Must-see attractions in Washington, DC

  • National Air and Space Museum

    National Air and Space Museum

    Washington, DC

    The legendary exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum include the Wright brothers' flyer, Chuck Yeager's Bell X-1, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St…

  • National Gallery of Art on the National Mall during spring in Washington D.C.

    National Gallery of Art

    Washington, DC

    Two buildings. Hundreds of masterpieces. Infinite enjoyment. It's easy to spend a full day at the National Gallery of Art, which showcases a whole range…

  • 500px Photo ID: 100166741 - Pre-dawn at the Lincoln Memorial. "In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever."

    Lincoln Memorial

    Washington, DC

    Anchoring the National Mall's west end is the hallowed shrine to Abraham Lincoln, who gazes across the Reflecting Pool beneath his neoclassical, Doric…

  • The Capitol, Washington, DC

    US Capitol

    Washington, DC

    Since 1800, this is where the legislative branch of American government (ie Congress) has met to write the country's laws.

  • White House

    White House

    White House Area & Foggy Bottom

    Play image association with the words “Washington, DC,” and chances are the first thing that comes to mind is the White House. The president’s pad is…

  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial

    Vietnam Veterans Memorial

    Washington, DC

    In a city of classic, white-marble monuments, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands out on the National Mall for its stark modernism. Designed by 21-year…

  • 500px Photo ID: 94157925 - The National Cathedral in Washington, DC is the sixth largest cathedral in the world. The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.

    Washington National Cathedral

    Upper Northwest DC

    Constructed between 1907 and 1990, this huge neo-Gothic cathedral blends the spiritual with the profane in its architecture. Most of its richly colored…

  • Satyr statute welcomes visitor to Hillwood Gardens, Washington, DC.

    Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

    Upper Northwest DC

    The former estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post of Post cereal fame, this lavishly decorated 1920s mansion showcases her extraordinary collections of…

  • Main Reading Room, Library of Congress

    Library of Congress

    Washington, DC

    The world's largest library – with 164 million books, manuscripts, maps, photos, films and other items – awes in both scope and design. The centerpiece is…

  • National Archives facade.

    National Archives

    Washington, DC

    It's hard not to feel a little in awe of the big three documents in the Archives: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights…

  • UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 03:  Garden views at Dumbarton Oaks in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. (Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

    Dumbarton Oaks

    Georgetown

    The mansion's 27 acres of enchanting formal gardens are straight out of a storybook. The springtime blooms – including heaps of cherry blossoms – are…

  • Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi Public Statue Front of Indian Embassy Embassy Row Massachusetts Ave Washington DC.  Gandhi is walking to sea on salt march.  Dedicated September 2000,  Artist Gautam Pal; Shutterstock ID 302137574; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Embassy Row

    Washington, DC

    Want to take a trip around the world? Stroll northwest along Massachusetts Ave from Dupont Circle (the actual traffic circle) and you pass more than 40…

  • Phillips Collection

    Washington, DC

    The country's first modern-art museum (opened in 1921) houses a small but exquisite collection of European and American works. Renoir’s Luncheon of the…

  • Kreeger Museum

    Upper Northwest DC

    One of DC's top attractions for architecture buffs and those with an interest in 20th-century art, this museum is housed in a stunning 1963 International…

  • Cherry blossom season at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

    Jefferson Memorial

    Washington, DC

    Set on the south bank of the Tidal Basin amid the cherry trees, this memorial honors the third US president, political philosopher, drafter of the…

  • United States National Arboretum Columns in Washington DC, USA; Shutterstock ID 191062433; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    United States National Arboretum

    Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights

    The greatest green space in Washington unfurls almost 450 acres of meadowland, sylvan theaters and a pastoral setting that feels somewhere between bucolic…

  • Facade of Supreme Court.

    Supreme Court

    Washington, DC

    The highest court in the USA occupies a pseudo-Greek temple protected by 13,000lb bronze doors. Arrive early to watch arguments (periodic Monday through…

  • WASHINGTON - APRIL 12, 2015: Stage and seating of Ford's Theatre. The theater is infamous as the site of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.
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    Ford’s Theatre

    Washington, DC

    On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln here. Free timed-entry tickets provide access to the site, which has four parts: the…

  • National Museum of Natural History, facade

    National Museum of Natural History

    Washington, DC

    Arguably the most popular of the Smithsonian museums, so crowds are pretty much guaranteed. Wave to Henry, the elephant who guards the rotunda, then zip…

  • Natural Musuem of American History

    National Museum of American History

    Washington, DC

    Containing all kinds of artifacts of the American experience, this museum has as its centerpiece the flag that flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry during…

  • DC Sunrise from the Lincoln Memorial

    Washington Monument

    Washington, DC

    Peaking at 555ft (and 5in) and composed of 36,000 blocks of stone, the Washington Monument is the district's tallest structure. Political shenanigans…

  • Freer | Sackler

    Washington, DC

    This is a lovely spot in which to while away a Washington afternoon. Japanese silk scrolls, smiling Buddhas, rare Islamic manuscripts and Chinese jades…

  • Tian Tian, the male giant panda at the National Zoo.

