2 days in Washington, D.C.

Day by day

1. Day 1: National Mall and Lincoln Memorial

   National Mall, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and National Air and Space Museum, then U Street and Shaw in the evening.

   1. Morning

      National Mall

      Walking its length past the World War II Memorial and the Reflecting Pool is the best introduction to the city, and the lawns are where Washington gathers for concerts, festivals and the Fourth of July.

   2. Late morning

      Lincoln Memorial

      An inscription on the steps marks where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963, overlooking the Reflecting Pool.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Half-smoke

      Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street, open since 1958, plus carts and diners around the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Washington Monument

      A lift takes visitors to an observation level about 152 metres up, with views over the Mall, the White House and across the Potomac to Arlington.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Air and Space Museum

      Louis and galleries tracing flight from early aviation to space exploration. The building has been through a multi-year renovation, with galleries reopening in phases.

   6. Evening

      U Street and Shaw

      The 9:30 Club, the Lincoln Theatre and the Howard Theatre host touring bands, and the bars around U Street stay busy late.

2. Day 2: United States Capitol and Library of Congress (Jefferson Building)

   United States Capitol, Library of Congress (Jefferson Building), Eastern Market and National Museum of Natural History, then 14th Street and Logan Circle in the evening.

   1. Morning

      United States Capitol

      Free guided tours visit the Crypt, the Rotunda with its painted canopy, The Apotheosis of Washington, and National Statuary Hall, where each state is represented by statues of notable figures.

   2. Late morning

      Library of Congress (Jefferson Building)

      Entry is free.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mumbo sauce

      Neighbourhood carry-outs and wing shops, especially in Northeast and Southeast DC; bottles are sold in some local shops.

   4. Afternoon

      Eastern Market

      At weekends the surrounding plazas fill with farmers' stalls, crafts, antiques and flea-market finds, and Barracks Row's restaurants are a short walk away.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Museum of Natural History

      Koch Hall of Fossils with a Tyrannosaurus rex mounted mid-attack, the Sant Ocean Hall with a life-size North Atlantic right whale model. Entry is free.

   6. Evening

      14th Street and Logan Circle

      Cocktail bars, wine bars and restaurants with late kitchens along 14th Street NW.

Before you go

• Washington Monument: Entry to the top is by timed ticket booked online, with a small service fee; tickets for spring and summer go quickly.
• United States Capitol: Reserve a free tour slot online in advance; same-day availability is limited in spring and summer.
• National Air and Space Museum: Free timed-entry passes have been required since the museum's phased reopening; check the Smithsonian site before you go.

If it rains

• Swap in National Museum of African American History and Culture (National Mall): Allow at least four hours and do the underground history galleries first while you are fresh; the Sweet Home Café upstairs serves regional African American dishes.
• Swap in National Gallery of Art (National Mall): Use the underground concourse with its light-filled cascade wall to move between the two buildings.
• Swap in National Museum of American History (National Mall): The Star-Spangled Banner is in a dimly lit chamber at the centre of the second floor; start there, then pick one wing.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 12–17 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Metrorail fares vary by distance and time of day.

More or fewer days

• One day in Washington, D.C.
• 3 days in Washington, D.C.
• 4 days in Washington, D.C.
• 5 days in Washington, D.C.
• 7 days in Washington, D.C.

Questions travellers ask