Washington DC: Off The Beaten Path Destination Guide
My 3-day Washington DC itinerary (including 8 hidden gems, restaurant recommendations and where to stay)
13 years ago, I made my first trip to Washington DC with some friends as part of a 4 week North American adventure.
Now that we’re based out of the US, we wanted to make another trip to Washington DC—this time exploring the city in a slower pace and checking out the less touristy sights and attractions.
There is more to Washington DC than museums, monuments and politics. It’s also filled with interesting history, architecture and food. All my favourite things!
Whether you’re a first or second time visitor, if you want to skip the usual museum circuit and monument, and experience Washington DC the less trodden parts of this city—this guide is for you.
Know before you go
Currency: USD ($)
Language: English
Religion: No official religion, largely secular with religious freedoms.
Visas: Most visitors from countries like Australia, UK, and EU can apply for an ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program.
Weather: Best time to visit is during Spring and Autumn season where the crowds are thinner (except for Cherry Blossom season!) and the weather is milder. Winter is general cold, empty and potentionally even snowy. Summer as expected is hot and crowded.
We specifically chose to visit in late Spring to catch the beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. The mornings were still quite chilly, but it warmed up quickly during the day.
The predicted peak cherry blossom bloom is slightly different every year, weather dependant.
Starting March, I tracked and paid very close attention to the predictions using the National Parks Service website and this site. And when the official peak bloom prediction was announce in March, I pounced and booked our flights to Washington DC and hotel stay before the prices skyrocketted.
Getting here
If you’re flying into Washington DC there are 3 airports that serve the area:
DCA (Ronald Reagan National): Closest to the city and can be conveniently accessed with the DC metro service. The quickly option to get into the city, but it only serves domestic US airlines.
IAD (Dulles International): About 45–60 mins away. You’ll need to take a bus and metro combo or Uber. It one of the major airports in the region and takes both international and domestic flights.
BWI (Baltimore): Another airport that’s further out from DC and serves both international and domestic flights. There’s a convenient airport train service that connects the airport to Washington DC.
Since we were flying from Houston to Washington DC, we opted to flying into DCA for convenience and it was surprisingly the cheapest flight into DC.
Getting around Washington DC
Washington DC is super walkable.
There easy access to well maintained foot paths, a lot of greenery and outdoor spaces to enjoy. Overall we felt very safe to walk about DC, even at night after dinner. Nowhere is 100% safe, so usual safety precautions apply of course.
In spring the weather is mild and pleasant, making it comfortable to explore on foot.
There is a metro subway and bus system that makes it convenient to move around within downtown if you don’t want to walk. But also makes accessing neighborhoods outside of the heart of downtown DC relatively convenient, cheap and efficient (e.g. Arlington Cemetary).
Stay
Depending on your interests, here are a few suggested areas for where to stay in Washington DC:
First time visitor: Near the National Mall—walkable to museums and monuments.
Food & café lover: Dupont Circle or Logan Circle—great local spots and bakeries and so many beautiful houses and embassies.
Nightlife + city vibe: U Street or Adams Morgan—bars, live music, late-night food.
Quiet, scenic and charming: Georgetown—historic charm, shopping, riverside strolls.
We stayed at the Kimpton Banneker Hotel, a boutique hotel tucked between Dupont Circle and Logan Circle area.
Since I have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card which gives me automatic IHG Platinum status and 26X earning multiplier on IHG hotel stays, it was a no-brainer to stay at an IHG hotel if the price was right.
The room we got was moderm and spacious, with sleek decor and a comfortable sitting area to relax after a long day of walking and exploring. The bathroom was large and the water pressure was good—a hotel pet peeve of mine is definitely bad water pressure!
The only downside was that our room was facing one of the main roads and the room wasn’t particularly sound proof.
We could hear the road traffic from our room. But thankfully, the road was only busy during the day and very quiet at night.
As an IHG Platinum elite member, we got a $15 credit to use at the hotel (we bought snacks!)
Lastly, one of the perks of staying at this hotel was the daily Happy Hour where wine and sparkling was free flowing between 5pm to 6pm at the restaurant.
See and do
If you want to tick off the icons of Washington DC then be sure to visit the White House, Washington Monument, the various Smithsonian museums and the Capitol Building.