    Smithsonian's National Zoo

    Upper Northwest DC

    Home to more than 2700 animals and more than 390 species in natural habitats, the National Zoo is famed for its giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Bei…

  • An early spring morning at Boulder Bridge and Rock Creek in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.
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    Rock Creek Park

    Upper Northwest DC

    At 1700-plus acres, Rock Creek is twice the size of New York’s Central Park and feels wilder. Terrific trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding…

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    Union Station

    Washington, DC

    DC's main rail hub, a 1907 beaux-arts beauty designed by Daniel Burnham, is an eye popper. The Grand Concourse is patterned after the Roman Baths of…

  • The Jefferson Memorial reflected in Tidal Basin with cherry blossoms.

    Tidal Basin

    Washington, DC

    The 2-mile stroll around this constructed inlet incorporates the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson memorials as well as the Floral Library…

  • WASHINGTON, D.C. - APRIL 11, 2015: The Watergate Complex in Foggy Bottom. The complex became well known in the wake of the Watergate Scandal which led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.; Shutterstock ID 269467838; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Watergate Complex

    White House Area & Foggy Bottom

    Designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti and DC-based landscape architect Boris Timchenko and constructed between 1963 and 1971, this five-building…

  • National Postal Museum Building, Washington DC, United States; Shutterstock ID 134185841; Your name (First / Last): redownload; GL account no.: redownload; Netsuite department name: redownload; Full Product or Project name including edition: redownload

    National Postal Museum

    Washington, DC

    The Smithsonian-run Postal Museum is way cooler than you might think. Level 1 has exhibits on postal history from the Pony Express to modern times, where…

  • National Museum of Women in the Arts

    Washington, DC

    The only US museum exclusively devoted to women’s artwork fills this Renaissance Revival mansion. Its collection – some 5500 works by 1000 female artists…

  • Washington, DC, USA - June, 10, 2021: Georgetown waterfront during the summer season.
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    Georgetown Waterfront Park

    Georgetown

    This park is a favorite with couples on first dates, families on an evening stroll and power players showing off their yachts. Benches dot the way, where…

  • Exterior, U.S. Botanic Garden

    United States Botanic Garden

    Washington, DC

    Built to resemble London’s Crystal Palace, this garden's iron-and-glass greenhouse provides a beautiful setting to view orchids, ferns and cacti. When you…

  • Folger Shakespeare Library

    Washington, DC

    Bard-o-philes will be all aflutter here, as the library holds the world's largest collection of old Billy’s works. Stroll through the Great Hall to see a…

  • The African-American Civil War Memorial is the first monument to honour coloured soldiers in the Civil War.

    African American Civil War Memorial

    Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights

    Standing at the center of a granite plaza, this bronze memorial, Spirit of Freedom, depicting rifle-bearing troops is DC’s first major art piece by black…

  • WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 16, 2014:  The statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his dog on the National Mall in autumn is a major tourist attraction.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

    Washington, DC

    The 7.5-acre memorial pays tribute to the longest-serving president in US history. Visitors are taken through four red-granite areas that narrate FDR’s…

  • Martin Luther King Memorial at night

    Martin Luther King Jr Memorial

    Washington, DC

    Opened in 2011, this was the first Mall memorial to honor an African American. Sculptor Lei Yixin carved the piece, which is reminiscent in concept and…

  • Photo of series of waterfalls in Meridian Hill Park in northwest Washington D.C.  This park is an example of neoclassicist park design and has some of the most beautiful architecture in the city.
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    Meridian Hill Park

    Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights

    This is an incredible bit of urban green space. The grounds are terraced like a hanging garden replete with waterfalls, sandstone terraces and assorted…

  • Tulips at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, Washington DC, USA.

    Dumbarton Oaks Park

    Georgetown

    Next door to Dumbarton Oaks garden, Dumbarton Oaks Park was once part of the estate but is now a public woodland beloved by joggers and dog walkers…

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