Washington Travel Guide

When to visit Washington: Summer is hot and humid; National Mall sightseeing is best done early morning or evening

When is the best time to visit Washington?

Avg Temp

22–31°C

Rainfall

Moderate, ~95mm/month

Best Time

Summer is hot and humid; National Mall sightseeing is best done early morning or evening

Packing Tips (3)

Light, breathable clothing for humid heat
Comfortable shoes for walking the National Mall's long distances
Refillable water bottle — free filling stations are common in the Smithsonian museums

Show in

Local currency: USD

Ben's Chili Bowl
American Diner · $
U Street institution open since 1958, famous for its half-smoke hot dog topped with chili, a favorite of Barack Obama.
Old Ebbitt Grill
American · $$$
Washington's oldest saloon-style restaurant, near the White House, known for its raw bar and power-lunch crowd.
Rose's Luxury
Contemporary American · $$$
Barracks Row restaurant known for its pork sausage with lychee and habanero salad, long a hard-to-book favorite.
The Diner (Adams Morgan)
American Diner · $
24-hour Adams Morgan diner popular for late-night pancakes after the neighborhood's bars close.
Rasika
Indian · $$$
Penn Quarter Indian restaurant known for its crispy spinach chaat, a favorite of the DC political and diplomatic crowd.
The Gibson
Cocktail Bar
Unmarked U Street speakeasy-style cocktail bar behind an inconspicuous door.
Blues Alley
Jazz Club
Georgetown jazz supper club open since 1965, hosting national touring jazz acts in an intimate brick room.
Songbyrd Music House
Live Music Venue
Union Market-area music venue and record shop hosting indie and touring bands.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Science Museum
National Mall museum with the Wright Flyer and Apollo 11 command module, one of the most visited museums in the world.
National Gallery of Art
Art Museum
Free National Mall museum spanning West and East Buildings, holding the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
History Museum
Sobering museum near the National Mall documenting the Holocaust through survivor testimony and artifacts.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
History Museum
Bronze-latticed Smithsonian museum tracing African American history from slavery through the civil rights era.
The Phillips Collection
Art Museum
Dupont Circle museum, America's first museum of modern art, home to Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party.
AFI Silver Theatre
American Film Institute's restored 1938 Art Deco cinema in Silver Spring, screening classic and independent films.
National Cherry Blossom Festival
Late March to early April
Weeks-long celebration around the Tidal Basin's Japanese cherry trees, gifted to DC by Tokyo in 1912.
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
June–July
Annual outdoor festival on the National Mall celebrating a different world culture or theme each year with music, crafts, and food.

Great Falls of the Potomac
22 km from downtown
Dramatic set of rapids and cascades on the Potomac River, viewable from trails on both the Virginia and Maryland sides.