But if you’re looking for a more off the beaten path activities and sights, here are 8 things we did in our 3 days in Washington DC:
1. Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin
If you’re here in late March or early April see if you can catch the stunning Cherry Blossom blooms around the Tidal Basin.
If you have time, I recommend walking the whole loop of the Tidal Basin. It’s only 2.1 miles (3.4 kilometers) and it’s a very leisurely flat walk. The white and soft pink petals were beautiful, especially when you can frame Washington Monument or the Jefferson Memorial in your photo!
We walked from our hotel past the White House, through the National Mall, and around the basin.
As it was during the peak bloom, the walk will filled with local and international tourist—but totally worth it.
2. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
We’ve been to two of the most popular Smithsonian museums along the National Mall previously—National Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum.
They’re definitely worth a visit.
But if you’re looking for something less conventional but still very popular, get free timed entry tickets in advance into the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The exhibits and storytelling were very impressive.
Day passes were sold out at the time, so to avoid missing out, book advanced tickets online.
Leave room to spend around 2 hour at this museum to really experience all the key exhibits and immerse yourself in the history, story and experience.
3. Library of Congress
This is my favourite historical building in Washington DC. Both the interior and exterior architecture is absolutely stunning.
Again, don’t forget to pre-book your free entry tickets online to get the time slot you want. Even with tickets we still have to wait in line for 30 minutes to get into the building.
Walking through the foyer, main hall and up the stairs was breathtaking. But don’t forget to also line up to check out the overlook into the grand Reading Room. At certain times of the day, you can get access to the actual Reading Room itself.
4. Arlington National Cemetery
It’s the historic cemetary where hundreds of historic figures and soldiers, including in the modern times are laid to rest.
It’s outside of downtown DC but you can take the subway metro to Arlington Station.
It’s a quiet, reflective and peaceful place to walk around. We watched the Changing of the Guard—an impressive sharp and precis ceremony. Visited the Tomb of the Unknown Solder, the JFK Memorial and walked around Arlington House.
Set aside at least 1 to 2 hours to walk around here.
5. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (Air & Space Museum)
This is the more impressive air and space museum that’s located near Dulles Airport.
It’s out of town but really worth visiting if you’re an aviation lover (like my husband).
There’s hundreds and thousands of modern and historic aircrafts, spaceships and interesting aviation items on display. The highlights were the stealth plane, the space shuttle and a couple of giant commercial aircrafts.
To save time, we took a 30 minute Uber from Arlington Cemetary to this museum.
Again, set aside 2 hours to explore this museum—more if you want to see every aircraft in detail.
💸 Budget tip: Since we were in not big rush to return to downtown Washington DC, we took the bus and subway metro combination back to Washington DC for only $2.25 (instead of a $50 Uber). It took us around 1 hour to return to DC.
6. Walk along Embassy Row and check out Dupont Circle Sunday Market
On our 3rd and last day in DC, we had planned to walk along Massachusetts Ave NW admire the various embassies along this main road and then to Georgetown. This part of Massachusetts Avenue is also commonly known as Embassy Row.
During our morning walk, we stumbled upon Dupont Circle’s Sunday Market serendipitously.
It was a bustling farmers market—fresh produce, baked goods, hot breakfast burgers and a variety of handcrafted goods. There was a huge snaking line for Hog Haven Farm’s breakfast Sandwich. And where there’s a line, there’s good food!
We joined in the quick moving line and grabbed ourselves a delicious sausage breakfast sandwich.
While in the area we also ordered a couple of lattes from Emissary, a cafe in the area.
7. Georgetown
Now if you’re into shopping, food, architure and classic building visiting Georgetown is a must.
The residental areas consist of beautiful and expensive colonial and federal era homes. The home were charming and the walk along the cobblestone streets was so peaceful in the morning.
If you’re after shopping, restaurants and cafes, then walk along the two main roads in Georgetown—Wisconsin Avenue NW and M Street NW.
As it was a pretty warm day, we popped into Georgetown’s Tatte Bakery to grab a couple of cold coffees half way through our morning. The lines were long on Sunday morning, so be prepared to be patient.
8. The People’s House
We didn’t organise a visit to the actual White House, but instead booked free tickets to explore The People’s House—an interactive exhibit on the history of the White House.
The exhibit was really well done, I learned a lot about the history, the various rooms of the White House and about the types of people who work at the White House. It takes an army of dedicated people to keep the highest house in the US running!
