My family and I are traveling to DC soon. It's my wife and 2 kids, ages 7 and 9. We are staying at Hotel George near Columbus Circle. We want to avoid renting a car since we're pretty much in the heart of the city, however we would like to get around easily enough to see the sites and attractions.

Would public transit or sightseeing tours do the trick? Any thoughts, comments are appreciated. Thanks!

Having a car in DC is a pain, but the metro in DC is very easy to use and quite convenient. You'll be a block and a half from Union Station, where you can pick up the Red Line. Judiciary Station is a few blocks the other direction - also on the Red Line.

There is also the DC Circulator Bus - you will probably find the National Mall route to be very handy:
http://dccirculator.com/Home/BusRout...viceRoute.aspx

Tale the Metro or walk, call an Uber or grab a cab in a pinch. I have never used the Circulator myself.

A car will only be a hindrance, banish that thought!

Read up on the various metro cards for saving money rather than paying fares each time you want to go somewhere. The DC metro is really very good: clean, comfortable, and convenient.

Walking, the metro, and supplementing with the occasional Uber ride ought to do the trick! We found the metro very convenient and easy to use.

The Hotel George is very close to Union Station. Do not rent a car.. parking is difficult and expensive. you can easily get around on public transit, or take a taxi if need be. you can walk to the mall. but will be at the end nearest the National Gallery. Its also a longish walk to the Congressional Houses, especially if its hot.

I found the staff at the hotel to be outstanding. and if you mention your upcoming trip on their facebook page you may be pleasantly surprised.. I did that and found a complementary bottle of wine and a cheese and fruit platter in my room on arrival.

The Metro in DC is great. One tip - don't put your fare card near your cell phone. The magnetic strip becomes easily demagnetized by them.

The Metro in DC is great. One tip - don't put your fare card near your cell phone. The magnetic strip becomes easily demagnetized by them.

If you purchase a Smartrip card you won't have this problem.

The plastic card is available at any Metro station -- $10 gets you the card and $8 in fare which you can add to at any station when needed. If you use the paper tickets (which will get demagnetized by a smart phone) you will be charged $1 surcharge per ride. Smartrip works on DC's buses as well, regular ones and the Circulator.

http://www.dccirculator.com

http://www.wmata.com/index.cfm?forcedesktop=1

We cabbed it at night. Very reasonable.