One Week in Washington DC: Offbeat Plan
A full week covers the overlooked city over four days, then three day trips: Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria, Annapolis, and Baltimore, the only one of the three that’s a genuinely bigger, different city rather than a quaint small town. No rental car is required for any of it except Annapolis, which is genuinely easier with one. Shorter on time? The 5 day and 6 day versions of this plan drop the later day trips and keep the same city spine, and our city overview covers what a shorter visit should prioritize first.
| Day | Focus | Distance/Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural History and American History without the crowds, then monuments after dark | In the city |
| 2 | The Renwick, the National Gallery’s light tunnel, Hirshhorn, and U Street | In the city |
| 3 | Georgetown’s waterfront and the timed-pass museum most people get wrong | In the city |
| 4 | The Capitol booked the right way, Eastern Market, Arlington, and the Wharf | In the city |
| 5 | Old Town Alexandria, then Mount Vernon | Alexandria 20 min Metro; Mount Vernon 30-45 min further |
| 6 | Annapolis: Maryland’s capital and the Naval Academy | Roughly 33 miles, 33-40 min by car |
| 7 | Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium | Roughly 40 miles, 35-45 min by MARC or Amtrak |
Book these before you go
- Book a monuments-at-night tour , the better version of the Mall walk
- Check International Spy Museum ticket times , the one paid museum worth the line
- Reserve a Mount Vernon tour , the estate books up on weekends
- Book an Annapolis and Naval Academy tour , since the academy checks ID either way
- Reserve National Aquarium Baltimore tickets , timed entry required
- Compare hotel rates near the Mall or Dupont before cherry blossom season sells the city out
Day 1: The museums everyone rushes past
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History at 10am opening, ahead of the tour buses, for the Ocean Hall and fossil galleries among 145 million specimens. The National Museum of American History’s transportation and political-history wings, past the Star-Spangled Banner crowd. Both free. Evening: monuments after dark, Lincoln, MLK, WWII, and Vietnam Veterans, free, unticketed, open 24 hours and dramatically better lit than at 1pm.
Day 2: The art wing you’re not supposed to skip, and U Street
The Renwick Gallery, usually the emptiest major museum in the city. The National Gallery of Art’s underground concourse beneath Leo Villareal’s light installation, then Alexander Calder’s mobile overhead in the East Building atrium. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Evening: Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street and the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage around 6pm.
Day 3: Georgetown’s waterfront, and the museum that turns walk-ups away
Georgetown, no Metro station, reached via Foggy Bottom-GWU, Rosslyn, or the 32/36/38B bus. NMAAHC’s free timed pass on si.edu, 30 days ahead plus an 8:15am same-day batch. Evening in Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan with an Ethiopian dinner.
Day 4: The Capitol booked the right way, Eastern Market, and Arlington
US Capitol tours book through visitthecapitol.gov , not recreation.gov. Eastern Market for lunch, Arlington National Cemetery by Metro, free 8am-5pm most days. The Wharf for dinner and the water-taxi departure point south.
Day 5: Old Town Alexandria, then Mount Vernon
The Blue and Yellow Metro lines reach King St-Old Town in about 20 minutes. Mount Vernon, roughly 16 miles south, 30-45 minutes by car, tour bus, or seasonal riverboat; $30 adult, $16 ages 6-11, free under 6, hours 9am-5pm Apr-Oct and 9am-4pm Nov-Mar.
Day 6: Annapolis, Maryland’s capital and the Naval Academy
No direct train reaches Annapolis; a once-daily direct bus runs roughly $4-12 (about 1h10), rideshare $60-135, or drive the 33 miles in 33-40 minutes. The Naval Academy allows public access with a REAL-ID photo ID or passport for all visitors 18-plus; guided tours run $12 adult, $11 senior, $10 child, 9am-5pm March through December.
Day 7: Baltimore, a genuinely different city
Is Baltimore just another small day-trip town like Alexandria or Annapolis? No, and treating it that way undersells it. Baltimore is roughly 40 miles away, 35-45 minutes by MARC (cheaper, slower, weekday-commuter-oriented) or Amtrak (faster, pricier) from Union Station, and it’s a full urban destination with its own Inner Harbor waterfront and skyline, not a quaint small town.
The National Aquarium runs $49.95 adult, $39.95 youth and senior, requires timed entry, and drops to half price for walk-ups after 5pm on Fridays. Spend the morning at the Inner Harbor and the aquarium, then head back to DC by late afternoon MARC or Amtrak train rather than cutting it close on the last commuter departure. A full week leaves DC having spent more time in the free museum wings and the day-trip towns than in line for any single ticketed attraction, which is the actual point of doing it this way.