Season guide · Washington, D.C. · United States
Washington, D.C. in autumn
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Brian Hamfeldt, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Warm September days and crisp, colourful October weather make this the most comfortable season for walking the Mall and Georgetown. Expect highs up to 27°C (81°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 25 rainy days across September–November. September–October are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 5°C (41°F) to 27°C (81°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 25
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in autumn
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 27°C (81°F) | 17°C (63°F) | 8 | 12.4 h | 3/5 |
| October | 21°C (70°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 8 | 11.1 h | 4/5 |
| November | 14°C (57°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 9 | 10 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 21°C (70°F) against a yearly 20°C (68°F), and 25 of the year's roughly 116 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in autumn
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: Library of Congress National Book Festival (usually late summer or early autumn)
- September: H Street Festival (usually September)
- October: Marine Corps Marathon (usually late October)
- November: Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery (11 November)
- November: Downtown Holiday Market opens in Penn Quarter (usually late November)
Good choices for autumn
Museum · National Mall
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Opened in 2016 in a bronze-latticed building by David Adjaye, the museum's history galleries begin several floors underground with the transatlantic slave trade and climb through emancipation, segregation and the civil-rights movement to the present.
- Time needed
- 4–5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Rainy day
- Iconic
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Gallery · National Mall
National Gallery of Art
Use the underground concourse with its light-filled cascade wall to move between the two buildings.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Couples
Museum · National Mall
National Museum of American History
The Smithsonian's museum of American life displays the original Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814, Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Julia Child's kitchen and a section of the Greensboro lunch counter from the 1960 civil-rights sit-ins.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · National Mall
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Leave time afterwards in the quiet Hall of Remembrance before heading back out onto the Mall.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Rainy day
Museum · Chantilly, Virginia
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Air and Space Museum's vast hangars next to Dulles Airport hold aircraft too big for the Mall, including Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71 Blackbird, an Air France Concorde and the Enola Gay.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- History
Day trips in autumn
- Baltimore (About 40–60 minutes by train) — Maryland's largest city has the National Aquarium on the Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry, whose defence in 1814 inspired the national anthem, the cobbled waterfront of Fells Point and crab houses serving Old Bay-dusted blue crabs.
- Annapolis (About 45 minutes by car) — Maryland's sailing capital on the Chesapeake Bay has brick colonial streets, the Maryland State House and the US Naval Academy, where visitors can join guided walking tours of the grounds.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is autumn a good time to visit Washington, D.C.?
Yes: September–October are among the best months. Warm September days and crisp, colourful October weather make this the most comfortable season for walking the Mall and Georgetown.
+What is the weather like in Washington, D.C. in autumn?
Highs of up to 27°C (81°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 25 rainy days over the season.