Four Offbeat Days Beyond DC
Four Days Where Only the First Stays in DC
Four days is enough to treat Washington DC as a launchpad rather than the whole trip. Day one covers the city itself, briefly; the other three leave it entirely, and that is the point. Old Town Alexandria is the easy add, a Metro ride away. Mount Vernon is the $30 estate George Washington actually lived on, distinct from the free monument on the Mall that shares his name. Annapolis is the strange one: no train reaches it, yet the payoff is walking straight onto a working US Naval Academy campus for a $12 tour. A car helps on day four; the first three days do not need one.
Book these before you go
- Book a Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria combo tour , one booking instead of planning two separate legs
- Check Annapolis and Naval Academy walking tour times , the $12 academy tour fills up on weekends
- Compare DC hotel rates near a Metro station , worth it since three of four days start with a ride out of town
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Rough cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DC anchor: one Smithsonian, the monuments | none | $20-40 |
| 2 | Old Town Alexandria’s waterfront | Metro ~25 min, or water taxi ~30 min (Mar-Dec) | $30-60 |
| 3 | Mount Vernon, Washington’s working estate | ~40 min by car or tour bus | $60-100 |
| 4 | Annapolis and the US Naval Academy | bus ~1h10, or car/rideshare ~45-60 min | $50-160 |
Day 1: A Deliberately Short Day in DC
Keep day one light on purpose. This itinerary exists to get you out of the city, not to repeat the standard Mall circuit (the DC guide covers that ground in full). Book one free, timed-pass Smithsonian ahead on si.edu, the National Museum of American History works well, then walk the monuments in the afternoon: Lincoln, the WWII Memorial, the MLK Memorial, all free, unticketed, and open around the clock. Base yourself near a Metro station on the Blue, Green, or Yellow line. Tomorrow starts with a train ride, and WMATA’s distance-based fares cap at $6.75 even on the longest trip.
Day 2: Old Town Alexandria’s Cobblestones
Take the Blue or Yellow Line to King St-Old Town, then walk the last stretch into the historic district; a seasonal Potomac water taxi also runs from The Wharf, about $22 one-way, but only March through December, so check the calendar before counting on it. Alexandria is a genuinely walkable colonial-era waterfront: cobblestone streets, 18th-century townhouses, and a working riverfront that predates the capital itself. Spend the afternoon on foot along King Street down to the water, then eat dinner in the old town before the last Metro back; tip 18-20% same as anywhere else in the US.
Day 3: Mount Vernon, the Working Estate
Mount Vernon sits about 16 miles south of the city, reachable by car, a tour bus, or a seasonal Potomac riverboat cruise. Admission runs $30 for adults, $16 for ages 6-11, free under 6, open 9am-5pm April through October and 9am-4pm the rest of the year. This is George Washington’s actual farm, house, and tomb, a paid historic-house museum, not the free monument on the Mall that carries his name, an easy mix-up worth avoiding before you book. Budget a half day at minimum; the grounds, the mansion tour, and the working farm exhibits genuinely take that long to see properly.
Day 4: Annapolis and a Working Naval Academy
Annapolis sits roughly 33 miles east, and there is no direct train: a once-daily direct bus runs about $4-12 and takes around 1h10, while a car or rideshare runs roughly $60-135 one-way. The odd part of this whole trip is the payoff: the US Naval Academy allows pedestrian public access (no vehicle entry), and anyone 18 or over needs a REAL-ID-compliant photo ID or a passport at the gate. Guided tours run $12 for adults, open 9am-5pm March through December with shorter winter hours, and walking an active military campus on a weekday is the one thing none of the other three days offer.
Do You Need a Car for Any of This?
Not for the first three days. Alexandria runs on Metro, and Mount Vernon has a tour-bus and seasonal-boat option alongside the drive. Annapolis is the one that gets genuinely awkward without one: the direct bus runs just once a day, so missing it means a $60-135 rideshare or renting a car for that single day.
Is the Naval Academy Actually Open to Visitors?
Yes, it is a working military school, not a museum, and the public can walk in on foot (no vehicle access) during open hours. Everyone 18 or older needs a REAL-ID-compliant ID or a passport at the gate. Guided tours cost $12 and run 9am-5pm March through December, shorter in winter.
Why Not Do Alexandria and Mount Vernon on the Same Day?
Both are doable in half a day each, but combining them turns into a rushed transit day: Metro into Alexandria, then back out and south by car for Mount Vernon, with little real time at either stop. Split across two days instead, matching how this same spine scales up or down by day count.
For a shorter trip, the 2-day version sticks to DC and Alexandria alone; the 3-day version adds Mount Vernon but skips Annapolis; the 7-day version stretches this same spine out to Baltimore, Great Falls, and a full day trip beyond. For the day trips on their own, without the DC anchor day, see the DC day trips guide .