Visiting Georgetown and the C&O Canal

About Georgetown and the C&O Canal

Georgetown's brick rowhouses, the shops of M Street and the towpath of the 19th-century Chesapeake and Ohio Canal make for the city's best neighbourhood walk. Climb the steep 'Exorcist steps' to Prospect Street, look into Georgetown University's campus, then finish at Georgetown Waterfront Park on the Potomac.

Tip: Walk from Foggy Bottom station along Pennsylvania Avenue or take the riverside path; Georgetown has no Metro stop of its own.

Plan your visit

• Time needed: Half a day.
• Cost: Free — no ticket needed for the main area.
• Book ahead: not usually needed; buy on arrival.
• Where: Georgetown, federal-era rowhouses, M Street shopping and the C&O Canal.

Best time to visit Georgetown and the C&O Canal

Georgetown and the C&O Canal is outdoors, so weather matters most. The driest, most comfortable months are:

• October: 21°C (70°F) highs, about 8 rainy days, busy crowds.
• September: 27°C (81°F) highs, about 8 rainy days, moderate crowds.
• May: 24°C (75°F) highs, about 11 rainy days, busy crowds.

When to visit Washington, D.C. has the full month-by-month picture.

Fit it into your trip

Georgetown and the C&O Canal is not on our short itineraries, so plan it as an extra once you have seen National Mall and Lincoln Memorial.

• No. 18 of the 20 sights in our Washington, D.C. things-to-do list.
• Listed in free things to do in Washington, D.C..

If you like Georgetown and the C&O Canal

• National Mall — National Mall, Half a day
• Lincoln Memorial — National Mall, 45 minutes
• United States Capitol — Capitol Hill, 1.5–2 hours
• National Museum of African American History and Culture — National Mall, 4–5 hours

Staying near Georgetown and the C&O Canal

Stay in Georgetown ($$$$) to walk here: federal-era rowhouses, M Street shopping and the C&O Canal. All areas to stay in Washington, D.C..

Questions travellers ask