Visiting Washington DC

[Goldia]

All these tips have been really useful as we are off to Washington for 5 nights in October.

Thanks everyone for sharing ideas.

[turkishrebel]

wow thank you so so much for all the wonderful info. we have booked and are going at the start of September.

[alungrace]

just back from Washington and a 3 week road trip. We flew Manchester to Dulles via Dublin so straight off the plane as we went through immigration at Dublin. Shuttle bus from airport to Alamo rental then drove down to Arlington staying at a hotel with free parking and free breakfast. We parked the car up at the hotel and just used the metro to do the sights in dc. Ideal the metro was a 5 minute walk from hotel.

[georgemac]

Originally Posted by alungrace

just back from Washington and a 3 week road trip. We flew Manchester to Dulles via Dublin so straight off the plane as we went through immigration at Dublin. Shuttle bus from airport to Alamo rental then drove down to Arlington staying at a hotel with free parking and free breakfast. We parked the car up at the hotel and just used the metro to do the sights in dc. Ideal the metro was a 5 minute walk from hotel.

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Can you tell me which hotel you stayed in. We wanted to go back to Hyatt Regency at Tysons corner this year, but it's about $250 per night plus $25 per night parking - far too expensive.

[Mumindevon]

We went to nyc and Washington at Easter. Flew to jfk for 5 days in nyc and then took Amtrak to dc for 2 days. Flew home from Dulles and used an Uber to get there from Washington. Stayed in the darcy hotel which was really fantastic and good location. Washington is everything nyc isn’t; calm, green, clean. But we love them both. We were lucky enough to be there for White House gardens open weekend and the blossom festival. Really beautiful. Lots of walking to see monuments. Metro to Arlington and we used buses to get to Georgetown which I would highly recommend for an evening meal.

[jocat]

Thanks to the OP for this thread.

We’ve just booked flights to visit Washington at the end of October, so am going to check out all of the hotels mentioned here now to help us try to narrow it down. Think I best check out some trip reports too!

[Princess Alison]

I've just written a sort of trippie (not full on, but hopefully some helpful hints) here: https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...0#post13885630

We loved Washington so I'm sure you'll enjoy

[Twinklestar1]

Hi

My friend and I went to Washington two years ago - we stayed in New York for 4 nights and because we have been several time we decided to get the Amtrak train up to Washington. The journey was brilliant - the scenery was fab to look at. Washington was eerily quiet compared to NY.
We applied for a tour of the Pentagon - free, just put in all of your travel details and you don't have to be staying in Washington - like you do for the White House Tour.
The Pentagon your was absolutely fascinating - very informative and great to walk around - the permitted areas anyway. I would definitely recommend this for any Washington trip.

Hope you enjoy

[Twilight Nerd]

We flew into Dulles last Thursday, Uber to Du Pont circle was £36. We walked everywhere (30000 steps each day). When didn’t pre book Capitol building but we arrived as the last tour was due to leave and managed to get on it, it was very interesting and informative I would definitely recommend. As previously posted Washington is so green and very pretty the memorials are all done very well.

[Ridersmom]

We often went to DC for school breaks. It was a cheap flight and most attractions are free. My kids spent a lot of time in the museums and of course the zoo. And don't bypass some of the less well known museums. I think growing up one of my kids' favorites was the Holocaust Museum. Check out the Smithsonian Museums before you go. In probably 30 visits, I haven't made it to all yet.

Also go to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.

My advice is you do not want or need a car. Traffic can be horrendous and parking is a challenge. If you don't get on street parking, lots charge crazy prices. Washington is easy to navigate on foot or with public transportation.

Enjoy your visit!