Washington DC

Washington was designed to impress, and the first view down the National Mall does its job: the white obelisk of the Washington Monument, the Capitol dome at one end and Lincoln in his temple at the other. What surprises most visitors is how much of it is free. The Smithsonian's museums, the National Gallery of Art, the memorials and the Capitol tour cost nothing, which means you can walk into a museum for forty minutes and leave without feeling you've wasted a ticket.

The other surprise is the city beyond the Mall. Georgetown's brick streets, the rowhouses of Capitol Hill, the bars of U Street and the waterfront at the Wharf are where Washingtonians actually live, and a trip that never leaves the monuments misses them. Three or four days is a comfortable first visit. Start with our Washington DC travel guide.

Three airports serve the city. Reagan National is closest, a short Metro ride from downtown. Dulles, for most long-haul flights, is linked by the Metro's Silver Line, and BWI by train. Amtrak arrives at Union Station, next to Capitol Hill. Our getting there guide compares them.

Stay within walking distance of a Metro station and the Mall is never far. Penn Quarter and Downtown suit sightseeing, Dupont Circle and Logan Circle suit evenings out, and Capitol Hill is quieter. Our where to stay guide compares them.

Most first days start on the Mall, and our National Mall walking guide links the memorials in a sensible order. Our Smithsonian guide helps you choose between the museums, and the rest is in our things to do list.

Washington eats well once you step off the Mall, where the museum cafés are the main option. The half-smoke, a spicy grilled sausage, is the local classic, and the city has one of the largest Ethiopian communities in the country, so injera and stews are easy to find around Shaw and U Street. Union Market and Eastern Market are the places to graze.

Washington was built as a capital from scratch. Pierre L'Enfant laid out its grand avenues in 1791, the government moved here in 1800, and British troops burned the Capitol and the White House in 1814. A 1910 law limits building heights, which is why the skyline stays low. Residents still have no voting representative in Congress, hence the "taxation without representation" slogan on local licence plates.