The Perfect Weekend in DC: How to Make the Most of Your Time
A weekend in DC can be the perfect amount of time to get a good taste of the capitol of the USA. Washington DC has easily over 100+ things to do, and we are pros at maximizing our time. Luckily for us, we have a few friends who’ve lived in the capitol and have given us the insider scoop on the best places to eat, drink, and see in a weekend in DC.
Planning Your Weekend in DC
Is a Weekend in DC Enough?
The short answer is, never! DC has so much to offer, from museums, monuments, landmarks, parks, nightlife, food, etc. A weekend in DC is enough to get a good taste of most things, but not to see it all. Two days is enough to see the monuments and get a taste for a museum or two, add a third day if you really want to spend some quality time on tours of the White House, Capitol building, or do more museums.
How to Get Around
Flying In
There are a few airports that can get you to DC, the closest one being DCA (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Dulles International Airport (IAD) will get you there, but with a longer Uber/taxi drive into the city. You can also fly into Baltimore if you need more options.
Ultimately, we recommend flying into DCA if you can.
Navigating the City
There are a couple of options for getting around in the City:
- Public transportation: the metro rail and bus is easy to use. Rides are $2.25-$6 and can be paid for via mobile pay or a SmarTrip Card.
- Uber/taxis: plentiful and easy to get around the DC area.
- Bike Share: we love this option for getting around the National Mall quicker than walking, and very affordable ($1/unlock).
- Electric Scooter: a great option if you want the speed of the bike with less effort. There’s plenty of scooters all around the National Mall area. Note: some brands will throw an error message and turn off in certain “non-riding” zones.
Top Things to Do in a Weekend in DC
There is a lot of variety in things to do in a weekend in DC. We’ve broken it up by monuments, museums, food, and our favorite hidden gems. For a complete list of things to do in DC, check out our google map below. PS: we keep all of our travel maps for every trip we’ve blogged about here.
Full Travel Map
Monuments and Landmarks
The White House
- Tickets: N/A from outside the gates, free but a lot of work to get a tour
- Reservations: Required for tours
- Hours: 24/7 from outside the gates, 8 am to 12:30 PM tours Tues – Sat
Tip: View from the south side
No weekend in DC in complete without seeing the White House. We recommend seeing it from the south side, which is around the “National Christmas Tree” pinned on our Google Map above. You won’t get much better a view than through the gates pictures above, unless you schedule a tour 21 days in advance.
Lincoln Memorial
- Tickets: N/A
- Reservations: N/A
- Hours: 24/7
Tip: Explore the back of the memorial for private views/photos
Second to the White House, you must see the Lincoln Memorial on a weekend in DC. Unless you go first thing in the morning or late at night, the monument will be flooded with toursits. After you’ve said hello to Abe, take a quick walk around the back of the monument for private views and photos.
United States Capitol
- Tickets: Free
- Reservations: Required
- Hours: M-F 9am – 3:30 pm
While we preferred to view the Capitol from the outside, the only way to see the insides is with an official tour (link above). Reserve in advance! The tour is about 1 hour and includes the Rotunda, National Statuary Hall, and Crypt.
Washington Monument
- Tickets: N/A from the outside, $1 tickets required to go to the top
- Reservations: Recommended, same day tickets available
- Hours: 24/7 from the outside, 9am – 5 pm tours
If you’re walking around the National Mall (which you should!), the Washington Monument will be in the backdrop of most of your photos and views. Though walking around and admiring it from all angles is enough for most people, you can take an elevator to the top. The last tour starts at 4:30 pm!
Library of Congress
- Tickets: Free
- Reservations: Required
- Hours: Varies, generally 8 am to 5 pm (sometimes later)
The Library of Congress, though beautiful from the outside, is even prettier on the inside. Though entry is free, due to COVID precautions, they still require a timed-entry ticket. For your convenience, they’re flexible within 1/2 hour of your ticket time. Don’t show up less than 30 minutes from closing or stay too late, they’re very strict about closing on time!
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
- Tickets: N/A
- Reservations: N/A
- Hours: 24/7
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, though beautiful, is a bit of a hike from the National Mall area. If you’re on a tight schedule, you may not have time for the memorial on just a weekend in DC. That being said, you can get some spectacular views of the building, framed by trees, from a walk along the National Mall.
World War II Memorial
- Tickets: N/A
- Reservations: N/A
- Hours: 24/7
On your way between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, stop by the World War II Memorial. It’s huge, and well worth the walk through.
Museums
We will be honest, we are not museum people. But, if you are a museum person, a weekend in DC is incomplete without a visit to a famous museum. If we were to pick museums from our research, here are the top 5 we would visit:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- Tickets: Free
- Reservations: Not required
- Hours: 10 am – 5:30 pm
- Website
Checkout the Smithsonian castle, directly across from the museum. It is beautiful and most people walk right by it.
National Gallery of Art
- Tickets: Free
- Reservations: Not required
- Hours: 10 am – 5 pm
- Website
National Air and Space Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
International Spy Museum
- Tickets: $15-30
- Reservations: Recommended for better pricing
- Hours: 10 am – 5:30 pm
- Website
Food and Drink
Ottoman Taverna
- Price: ~$40/person (drinks included)
- Reservations: Highly Recommended
- Hours: 11 am – 9 pm
If Michelin-rated, bottomless-brunch, and $40/person sounds good to you, look no further than Ottoman Taverna.
