Hi. I will be making my first trip to DC in June and staying from Saturday about noon (arriving by train from Chicago) until Thursday afternoon. Will be staying in Dupont Circle.

Here is my itinerary thus far:

Sat afternoon - Tourmobile/Mall/Arlington National Cemetary
Sun - Tourmobile/Mall/Monuments
Mon - Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Bureau of Engraving and Printing (All tours arranged by our congress person)
Tues - Old Town Alexandria, Mt. Vernon?
Wed - open - museums, mall?
Thurs - Spy Museum, Old Post Office bldg, Union Station

The other places I would really like to visit are the Holocaust Memorial (would like to get tickets before I arrive), the Eastern Market, and National Cathedral. Any ideas where these might best fit in the schedule.

Also planning to take the Grayline night tour of the monuments and spend a late afternoon/evening or two in Georgetown.

Any thoughts on the best day to visit the Eastern Market? I know Sat is a farmer's market and Sun more of a flea market and closed on Mondays. Any input about what the other days of the week are like? Would also like to go to Market Lunch for pancakes or crabcakes.

For museums would most like to spend time at the American Museum on History, the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art.

Any input on my itinerary or other suggestions for sights to see would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your help.

You'll get more comments from others about specifics but it actually looks really good. You will have to keep moving to see all you want to - maybe think of it as an overview trip and you'll be very tired but you will get to see lots. The museums can take a day each but those you mentioned are close to each other, just keep moving.

Good job getting your tickets from the congress person because these will be highlights. Some people enjoy the engraving/printing more than others - I thought it was pretty neat.

Mt. Vernon is wonderful and worth the trip. It wasn't busy when we were there and had the run of the house. Beautiful space.

You don't mention the zoo - it is pretty and fun to see. If you were to go early morning and just see some of the animals you can't see elsewhere (Pandas, gorillas).

Take good walking shoes!

A good place for food during your busy days is the shopping mall at Pentagon City (different from the Pentagon stop)....it has a food court...as you come out of the Metro, the entrance is right there. Just follow the crowd.

Also after 9:30 AM you can purchase a "ride all day" metro pass....for $5. It is worth every penny.

Have a wonderful stay in DC.

Sounds do-able, especially considering that if you overbooked Monday, you can do one or two of those things on Wednesday.

I don't know much about Eastern Market. It is near Capitol Hill, and a couple blocks from a metro station. Don't know if the Tourmobile gets you near enough or not. Be careful walking around Capitol Hill; your level of safety changes quickly from block to block.

The Pentagon City Mall is out of the way from your destinations. It is a very nice mall, but nothing you can't find anywhere else in the US.

Since you'll be in town I would suggest NOT doing any museums on the weekend - that's when they are the most crowded.

Good tip about the Metro pass. Consider taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself w/the Metro. It's very convenient, but just try to avoid it during rush hour, for obvious reasons.

Thanks for all the great replies. We are planning to purchase a metro pass and use it for most of our stay. We thought we would start out with Tourmobile to get the "lay of the land" after we arrive and to take advantage of having the second day for $2 since we won't be purchasing our tickets until the afternoon of the first day and plan to spend the first couple days around the mall area. Bardo, thanks for your comment about seeing the museums during the week rather than on the weekend. Maybe pre-purchased timed tickets to the Holocaust memorial later Sunday afternoon would be a good option rather than the museumes. Any further thoughts or input is certainly welcome. Thanks again for all your help!

Before you buy a Metropass, make sure you'll get your money's worth out of it. Most rides in downtown DC cost about $1.10, so the Metropass is a good buy only if you're going to take a few long rides (even the longest run about $2) or at least 5 shorter ones, which personally I've never done!

In my opinion--and I live here--the Bureau of Engraving and Printing rates a yawn. It was boring when I first went, my kids thought it was boring and the last I heard it was still boring. You basically see huge stacks of uncut money on the shop room floors.

The places for a quick lunch are Union Station (huge food court on the lowere level below where the trains leave) and the Old Post Office Building at 12th & Penn. Ave., NW (smaller food court).

