My adult daughter and I only have two days to see the sights in Washington DC. There is SO much to see! I'd love for us to experience as much as possible while we're there but I would also hate to go on a marathon and just get a glimpse of a bunch of different sites. If you were to pick a few places to visit in two days (from Fri. afternoon to Sunday afternnon), where would you suggest we go?

It really depends on what you want to see. You can walk along the Mall area and see a lot. The views of the State Capitol and White House are nice. You can spend an afternoon around the monuments. Or, as my coworkers did, they just went on a tourbus which gave them an overview of everything. Good luck!

If you only have a short time, I woulc probably stay onthe mall and visit the Smithsonian museums. There are MANY museums and they are all free. You would also be able to vist the memorials (Jefferson/Vietnam etc). While the distance may seem short, you can easily walk a few miles, so if you are coming soon, check the weather and dress appropriately. Have a great time. Washington is a great area to visit.

Nancy, I guess the main issue is whether you want to get an overview, or whether you want to see a few things in depth and come back for a second visit.

If you want the overview, I'd suggest Tourmobile, the open-air tram that transports you to sights on the National Mall. I think you can buy a ticket Friday afternoon/evening that will be good on Saturday as well. Use it to see the Mall, monuments, and especially Arlington Cemetery. On Sunday, I'd pick two Smithsonian Museums and split the day between them. One should be the museum of American History, which has the first ladies' dresses and presidential items. You need timed tickets for the presidential stuff.

If you have more targeted interests, you could just metro to the Smithsonian stop on the mall and walk around on Friday. On the remaining two days, well, go visit the specific things that catch your eye.

Finally, given your limited time, there are certainly some things that may not be worth your time. I'd pass on the Zoo (we've all been to Zoos, right?), the White House Tour, and the top of the Washington Monument. All are time-consuming and perhaps not worth it.

If you give us an idea about what really sends you, we can give opinions on what else makes sense under the circumstances.

Good luck.

Since this will be our first trip to DC, we initially thought we might just get an overview, thinking that we can revisit what interested us on a later trip. But realistically, we have no idea when we can ever get back to DC again. (We're from the west coast.) The idea of taking the tourbus on Saturday and honing in on one or two sites on Sunday sounds like the perfect solution. I checked on tours and saw a comprehensive one that lasted nine hours! My rational side says no one has that kind of attention span, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it, considering all that there is to be seen in DC?

One little suggestion: try to alternate the viewing of museums, monuments, and government buildings. One problem with seeing more than two museums in a row (and there are MANY great ones near the Mall!!) is that you tend to get overwhelmed. So after one museum, walk around a monument or two before going to another museum. It may not be the most efficient use of your time, but it will allow you to ENJOY the time you spend!

Take the Tourmobile as Cindy recommended, not a tour bus, which will allow you to get on and off at sights, so you will not be committed to a 9 hour tour (does sound horrible to me). Skip the White House tour--it's not worth it. Consider visiting the Lincoln, Jefferson and Vietnam monuments at night--there are lots of people around so it's safe and they are truly wonderful at night. The only problem is transportation since they aren't close to a Metro stop and I believe the Tourmobile has stopped running by then. You might consider negotiating a fixed fee with a cab driver for a couple hours so you can get around or just try to catch cabs at either the Lincoln or Jefferson when you're ready to move on. I highly recommend a ride around the monuments, White House (as close as you can get anyway) and the Capitol at night. They are lit up and impressive. It's also easy to do when you're exhausted from a day of walking and museums.

Definitely take the tourmobile - we did and saw all the great sites!!

Yes, use the Tourmobile. But a couple of thoughts -- this is like picking and choosing from a large menu with many "categories." Be clever about the few things you do and you'll have a taste of almost everything. So do some homework and choose a couple of musts, then build around that.

For example: If it were me and an adult daughter I would want A. a "taste" of the Smithsonians, B. a "taste" of government, C. a "taste" of WashDC culture and D. history. Given your timing, I might suggest:

Fri. afternoon, skip the Tourmobile (you only have a half-day, not worth the $) and go directly to the Capitol and take the tour of the Capitol. Depending on your time, it's worth taking the little underground tram over to the Senate office buildings and trying to find one of your Senators' offices -- he won't be there on a Fri. most likely, but the staff will welcome you and it's worth the "taste" of what Capitol Hill life is like. Can't do this on Sat. or Sun., of course.

Have dinner in Adams Morgan in an Ethiopian or Thai or... restaurant (use taxis). Find a way to drive around the monuments after dark -- Lincoln, Jefferson, etc. DO NOT MISS the Vietnam and Korean Memorials near the Lincoln. There may be some "Wash. By Night" tours or hire a cab and tell him what you want. This is the BEST way and time to see those monuments, worth extra $.

