A BEGGINER’S GUIDE TO WASHINGTON DC

If you ever find yourself travelling in the eastern states of the United States of America, especially if visiting New York or Miami, you cannot miss to visit the capital city, the glorious Washington DC!

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States and a founding father.

Check out our map with all main Washington’s attractions!

The capital city of the USA can be described as a huge museum free to the public and open to its visitors. Anywhere you walk Washington reveals its power and amazes its visitors by all means!  The city is devided into seveal districts but we visited only some of them, including the city center where all locals and national authorities are located and  Bethesda a suburb in Washington!

Vibrant and youthful Wahington DC offers a fantastic blend of world class museums top rated restaurants, and endless options! Spend a day exploring the free museums of the Smithsonian institute! If you visit on spring dont miss the National cherry blossom festival!

Having only 2 days available we had to rush a lot in order to make the most of our staying there! Thankfully we had the most amazing cousin and his adorable family over there who made our visit incredible and our experience unforgettable!

So here are the 2 days itinerary we had while visiting Washington

Day 1 in Washington

• Union Station
• White House
• Washington Monument
• Obelisk
• National World War Memorial
• Vietnam Veteran;s memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
• Dr Martin Luther King Jr National Memorial
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
• Jefferson Memorial
• River Potomac (drive by)
• Drive through Rock Creek Park (ideal dor trekking lovers)
• Mount Vernon

Day 2 in Washington

• US Capitol – the most widely recognized symbol of democratic government in the world.
• Supreme court
• Library of Congress
• United States Botanic Graden
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of Natural History
• The US National Archives (Declaration of Independence)
• National Museum of American history
• National Cathedral
• Great falls

Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Thomas Jefferson

More things to do and see in Washington

• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Kennedy Center
• Ford’s theatre
• International Spy Museum
• Smithsonian Institution
• L’ Enfant Plazza

Best way to explore Washington

The best way to explore Wahington is on foot, by bike or scooter! The choice is up to you! It is for sure that the whole area is really huge so 2 days of walking could be exhausting for some, while for others may be the perfect way not to miss a single thing! Try both walking and cycling! Jump bikes and scooters can be found everywhere make it the most convenient way to move around! Last but not least we always use Uber, you know that, just like the americans do!

• Extra tip Book any extra tickets prior arrival  even if its for free (eg. US Capitol free entrance and guided tours are offered throughout the day between 8.40am – 3.20 pm Monday to Saturday, but tour passes are required).
• Extra tip Be in line early or late enough because the queues are really long there.

We hope you enjoyed our travel posts about our east coast adventures in the US! Both New York and Washington DC are amazing and inspiring in a different way and deserve a visit!

We thank our family in Washington for showing us around all city’s highlights and for making our trip unforgettable! Hope to cu soon in Greece!

Check out our map with all main Washington’s attractions!