The Old Post Office Building also contains ticket place, where you can get reduced price tickets for the same day if you want to see something in the evening. "Shear Madness" at the Kennedy Center is almost always available.

I would spend the bulk of my available time at the Smithsonian American History Museum and the National Gallery of Art if I were you. Of course, I'm not you and you get to pick.

Please note: The most important items generally at the Phillips Collection at Dupont Circle are on tour while they remodel. I would not bother with the Phillips until Renoir's "Afternoon of the Boating Party" returns from its tour.

We are visiting in Sept. and I've found that you can buy tickets in advance for the Spy Museum at Ticketmaster, but you do have a $2.75 service fee. Not bad all things considered. You can also get your tickets for the Holocaust Museum at Tickets.com. The tickets are free but they do charge a service fee of $1.75. There is a direct link to the website at the museum site (ushmm.org/visit). Let us know how everything went when you get back.

I would do Eastern Market on Saturday or Sunday morning. That is wehn all of the vendors are set up. Eastern Market is walking distance from the Capitol Building, up Pennsylvania Ave to 7th St. We worth it to walk around!

Thanks again for all your helpful replies! Does anyone know how early the Eastern Market opens on Sunday morning? Thanks again.

On saturday i would take the monuments by moonlight tour, it will pick you up at many major hotels, so you can go to a site before moon light tour and see it then, check with the grey line for closest pick up hotel, then they will drop you off at your hotel or one close after tour. So that being said you could take the metro to old post office building and spy museum, also fords theather is near by, 2 to 3 hrs., and then take the metro to union station( 1/2 hr. is plenty of time to see union station ) for your monuments by moon light tour, leaves about 7- 7:30, so you have got in a lot for little time, total 5 hrs. including metro time.OH you are arriving by train then you will see union station so you can go to a [pick up site hotel near by old post office and spy museum.

As for the tourmobile it is great but dont waste it on the museums, you are in them for 2-4 hrs., instead use that tour time for ,supreme court,library, engraving& printing,capitol tour and all the other sites you will see not listed on your itinerary( and there are many) and you can get off or just view them.As for arlington the metro blue line goes there, and then everyone has to either walk the area or get on the tour bus from the visitors center, so make this a 3-4 trip one morning or afternoon, with one of the mt. vernon or old town alexandria ( actually i like georgetown better, it is very historic and lots of restaurants). nick

Eastern Market web site:
http://www.easternmarket.net/

Wander:

Lived in D.C. for 3 yrs in 1980s so I have some ideas. Spend the first day touring the Smithsonians - American History, Natural History. I'd save the Smithsonian Air and Space for when you go to the Supreme Court. There is the Archives and Old Post Office in the same general area, along with the Ford Theatre - this is a must, very nice tour, beautiful old theatre. It's the place where Abraham Lincoln died and then downstairs is a very small bookstore with some artifacts of that time. I use to work for the FBI way, way back and took the tour which was fun - this is around the same area too.

On a weekday I'd tour the Supreme Court (only open Mon-Fri), Union Station, Capitol (if you can do that), Smithsonian Air and Space. If you like touring radio stations I've heard you can do that at Voice of America which is on C St.

I would take it easy on touring. Enjoy the good weather and beauty of the city. There is some good shopping and eateries in the Old Post Office Shops and at the J.W. Marriott both of which are good on Day 1 as they are around everything that I've mentioned.

Third Day go to Old Town Alexandria and Mount Vernon VA. Both are accessible by bus, via the Metro's yellow line and South Washington Street in Old Town (at least when I use to go to Mt. Vernon - ask the attendant at the Metro).

One last recommendation, if you are Catholic, and even if you are not, go to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception instead of the National Cathedral. I use to live in temporary housing at the Catholic Univ. dorms and go to mass every Sunday there. It is an extremely beautiful place and only a few stops on the Red Line of the Metro which is the same line as Union Station.

Good luck.