Saturday: In the morning (early) get the Tourmobile ticket and start with the Nat. Mus. of Amer. History and go find the First Ladies' Inaugural Dresses exhibit. Along the way, note any other exhibits of particular interest to you two in that building. Have lunch at a restaurant on Penn. Ave. near the Old Post Office Pavilion or in the pavilion itself (there are places) and go up THAT tower for the view. It's better than the Wash. Monument's and much less of a wait and a hassle.

After that, choose between seeing the gems and the Hope Diamond in the Nat. Mus. of Natural History or else doing the wonderful art in the Nat. Gallery and National Gallery East. Even if you don't look at the art in the East Wing, walk around to marvel at the architecture. If crowds are small, you can get a sorbet in the underground passage (with underground fountain and gift shop) or up at the Terrace Cafe. Shopping at gift shops here is best.

The Air and Space Museum is a major change of pace and if art isn't your thing, you might substitute that for one of the other Museums.

Take the Metro over to Alexandria (King Street) for dinner -- it's a bit of a walk down King St. to the river but there are lots of great restaurants, better as you get closer to the water front, which is very pretty. If the weather's good and you aren't pooped, find Gatsby's Tavern = Geo. Washington's headquarters. Or else just sit by the river.

Sunday morning, have brunch in Georgetown and if the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks are open (2-6pm), walk through them -- a taste of Europe and history! (No need to do the museum there on this trip.) Failing that, take a cab up to the Washington Cathedral (AFTER services) and look for the stained glass window with the moon rock in it!

You'll notice the White House isn't on my itinerary -- it takes planning, getting there early and would take up at least a half day to do that and "do" the tour, and I recommend saving it 'til you have more time -- unless it's at the top of your list and more important than anything else. But nothing to stop you from walking around the area and looking at it.

Any comments from others?

An afterthought: if you go up to the Wash. Cathedral, you'll need a cab -- but remember that cabs in DC don't charge by the mile or waiting time, they charge by the zone! -- and most routes up there will take you by several of the Embassies, which is "cooolll".

And if you don't want to do Adams Morgan on Fri. evening, there are plenty of downtown restaurants, although they can be pricey.

Hi Nancy,

Your time allotment is exactly what my husband and I had when we visited D.C. over the Memorial Day weekend. We spent Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday there. We opted to not do the Tourmobile and hoofed it ourselves. We were exhausted by both evenings, but were glad we did it "our way." ;-) Here's what we got around to -

Saturday we spent our time walking along the Mall, and went to the Washington and Lincoln monuments, as well as the Vietnam and Korean War memorials. Doing all of that took about 3-4 hours.

On Sunday, we went to the National History, American History, and Air and Space museums. Doesn't sound like we covered a lot, but there's SO much to see in each, and because of the holiday crowds, it was a slow go for us.

As you can tell, we didn't even begin to scratch the surface of all that's in D.C. That's why we're planning on going back in the next few months!

You didn't mention if you're staying right in D.C. or an outlying area, but I give high marks to the Metro system. We stayed in Old Town Alexandria and took it into D.C. The Metro is inexpensive, easy to use, and very clean. We were impressed with and grateful to the locals and Metro employees who helped us out with using it the first time. We were a little intimidated until we got the hang of it. Enjoy your time in D.C. You'll love it!

I recently visited DC for the 1st time. I found the best memories are:
a $30 nighttime cab tour of the monuments, the driver waited while we walked up to them, call ahead and request an informed driver.
National Cathedral - as good as any I've seen in Europe
Old Post Office Tower - fabulous view
Union Station- WOW!
DC Ducks amphibious vehicle tour of monuments/capitol bldgs/short Potomac river ride - 1hr 30min rest for tired feet and a pleasant change of pace on the water
Kennedy Performing Arts -saw a performance, view from terrace is also beautiful
DC is everything I expected and more safe. If it weren't for all the politicians, it would be the best city in America.

Wow! I just happened upon this forum a couple days ago. I was a little reticent at first because I'm a novice at this type of thing. But I have to say, I am so amazed and moved by all you wonderful, thoughtful people out there! My daughter and I were just going to "play it by ear" when we got there, but with your help we'll be able to maximize our short stay in DC. Thanks a lot!!!

Another spot to see, if you can make the time, is the Roosevelt Memorial. It's within walking distance of the Korean and Vietnam memorials (which as others have said -- shouldn't be missed.) Make sure you're carrying plenty of water -- especially during this time of the year.