wharf.
- H Street Festival September
A mile of stages, food and art along the H Street corridor on one Saturday, one of the city's biggest street parties.
- Marine Corps Marathon last Sunday of October
Around 30,000 runners through DC and Arlington, with road closures and full hotels.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Washington
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Smithsonian to build a trip around, rising from intense history galleries to celebratory culture floors.
The National Mall
Two miles of monuments and lawns that orient a first trip and work even better lit up at night.
National Gallery of Art
European masters and modern work across two buildings, free and easy to do well in 90 minutes.
Library of Congress
The Thomas Jefferson Building is arguably the most beautiful interior in DC, free with a timed ticket.
Supreme Court of the United States
The exterior pairs naturally with a Library of Congress and Capitol Hill half day.
Eastern Market
The city's last surviving public market hall from 1873, with a food hall and weekend farmers and craft stalls.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Serious contemporary art in a manageable free museum, the antidote to museum fatigue.
Planet Word
An interactive museum of language in the restored Franklin School that wins over non museum people.
Where to stay in Washington
Dupont Circle / Logan Circle
best all-round base, first trip
Residential enough to sleep, lively enough to eat without planning, Red Line and walkable to Downtown.
Penn Quarter / Downtown
first-timers doing museums on foot
On top of the National Gallery, Planet Word and every Metro line, with hotels at every tier.
Georgetown / Foggy Bottom / West End
couples and a quieter, pricier trip
Cobblestones, waterfront and Dumbarton Oaks, but Georgetown has no Metro so you walk, bus or rideshare.
Capitol Hill
a local-feeling, residential stay, superb second-trip base
Rowhouses, Eastern Market and the Library of Congress at the door, 15 minutes to the western Mall museums.
The Wharf / Navy Yard
modern waterfront event base, games and concerts
New hotels and river views by The Anthem and Nationals Park, a Metro ride from the Mall and Dupont.
Adams Morgan / U Street
nightlife and a younger, local trip
Historic U Street corridor and 18th Street bars and global restaurants, louder and later, fewer hotels.
Think twice about
- East of the Anacostia River
Few hotels, poor late night transit and higher crime than the visitor districts. Visit Anacostia's Frederick Douglass house, the riverwalk and Kenilworth gardens by day, and base west of the river.
- Far Northeast / Ivy City and Trinidad edges
Listings sold as near Union Market can be isolated, industrial at night and a long walk from a Metro station. Stay in NoMa proper near the station instead.
- Airport and suburb listings sold as Washington DC
Route 1 motel strips and far Maryland or Virginia suburbs leave you with no neighbourhood and commutes that eat the free museum advantage. Crystal City is the Metro served exception.
Best restaurants in Washington
Albi
Live fire Palestinian cooking around a wood hearth, currently the best restaurant in DC.
Cafe at Albi
The more casual cafe next door to Albi for the same kitchen in a looser format.
Pineapple and Pearls
Two star tasting menu run like a dinner party, playful and precise celebratory fine dining.
Rose's Luxury
The mid tier way into the Pineapple and Pearls kitchen brain, much of it no reservations.
Dōgon
Kwame Onwuachi Afro-Caribbean power dinner at the Wharf, book it as the Wharf night.
Le Diplomate
The Parisian brasserie everyone agrees on, with brunch the local ritual and a great patio.
Maydan
Live fire Middle Eastern around a central hearth, loud and generous, the best group dinner here.
L'Ardente
Glam Italian room locals book for a fun night, famous for its 40 layer lasagna.
Outdoor things to do in Washington
Rock Creek Park
2000 acres of forest valley with 30 plus miles of trails and car free Beach Drive at weekends.
Thompson Boat Center
Kayak and SUP rentals at the Rock Creek mouth for paddling past the Georgetown waterfront.
Fletcher's Cove Boathouse
Calmer Potomac water up the canal, with rowboats, kayaks, fishing and towpath picnics.
Key Bridge Boathouse
Rent kayaks and SUPs for Theodore Roosevelt Island and the Georgetown waterfront.
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath
Flat shaded towpath riding from Georgetown, 5 easy miles or the full run to Great Falls.
Great Falls Park
The Potomac drops 76 feet through Mather Gorge, with boardwalk views 20 minutes from DC.
East Potomac Golf Links
36 holes plus a heated range on Hains Point, with Washington Monument and river views.
Langston Golf Course
Historic 1939 course on the Anacostia, the city's only course with water hazards.
Best hotels in Washington
The Dupont Circle Hotel
The polished landmark on the circle itself, the best Dupont address with strong service.
Kimpton Banneker Hotel
Design led mid range Dupont hotel known for its rooftop.
Hotel Madera
Quieter mid range stay on residential streets near the Phillips Collection.
Generator Washington DC
Dorms and private rooms with a pool, the cheapest legitimate way to sleep in the best base.
Riggs Washington DC
A former bank turned luxury hotel on F Street, the stylish splurge in the museum district.
The Hay-Adams
The classic luxury hotel across from the White House, the historic occasion alternative to Riggs.
Waldorf Astoria Washington DC
A Pennsylvania Avenue grande dame for a historic occasion stay downtown.
Willard InterContinental Washington
A Pennsylvania Avenue grande dame for a historic occasion stay, pick it on rate.
Is Washington expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $120 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $240 a person |
| Splurge | $550 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- National Museum of African American History and Culture: weeks ahead
- Planet Word: a few days ahead
- International Spy Museum: a few days ahead
- National Air and Space Museum: a few days ahead
- George Washington's Mount Vernon: a few days ahead
- Shenandoah National Park: a few days ahead
- Albi: weeks ahead
- Pineapple and Pearls: weeks ahead
- Book timed entry for African American History, Air and Space, Library of Congress, Washington Monument and Capitol tours before restaurants.
- White House tours need a request through a Member of Congress or embassy, typically 1 to 3 months ahead, and are never guaranteed.
- Albi, Pineapple and Pearls, Dogon and minibar or Jont need 3 to 6 weeks for weekends. Le Diplomate brunch needs 2 to 3 weeks.
- Hotel prices spike for cherry blossom, inauguration, July 4th, Marine Corps Marathon and May graduations.
Is Washington safe?
- Visitor DC is busy, lit and heavily policed, and violent crime against visitors is uncommon.
- Watch for phone and bag snatches in Gallery Place and Chinatown and around Union Station late at night, and pickpockets in festival crowds.
- Visible street homelessness is present in the tourist core, notably around Union Station, Franklin and McPherson Squares and Downtown.
- Use main streets at night, Metro over alleys, and rideshare late if unsure.
Washington travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- National Mall food trucks and cart hot dogs, overpriced and mediocre. Walk five minutes off the Mall and eat properly.
- Founding Farmers as a destination dinner, enormous and loud with long waits. The same money eats better at Le Diplomate or L'Ardente.
- Georgetown Cupcake line. Baked and Wired on Thomas Jefferson Street is the local answer, with better coffee.
- Hop on hop off buses as transport, slow and pricey. Metro plus feet beats them.
- Paying for a viewpoint on a hazy summer day. Check visibility that morning.
Getting around Washington: public transport and more
- Metro first, walk second, car never. Tap a SmarTrip card or contactless payment.
- DCA is 15 minutes downtown by Blue or Yellow Line. Dulles is 60 to 75 minutes by Silver Line.
- Do not rent a car for DC itself. Rent by the day only for Shenandoah, Annapolis or Great Falls.
- Metro runs to midnight, later Friday and Saturday. After that rideshare is plentiful in the core.
Who Washington suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Washington your trip
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