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Capital city of the United States
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Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America and the seat of its three branches of government, has an unparalleled collection of free, public museums, and the lion's share of the nation's most treasured monuments and memorials. The vistas on the National Mall between the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, and Lincoln Memorial are iconic throughout the world. D.C. is not only a political center; it is exciting, cosmopolitan, and international and has shopping, dining, and nightlife on par with a world-class metropolis.
The center of it all: the National Mall, D.C.'s main theater district, Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian museums galore, fine dining, Chinatown, the Capital One Arena, the Convention Center, the central business district, the White House, West Potomac Park, the Kennedy Center, George Washington University, the beautiful Tidal Basin, Nationals Park, Audi Field, and the Wharf.
D.C.'s, densest, trendiest, and most diverse neighborhoods and destination number one for live music and clubbing, as well as loads of restaurants, Howard University, boutique shopping, beautiful embassies, Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, U Street, and lots of nice hotels. Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights specifically are home to the city's largest Spanish-speaking population, mostly from Central America.
The prestigious, wealthy side of town, home to the historic village of Georgetown with its energetic nightlife, colonial architecture, Georgetown University, and fine dining; the National Zoo; the massive National Cathedral; bucolic Dumbarton Oaks and Hillwood Estate; the bulk of D.C.'s high-end shopping; more Embassy Row; American University; and several nice dining strips.
Starting at the Capitol Building and Library of Congress, and fanning out past grandiose Union Station and the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, to the less often visited neighborhoods by Gallaudet and Catholic University, historic African-American Anacostia, D.C.'s "Little Vatican" around the National Shrine, the huge National Arboretum, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, offbeat nightlife along H Street, and a handful of other eccentric neighborhoods to explore.
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The nation's capital is the best place to celebrate Independence Day! Fireworks over the Potomac River, the National Independence Day Parade, and a huge orchestral concert on Capitol Hill all make for a big time celebration. Expect enormous crowds.
Embassy Day
You can go into most of the embassy buildings, learn about the countries, view presentations and performances, eat food (sometimes free, sometimes for purchase), and buy souvenirs. Expect long lines, especially during peak hours and at larger countries.
Washington's cherry blossoms do not necessarily bloom during the festival—the bloom varies every year, depending on the winter weather. When the blossoms are in bloom, which lasts for about a week, Washington is at its prettiest. The traditional cherry blossom promenade is around the Tidal Basin, although you will have to go very early in the morning to avoid the crowds. You will pay top dollar to stay at hotels during cherry blossom season.
The main attraction is of course all the people showing up to fly their kites by the Washington Monument, but there are also a bunch of tent exhibits on topics from things like West Indian kitemaking to U.S. wind power projects. There are several kite flying competitions throughout the day, the most popular being the Rokkaku Kite Battle.
Free performances of a different Shakespeare play every year by the renowned Shakespeare Theatre Company in the Harman Center for the Arts. You can get free tickets via the online lottery or same-day tickets available at the door (via queue) in the morning.
This annual festival presents folk traditions focused on a central theme.
Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this festival celebrates books, authors, and reading. Highlights include listening to your favorite author speak, queuing up to have a book signed, taking the kids to visit their beloved PBS Kids characters, and collecting stamps from all the US states and territories in the Pavilion of the States.
One of the largest and longest-running anime conventions in the United States. Even if you are not into anime, you'll get to see throngs of Japanese cartoon-inspired costumed attendees (cosplayers) take over the Convention Center during the convention. You need to buy an admission badge to enter the convention, but you can just stand on the street and ogle the costumes for free. The best times for this are Thursday evening (a long line often forms for picking up badges) and Saturday, the day when the most people are in costume.
By train
By car
C. is primarily served by the coastal superhighway, I-95 from Baltimore or Richmond.
By bus
Many bus companies operate service to/from New York City. Greyhound offers the most options to smaller cities around the United States.
City layout
The city is split into four quadrants of unequal size, which radiate out from the Capitol Building: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW).
By public transportation
It is usually easier to use public transportation as opposed to driving in traffic and paying expensive parking rates.
By taxi
Unlike ride-hailing services, taxis are able to be hailed from the street.
By ride-hailing services
Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are extremely popular in D.C. Base rates are much lower than those of taxis.
By car
C. is difficult, particularly during rush hour, where traffic can make it take 10 minutes to drive a couple city blocks.C. a headache.C.S.
By bicycle and scooter
C.S. for bicycling. Many streets, including the iconic Pennsylvania Ave, have dedicated bike lanes and there is plenty of bike parking available.
By pedicab
Pedicabs (tricycle rickshaws), commonly found on the National Mall, are regulated, insured, and offer tours or pre-arranged rides.C.25 hours for $585).
By hop-on-hop-off tour bus
Hop-on, hop-off bus tours in Washington DC are offered by:
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