We spent around 1 to 1.5 hours here.
Eat & Drink
Unsurprisingly, Washington DC has a big food scene. From everyday affordable eats, through to really high end restaurants.
Here’s a rundown of places we tried—some standouts, some I would skip next time.
🥐 Start Your Day Right:
Tatte Bakery: There are a few scattered around DC, it was out go-to for coffee and baked goods! The pistachio croissant and cappuccino were so good.
Le Pain Quotidien: It was fast and reliable, but I’ve had better croissants.
Emissary: Near Embassy Row, good coffee and cholocate croissant. They also do hot food
Hog Haven Farm’s at Dupont Circle Sunday Market: Must try breakfast Sandwich it’s the only thing they sell. It’s good if they make their money from the one menu item!
🍽️ Restaurant Hits & Misses:
Unconventional Diner: Michelin Bib Gourmand spot with diner-style food with a twist. The restaurant was hectic so I suggest making a reservation if you can. The food was decent. I I had to rate it I would give it a 7/10. Glad we tried it but wouldn’t go back.
Founding Farmers DC: Classic American comfort food. I had the deconstructed chicken pot pie, really great. The thing that was a bit off putting (nothing to do with the food), was the 5% labour surcharge! I have no issues with the price of menu items increasing because labour, goods and ingredients have increased—just add it to menu prices! Stop tackling on surcharges to make it look like it’s cheaper than it actually is. It feels disingenuous from a consumer’s perspective.
Takara 14: A little random Japanese restaurant we popped into for a super later lunch before heading to the airport. Surprisingly good sushi and small plates, just hit the spot at a reasonable price.
🍰 Sweets & Snacks:
Milk Bar: Grabbed a slice of Milk Bar Pie. Sweet, chewy, and nostalgic.
City Map
Want to see all my top spots and highlights of Washington DC on map like this below? Here you go.
Amex Centurion Lounge at DCA
Lounge access while waiting for a flight is one of that small luxuries that make the airport experience a little bit more relaxing.
As AMEX Platinum credit card holders, we get complimentary access AMEX’s centurion lounges around the US and the world, along with priority pass lounges. The problem with accessing these lounges in the US is that they are usually very packed and you need to get on a waitlist.
When we departed Washington DC on a Sunday afternoon from DCA airport, it was the worst wait time we experienced!
We were on the waitlist for 1 hour and 15 minutes before entering the lounge. So we only spent 20 minutes in the lounge. In that time we managed to grab some food and a drink before heading to our gate.
After visiting half a dozen of Centurion Lounges in the US, the food and drinks are typically pretty good. But the bar service was extremely slow during our visit.
🛋️ AMEX Centurion Lounge Tip: Check the AMEX app to see if there is a waitlist when you arrive at the airport or start lining up for security screening to cut down your wait time.
Wrap Up
If you’ve been to Washington DC before, this itinerary offers a fresh way to experience it beyond the usual tourist attractions. And if it’s your first time, you’ll still see some of the classic icons, but with some hidden gems along the way.
That’s it! Is Washington DC on your travel list?
Happy travelling!
(P.s. Are you interested to see more destination guides like this?—would love to hear your thoughts!)
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I appreciate this travel guide, and I would like to see more. Washington, DC, is one of my favorite cities, and I get to travel there a few times a year, typically, because of my job. (I’m a university administrator, and I have had several meetings and workshops there.) Three of my favorite spots are the National Museum of Asian Art (Freer & Sackler galleries), National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Mall. The NMAA is a truly hidden gem, not only because of its lovely art and splendid settings, but also because much of it is underground, so it really is largely hidden from view! Even though it’s very close to the National Mall (next to the lovely gardens behind the Smithsonian Castle), most people probably don’t even know it’s there. The NPG/SAAM has a wonderful atrium, along with its enjoyable art collection, and it’s off the beaten path (a few blocks from the National Mall). Both of these museums are nice refuges from the crowds that swarm all over some of the museums on the National Mall. Finally, the NM is one of my favorite places to run in the entire country. It’s long, flat, and safe, and it’s really wonderful to see lots of diverse people enjoying themselves.
This post is loaded with great ideas. I went to DC on an 8th grade trip, would love to go back as an adult. Thanks for sharing, Janice!