zwho

We are planning a 4 to 5 day trip to DC. 7 in all not counting travel days. We have all been, but for me it's been 13 yrs. so I have forgotten a lot and I know much has changed & opened. Here are my questions.
We think staying in Arlington is more affordable and still an easy way to see the sights. Is this true, or should we spend more and stay in DC?
Depending on where we stay, which airport is more convenient for Arlington, and which one for DC?
Should I reserve timed entrance tickets to the Holocaust Museum and the Museum of African American History now or wait until we get there?
What about the Newsuem? Buy txs or reserve them?
These are our must see list of Museums. Is there anything else that is considered a must see? We have all seen the Smithsonian American History, Air & Space and whatever was must see 15 to 20 yrs. ago and we only have 5 days to do this! Thanks in advance!

BigRuss

Who's "we"? How many constitute the "we"? Are any of "we" not familiar with the Smithsonian A&S Museum?

>

Who knows? What is your budget? What is your time worth? Are you willing to ride the WMATA to central DC from your hotel?

zwho

There are 3 of us. 1 couple and me, so 2 hotel rooms. We want somewhere safe, clean, and close to the metro. Of course staying near the Mall or the WH would be nice, but we will be using the hotel as a place to sleep. That's it! Time is worth a lot, but not worth more then $200.00 or less p/night! Basically we're talking about seeing the 3 Museums I mentioned, the Memorials and then just walking the Mall and hopefully discovering things we have never seen. I am a very experienced traveller, with help from Fodors! Sorry my questions confused you. We're fine with the WMATA. But I do want to know which airport is more convenient depending on where we stay. Again, can you help

elberko

Museum of African American History are extremely limited, you've missed the advance online for May, but there are a few other ways:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/passes

tchoiniere

I'd book the Holocaust Museum asap too.

sf7307

Reagan (DCA) is the more convenient airport whether you stay in the District or in Arlington (just stay near a metro stop, or use Uber). Dulles is far (35 miles?) and expensive to get to.

You don't have to pre-book the Newseum, but it's still worth every minute you spend there!

kja

Where to stay is, I think, a very personal choice that depends, in large part, on the relative values you place on budget and convenience. Staying in Arlington is certainly a reasonable and budget-sensitive choice; some people prefer to spend a bit more to limit their time in transit, to be near a range of restaurants that are within walkable reach of their hotels, etc.

Please note that WMATA is going through some major renovations, with major closures or slow-downs on various lines. Check it’s website for the most recent information, which includes long-term projections of planned work.

The most convenient airport for DC or Arlington is Reagan National. Next, Dulles. BWI is less convenient for either.

I’d reserve for the Museum of African American History as soon as you can (IF you still can) and for the Holocaust Museum as soon as you are ready to commit to a date. I could be wrong, but I don’t think reservations are needed for the Newseum – and note that tickets there are good for 2 days.

Personally, I wouldn’t begin to suggest a “must-see” list for anyone – it all depends on your interests! That said, if you have ANY interest in art, I would not miss the National Gallery or the Phillips Collection. JMO.

If you don’t already have one, please get yourself a good guidebook or two – the cost will be nugatory in comparison to the cost of the trip, and you’ll have a wealth of information at your hands. OR consult them at your local library.

celestexeter

The Library of Congress is beautiful. The Renwick museum (across from the White House and next to the Blair House) is a small very interesting museum. The National Geographic Building often has interesting exhibits. I have recently read the White House is again open for visits. You have to request tickets from your Congressmen.

Christina

You can see on a map that DCA is the closest airport to Arlington and DC (and the name kind of gives it away). Also, it is on a metro line so if you choose a hotel near a metro stop, you can just use that.

Arlington isn't far from DC by metro, and you can find some cheaper hotels there, but it really depends what you choose, the dates, etc. Because there are some time periods when hotels in DC are cheaper and the metro is NOT cheap, so it wouldn't be worth it to stay in Arlington if the hotel cost were only $10 a day cheaper or something like that.

But mid-May is a fairly busy time as tons of school groups come into the city, to I suspect hotels won't be a bargain in DC (or Arlington, but generally some are cheaper). Just make sure you are in one that is convenient to a metro stop, as not many are in Northern Virginia.

I'm not sure what you mean about the Newseum, whether you should buy tickets or just reserve them. I've never heard of reserving tickets for a museum without paying for them. The Newseum is never sold out that I've ever heard. If you are sure you want to go, you do save 15 pct by buying in advance, so that would be a good idea. But you can get 10 pct off in person if you have a AAA card.

gail

Arlington Ballston area has several hotels very lose to Metro, one where you don't even have to go outside. Also shops and restaurants for beginning or end of day.

The Newseum is wonderful.

Uber works well in DC area; I use it whenever I visit. Using Uber for airport pick-up is challenging, but a taxi from DCA to Arlington is about $25-30 plus tip. The Metro is undergoing some lengthy but emergent repairs and some lines or stations are closed on many weekends - so pay attention to that.

Go to your US Rep's webpage and there are often listings of special tickets/admissions to some DC sites available thru Congressional office.

sf7307

Gail, we've used Uber from DCA on multiple occasions without a problem. What "challenge" did you face?

gail

Airport pickup challenge. While Uber is not able to pick up at DCA, they obviously can't use the taxi line. And as with most airports, just finding the person picking you up in the collection of cars, not allowed to idle or stay in one place long. We could not find the Uber guy.

Taking Uber from Arlington to DCA - wonderful.

nelsonian

We were there in early January and stayed at the Best Western Georgetown, which is not actually in Georgetown. It was close to the Metro, and the Circulator bus which went to the Mall. We thought it was good value for money. Has a free breakfast, which wasn't that great, although our grandson loved the pancakes every morning. Also had good free wi-fi. I think all of the rooms have recently been renovated.

tomfuller

Reagan National would be most peoples choice because it has a Metro stop. https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps...silverline.pdf
Find a hotel near a Metro stop.

NewbE

Regarding Uber (or Lyft) airport pickup, the solution is to message your driver immediately to tell him exactly where you're standing and roughly what you look like. Easy peasy.

Dukey1

If you use certain Arlington hotels you will not need either a taxi or Uber to get there since you can ride the Metro. There are hotels near the Courthouse stop as well as near the Ballston stop. You might also look for hotels near the Rosslyn or even the Pentagon City Metro stops.

ElendilPickle

We (Mr. Pickle, our son, and me) stayed at the Americana in Arlington in 2013. It was reasonably priced with free wi-fi and a decent continental breakfast. You can walk to a Metro station from there or take their free shuttle to the station.
http://www.americanahotel.com

Lee Ann