Washington DC Off the Beaten Path: 6 Days
Six days adds Annapolis, Maryland’s state capital and the US Naval Academy, to the four-day city plan plus the Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria day trip. No rental car is required for Mount Vernon or Alexandria; Annapolis is easiest with one. Want a third day trip? See the 7 day offbeat itinerary .
| 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 |
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 itself needs an ID check either way
- 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. 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 , better lit and less crowded 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 and its Leo Villareal 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 for a walkable colonial waterfront morning. Mount Vernon, roughly 16 miles south, 30-45 minutes by car, tour bus, or seasonal riverboat from Alexandria; $30 adult, $16 ages 6-11, free under 6, hours 9am-5pm Apr-Oct and 9am-4pm Nov-Mar. A paid historic estate, not the free NPS monument sharing Washington’s name back in the city.
Day 6: Annapolis, Maryland’s capital and the Naval Academy
Can you reach Annapolis from DC by train? No, a genuinely easy assumption to get wrong given how close it looks on a map. There’s no direct rail line; a once-daily direct bus runs roughly $4-12 and takes about 1h10, while rideshare costs roughly $60-135 one-way, and driving takes 33-40 minutes covering about 33 miles.
The US Naval Academy allows public pedestrian access with a REAL-ID-compliant photo ID or passport for all visitors 18 and over; guided campus tours run $12 adult, $11 senior, $10 child, with hours 9am-5pm March through December and shorter winter hours. Pair the academy with a walk through Annapolis’s colonial-era State Circle, home to Maryland’s state capitol, before heading back to DC; this is the one day trip in this itinerary genuinely easier with a car than without one.