Our local friend, Stephanie, introduced us to this place, because it is absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. She’s taken many of her local DC friends here and each time, they come back and say this is the best brunch place in DC. The food is amazing (my favorite was the first course of dips, pictured above). And, they also have GF and Vegetarian options. If you only have one weekend in DC, be sure to put in a reservation for a meal here!
Urban Roast
- Price: ~$15-20/drink
- Reservations: Highly Recommended
- Hours: Varies, check their website
Urban Roast found us through TikTok, so we’re spreading the word! This is a great cocktail or brunch spot that is always decorated to fit the current season or holiday. Since we were there end of November, it was Christmas themed. Next up is Valentine’s day. Highly recommend the Bailey flight if you’re going in winter!
Hidden Gems
Since we’ve been to DC a couple of times now, and have friends in the area, on our latest weekend in DC we focused on seeing a few hidden gems. There are a ton more outside of the list below – check our travel map for more!
Albert Einstein Memorial
- Tickets: Free
- Reservations: N/A
- Hours: 24/7
Tip: Sit on his lap and look up at his face for a cute picture!
Walking distance from the Lincoln Memorial, the Einstein Memorial is missed by way too many DC tourists! This ones an easy, 10-minute stop for a quick picture. Fittingly, he’s located right outside of the National Academy of Sciences.
Ford’s Theatre/Petersen House
- Tickets: Free, $5 for advanced reservation
- Reservations: Recommended during high season of March – June
- Hours: Entry 9am – 4pm
Ford’s Theatre and Petersen House were a nice surprise on our last trip to DC. The Petersen House, where President Lincoln died after being shot in the Ford Theatre, has been transformed into a museum commemorating Lincoln and describing the events leading up to and after his death. The Tower of Books, pictured above, is in the Petersen House, towering between levels of the museum. And because I myself scoured the internet trying to figure out if you need tickets to see it, you don’t. However, you will get better views if you walk through the museum.
During off-season (like when we went in November), it’s easy to get into the museum without a ticket. For high season, we recommend booking in advance.
The theatre isn’t always open, as sometimes it closed for shows. For the full experience, book a show in theatre.
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
- Tickets: Free, but donations recommended
- Reservations: Required for guided tours, but not for self-guided tours
- Hours: 9 am – 4 pm Mon – Sat
The Franciscan Monastery was listed as one of the top 5 destinations tourists miss on their trip to DC, so make sure to add it to your list!
Unfortunately for us, the inside of the church was closed the day after Thanksgiving, so we are unable to share pictures of the interior and gardens. But, if you plan your trip on a non-holiday, be sure to enjoy both.
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
- Tickets: Suggested $18 donation/adult
- Reservations: Not required
- Hours: 10 am – 5 pm Tues – Sun
When you think of a weekend in DC, you typically imaging monuments and museums. But, did you know DC has a bunch of estates you can visit? And, they are spectacular. Hillwood Estate was full of elaborately decorated rooms. And, the Japanese-style garden was gorgeous (and would probably look even prettier in spring or early fall). Check out our full guide: Hillwood Estate: A Walk Through Rich Rooms and Gardens.
Technicolor Church
- Tickets: N/A
- Reservations: N/A
- Hours: 24/7, but visit during daylight
The Technicolor Church is a great quick stop to add to a weekend in DC. And, it’s a pretty private visit since it’s away from the touristy area by the National Mall. The abandoned church was repurposed into a canvas by artist Alex Brewer. Outside of the church is a mural where the artist and his doctorate friend debate and draw the laws of entropy. We highly recommend this stop; it’s the most unique stop of our weekends in DC!
US National Arboretum
- Tickets: Free
- Reservations: Not required
- Hours: Arb – 8 am – 5 pm except for Christmas, Bonsai – 10 am – 4 pm except for federal holidays
Who knew that the columns pictured above were in DC, and not somewhere in Ancient Rome? The US National Arboretum not only has the National Capitol Columns pictured above, but also the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, both worth a visit.
A Weekend in DC Itinerary
We recommend breaking up your weekend in DC into two main groups: the heart of the city (National Mall, monuments, museums) and the outskirts of the city. For Day 2 below, you will need a car or taxi to get between places, as they are not walking distance.
If museums are more your thing, we recommend replacing Day 2 with a day of museums, and skipping the outskirts of the city. Or, add a day to your trip!
Day 1: Landmarks and National Mall
- 9 am: Ford’s Theatre/Petersen House
- 11 am: Brunch at Ottoman Taverna
- 1 pm: See all the monuments from West to East: Einstein Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument
- 3 pm: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (if time)
- 4 pm: Stop outside the Capitol Building and Library of Congress (try to go inside if time, need a timed entry ticket!)
- 7 pm: Dinner, night out at Urban Roast
Tips:
- Rent a bike or scooter for an exciting trip through the National Mall
- Checkout the Summerhouse to the NW of the US Capitol. It’s another hidden gem most tourists miss!
Day 2: Outskirts of the City
- 9 am: US National Arboretum, spend a couple of hours
- 11 am: Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, spend a couple of hours
- 12 pm: Break for Lunch
- 2 pm: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardents, spend a couple of hours
- 5 pm: Technicolor Church, 30 min – 1 hour
- 6 pm: Thomas Jefferson Memorial
- 7 pm: Dinner, check out Navy Yards
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