Washington DCTravel Guide

The 3km green corridor connecting the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, lined with monuments and museums — genuinely walkable, but a bike-share or the DC Circulator bus saves time between the two ends.

A group of world-class museums along the Mall, all free to enter — the National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of Natural History are the most popular, and both fill up by mid-morning.

The Greek Revival temple honouring Abraham Lincoln, site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech — the view down the Reflecting Pool toward the Washington Monument is one of DC's defining images.

The seat of Congress since 1800, its dome visible across the city — guided tours (free, book ahead) cover the Rotunda and Statuary Hall.

DC's oldest neighbourhood, with cobblestone streets, the C&O Canal towpath, and the city's densest concentration of boutiques and restaurants — a good change of pace from the monument-heavy Mall.

Across the Potomac in Virginia, this is the resting place of over 400,000 veterans, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its hourly changing-of-the-guard ceremony.

A free, world-class collection spanning Da Vinci's only painting in the Americas to Rothko and Pollock — split across a classical West Building and a modern East Building.

The reservoir ringed by cherry trees and the Jefferson and MLK Jr. memorials — paddle boats are available even outside peak blossom season.

The largest library in the world, housed in a lavishly decorated Beaux-Arts building — the Main Reading Room view from the visitor gallery is one of DC's most underrated sights.

A Capitol Hill institution since 1873, with a weekday indoor food hall and a bustling weekend outdoor market for produce, crafts, and antiques.