Museums · Washington, D.C. · United States
8 best museums in Washington, D.C.
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of African American History and Culture. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 18–25 hours across 3 areas; 8 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 8
- Time to see them all
- 18–25 hours
- Areas
- National Mall, Chantilly, Virginia and Penn Quarter
Museums in Washington, D.C.
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Museum · National Mall
1.National Air and Space Museum
The Smithsonian's flagship aviation museum on the Mall holds the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · National Mall
2.National Museum of Natural History
Under the rotunda's African bush elephant, the Smithsonian's natural-history museum holds the 45-carat Hope Diamond, the David H.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · National Mall
3.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
4.National Gallery of Art
The free National Gallery's neoclassical West Building holds Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci, the only painting by Leonardo in the Americas, plus Vermeer, Rembrandt and a superb French Impressionist collection.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Couples
Museum · National Mall
5.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
6.United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The museum's permanent exhibition tells the history of the Holocaust over three floors, through personal artefacts, film and testimony, starting with an identification card of a real person whose fate you follow.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Rainy day
Museum · Chantilly, Virginia
7.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
Gallery · Penn Quarter
8.National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum
Two free Smithsonian museums share the Greek Revival Old Patent Office Building.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| National Mall | National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Gallery of Art, National Museum of American History and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | 2–3 hours + 2–3 hours + 4–5 hours + 2–3 hours + 2–3 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Chantilly, Virginia | Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | 2–3 hours |
| Penn Quarter | National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum | 2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 8 free. Book ahead for National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The longest visit is National Museum of African American History and Culture; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- 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.
- National Museum of African American History and Culture: Free timed-entry passes are often needed, especially at weekends and in spring; book online in advance.
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Free timed passes are needed for the permanent exhibition in the busier spring and summer months; reserve online.
How to fit them into 7 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (National Mall): National Air and Space Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (National Mall): National Museum of Natural History, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 3 (National Mall): National Museum of African American History and Culture, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (National Mall): National Gallery of Art, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 5 (National Mall): National Museum of American History, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 6 (National Mall): United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 7 (Chantilly, Virginia and Penn Quarter): Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center → National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 9°C (48°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Chilly and often damp, among the quietest months for the Mall and the museums.
- January: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold and grey with the occasional snowfall, but the museums are quiet and hotel rates are low outside inauguration years.
- September: highs of 27°C (81°F), about 8 rainy days, moderate crowds. Warm and less humid, with Congress back in session and conferences pushing up midweek hotel prices.
More of Washington, D.C.
All things to do in Washington, D.C. · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Washington, D.C.?
National Air and Space Museum. The Smithsonian's flagship aviation museum on the Mall holds the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St.
+Which of these are free in Washington, D.C.?
National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Gallery of Art, National Museum of American History, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum.