How long does it take to see D.C.?
 

Hey all.
I'm planning a trip with a friend which will start in NYC and finish up in D.C. We want to see the capital, all the monuments, and the Smithsonian, etc. I'm guessing that woudl take about three days. How long does the average "tourist" spend in D.C. just seeing the big things? Thanks!

What do you mean by the Smithsonian? There are several museums run by the Smithsonian such as the Air and Space Museum, Natural History, American History, etc. Each museum could take a day on its own. Their website http://www.si.edu/visit/ may be of assistance if you need to narrow down the sites you want to see.

You could probably do the Lincoln Memorial, Wash. monument, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, and WWII Memorial in a day.

I am sure you will get lots of great advice. Have a great trip!

I'm definitely not an expert here, but I saw "everything" except the Smithsonian in one day. When my daughter went to DC, their group spent part of 2 days at the Smithsonian, so I think your estimate is just about right. It may depend on whether you are planning on going inside all of the monuments, or just seeing them from the outside.

Donna

Well, you need to know that "the" Smithsonian includes nearly two dozen separate museums, most of which are in DC, including:

African Art Museum
Air and Space Museum and Udvar-Hazy Center
American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery
American History Museum
Anacostia Museum (African American history and culture)
Arts and Industries Building (Discovery Theater)
Freer and Sackler Galleries (Asian art)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (modern and contemporary art)
National Zoo
Natural History Museum
Postal Museum
Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle (visitor information)

Don't forget Ford's Theatre, Spy Museum, Holocaust Museum, etc. My 2 favorites, not on most people's lists, are the Folger Shakespeare Library and the National Building Museum.

You can prioritize 3 days' worth of things to do. Or you could spend two weeks getting a good insight into what DC has to offer.

Well, there are over 10 Smithsonian museums, plus the Castle, National Zoo, National Gallery and Holocaust Museum... Then there are the Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, Vietnam, WWII, FDR, Korean memorials and countless other national park service units. You'll have to narrow down what you want to see exactly if you only have 3 days.

Use these sites as a guide:
www.nps.gov
www.si.edu

We also went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Mt. Vernon. There are probably a lot of places off limits since 911, but years ago you could go to the FBI building and the Mint. Again, I don't know if you can still do this, but we got tickets from our Congressman for the FBI building that allowed us to bypass the long line to get in.

The monuments can be done in one day. All are within walking distance except Jefferson and FDR which are about one mile away from main monuments. The Smithsonian could take from half a day to a full day for each one. The history museams and air and space are the main one.Hope you enjoy your visit.

Add Arlington Cemetery to the list, please.

I lived in norther virginia for thirty five years, and as many times as we went into DC, I never saw everything.

And what about tours of the White House (if you pre-arrange with your congressman), Congress and the Supreme Court. Then there's the National Archives. The National Cathedral, Georgetown, and Alexandria.

We just spent 4 nights/5 days in DC. All we covered was the Washington Monument (with pre-purchased tickets), the White House, American History, zoo, National Gallery of Art and Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Memorial. It all takes way longer than you think.

STOPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is this for real? Or are you all the same person? Or what? Jeez.

I think we're all for real and diferent persons. Washington, D.C. is so magnificent that a year wouldn't be enough to see everything.

Tandoori - relax! I think the point for Pang to take away is that he/she has to better define just what "seeing the big things" means to them.

A long weekend (3 days) from NYC is a great trip to DC - you can definitely see a lot, but that doesn't mean they'll see everything. They can get highlights - see the monuments, a few museums etc, which hopefully will be fine for them.

Pang - is there a specific Smithsonian you have in mind? Anonymous was nice enough to give you a list. Usually when I show people around DC, we spend a few hours in the museum/s of choice, but you could easily spend longer if you love museums! We like to hit the highlights.

Karen

After just returning from our trip to DC I too agree everything takes alot longer than you anticipate especially if you are on your own. Instead of rushing I would choose several sights and absorb it all. There were many sights our family didn't make it to that we wanted but opted for "quality versus quanity". My son and husband spend 3+ hours, (and could have spent more) at the Air and Space whereas my daughter and I finished it in 2. Be flexible and have great walking shoes. The metro system is fabulous. Can't say enough about it!!

We recently spent two days in D.C. Not near enough time.

We only had time to "see" (from the outside) the Capitol, White House, Lincoln Memorial, war memorials (not all of them), Jefferson memorial (in the distance)

Went to / through
Arlington Cemetery,
Smithsonian - american history museum
Smithsonian - natural history museum
Smithsonian - national Zoo

Ran out of time
- only had an hour which got us barely through one room of holocaust museum

Had really wanted to get to the Smithsonian air & space museum and do the entire holocaust museum.

Metro (subway) system is great. Be prepared for lots & lots of walking between all these sites.

Write now to your congressmen requesting tickets for Congress and the White House. Then working around those dates and times book reservations to the Washington Monument, Holocost and Spy museums. But a Tourmobile ticket one day to hop on and off to see all the monuments and Arlington. Fill in the holes with the Smithsonian Museums you wish to visit.

May I suggest consulting a few DC trip reports? This may help give you an idea of what people accomplished/did on a daily basis. The info. and advice on this board is exceptional! I researched quite a bit here before we took our trip in June. Rather than list all we saw, you can always check my trip report, but if you'd rather, just let me know and I'll give you a quick list instead. Good luck!

Take the Old Town Trolley Tour (about $25 for the day) It goes to all the spots and u can get on and off at your leisure. Great way to see city!

I lived in DC '67 - '75, saw lots, did lots, but I'm still amazed at how much remains to be seen and enjoyed.
Small wonder the elected goofs never want to leave, lol!
M

mikemo - I live in DC now, and have for 5 years, and I still have not been to the Holocaust Museum (I plan to go this fall, once the tourists leave)!

I have also never toured the White House, but if I was coming here as a tourist, I'd probably try to do it.

Karen