Washington, D.C. travel guide

At a glance

capital city of the United States of America. For a first visit, White House, Library of Congress, The Pentagon are strong starting points. This guide brings together 12 places, practical 1/3/5/7-day routes and a concise food shortlist so you can understand the city before shaping the trip around your pace.

Highlight stops

• White House — official residence and office of the President of the United States
• Library of Congress — (de facto) national library of the United States of America
• The Pentagon — headquarters of the United States Department of Defense; named after the shape of the building, a polygon with five (greek: penta) sides
• Washington Monument — obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
• National Center for Biotechnology Information — database arm of the US National Library of Medicine
• University of Maryland — public research university in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA
• National Museum of Natural History — natural history museum in Washington, D.C.
• United States Capitol — meeting place of the United States Congress

Food and drink

Use these well-documented flavours as a practical tasting shortlist; open an item to understand it and add it to your trip plan.

• pancake — a brown thin, round cake made of eggs, milk and flour
• fudge — type of sugar candy
• onion ring — deep fried onion slices dipped in batter
• Waldorf salad — fruit and nut salad
• Martini — cocktail made with gin and vermouth

1-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

White House · Washington Monument · Smithsonian Institution · National Museum of Natural History

3-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

White House · Washington Monument · Smithsonian Institution · National Museum of Natural History

Day 2 · Parks and open air

National Mall · United States Capitol · Library of Congress · Lincoln Memorial

Day 3 · Architecture and city fabric

The Pentagon · Arlington National Cemetery · National Center for Biotechnology Information · University of Maryland

5-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

White House · Washington Monument · Smithsonian Institution

Day 2 · Museums and art

National Museum of Natural History · National Mall · United States Capitol

Day 3 · Museums and art

Library of Congress · Lincoln Memorial · The Pentagon

Day 4 · History and landmarks

Arlington National Cemetery · National Center for Biotechnology Information · University of Maryland

7-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

White House · Washington Monument

Day 2 · Museums and art

Smithsonian Institution · National Museum of Natural History

Day 3 · Parks and open air

National Mall · United States Capitol

Day 4 · Museums and art

Library of Congress · Lincoln Memorial

Day 5 · Architecture and city fabric

The Pentagon · Arlington National Cemetery

Day 6 · Museums and art

National Center for Biotechnology Information · University of Maryland

Before you go

This route distributes nearby source-backed stops across balanced days. Opening times and ticket conditions can change; check the official source before visiting.