Top 50 Best Things to Do in Washington D.C.
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Top 50 Best Things to Do in Washington D.C.

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Trip.Best is a collection of travel rankings that takes into account the travel choices and genuine preferences of hundres of millions of Trip.com users. It is updated monthly based on real data.
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  • United States Capitoltop_1
    󰺂7.6
    Washington D.C..Northeast3.1 km from downtown
    trip best small logoAchieved a 2-year streak on the annual lists
    Highlights:
    󱨜360° view of Washington
    󰀆Neoclassical architecture, 200+ years
    󱨠Saved by 128 users󱨠122 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    生长在海边的果果生长在海边的果果

    The Capitol building needs to make an appointment to buy tickets in advance to visit. Arrive on time according to the requirements. There are many people. Be sure to have an advance amount to not affect the itinerary. You can make an appointment for a Chinese tour in advance. Although it is a Chinese tour, it is also a foreigner tour guide who speaks English and uses a translator to translate it into Chinese to play it for us. It is very interesting. The interior of the Capitol is also very good from the perspective of the building itself. You must explain it when you go in and visit.

  • The White Housetop_2
    󰺂7.5
    Washington D.C..The Mall1.1 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoWhite House Tree Lighting and Pageant of Peace | Dec 3, 2025-Jan 1, 2026
    Highlights:
    󰋄White House & gardens view
    󱨜Iconic building for presidents' work & residence
    󱨠Saved by 164 users󱨠275 positive reviews
    4.5/5
    泰迪小熊泰迪小熊

    Came here on September 22, 2017. I heard that the White House has not been open to the public since 9/11. When we went there, we could only watch it from a distance outside the fence, so the White House became a boring landmark. We took a tourist check-in photo to end our visit. There is a big pine tree on the south side of the White House. I didn’t expect it to be a "landmark" as well, the "National Christmas Tree"... Well, it seems that we should choose to visit during Christmas.

  • Washington Monumenttop_3
    󰺂7.3
    30.61
    Washington D.C..The Mall2 km from downtown
    Highlights:
    Panoramic Washington view at 555ft
    󰋄169-foot marble Washington monument
    󱨠Saved by 121 users󱨠282 positive reviews
    4.5/5
    铨上风满楼铨上风满楼

    Washington DC monument is one of the landmark buildings in Washington DC... It was built to commemorate the first president of the United States, George Washington. This stone monument was once the tallest building in the world... Today, it is still the tallest stone obelisk in the world...

  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
    4
    󰺂7.0
    Washington D.C..The Mall2.6 km from downtown
    trip best small logoFeatured in 2026 Americas 50 - Family-friendly Attractions
    Highlights:
    󰀆Free aerospace exhibition visit
    Apollo 11 & aerospace treasures
    󱨠Saved by 116 users󱨠218 positive reviews
    4.6/5
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    The National Air and Space Museum is located in the District of Columbia. It has two floors above ground and one floor underground. It uses pictures, real objects, and simulators to open to visitors. They are all classic historical relics.

  • National Mall
    5
    󰺂7.0
    Washington D.C.2.2 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 1 of Night Attractions in Washington D.C.
    Highlights:
    󱨜Camping by the spaceship overnight
    󱓊360° view of National Mall
    󱨠35% positive reviews
    4.6/5
    生长在海边的果果生长在海边的果果

    The National Mall is a must-check-in place for Washington tourism. One is the Lincoln Memorial and the other is the Washington Monument. There is a pool of water between them and green spaces on both sides. There are monuments such as the Victory Memorial of World War II, the Vietnam War and other monuments, and the Jefferson Memorial. The beautiful cherry blossoms of the annual Washington Cherry Blossom Festival are also in full bloom around this area. We arrived in Washington at the end of April. It is a pity that the cherry blossoms have been lost and have not left a trace. I can only imagine that the scene of blooming must be beautiful.

  • Lincoln Memorial
    6
    󰺂6.8
    Washington D.C.2.3 km from downtown
    trip best small logoAchieved a 2-year streak on the annual lists
    Highlights:
    󰀆Lincoln statue & reflective lake
    󰋄Greek temple honors President Lincoln
    󱨠Saved by 116 users󱨠158 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    _We***42_We***42

    [Value for money] It is open 24 hours a day and is free. Although we went there at 6 o'clock, it gets dark early in winter. But the momentum is still there. But why do I feel that the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is so similar to the Lincoln Memorial! [Scenery] It is magnificent! Facing the Washington Monument! At this moment, I suddenly remembered Chairman Mao's poem "The country is so beautiful, attracting countless heroes to compete for it!

  • Capitol Hill
    7
    󰺂6.5
    Washington D.C..Capitol Hill4 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 2 of Night Attractions in Washington D.C.
    Highlights:
    󰋄Free Capitol tour: 35-minute explanation
    󰀆Symbol of American democracy
    󱨠26% positive reviews
    4.7/5
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    Capitol Hill is located in Washington, D.C., on a small hill. From a distance, the Capitol looks like a cylindrical building with a new dome in the middle. The whole building is mainly white. You can see a white circular building on a high ground from a distance, which is very easy to identify. The Capitol is divided into the lower house on the south and the upper house on the north. Visitors can visit or join a guided tour. The whole journey takes about 35 minutes. You can check in at the tourist counter on the first floor. The guide uses the guide, and the tourists wear headphones to listen to the explanation. Because there are too many tourists, it is difficult to hear clearly without equipment. The visit is free and requires security check. It is recommended that everyone come to visit when they have time. It is worth a walk and understand the various operations of Congress.

  • Library of Congress
    8
    󰺂6.3
    Washington D.C..Capitol Hill3.4 km from downtown
    Highlights:
    󰀆Renaissance-style interior & sculptures
    󰋄Over 170 million historical artifacts
    󱨠30% positive reviews
    4.9/5
    生长在海边的果果生长在海边的果果

    The Library of Congress is next to the Capitol and needs to be reserved before visiting. The interior feels more beautiful than the Capitol. The library is in use, and some people read books inside, so you must be quiet when you enter the library. Individual areas are not allowed to take pictures. Signs must be subject to management. The library building is very beautiful inside and outside, and you can take more pictures if you have time.

  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
    9
    󰺂5.8
    Washington D.C..The Mall2 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 1 of Family-friendly Attractions in Washington D.C.
    Highlights:
    IMAX theater shows space exploration
    󱨜Washington's iconic castle-style landmark
    󱨠Saved by 102 users󱨠178 positive reviews
    4.7/5
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    The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is free to visit. It is the filming location of Night at the Museum. Once you see the African elephant specimens on the first floor, you will be drawn into the movie. This museum is very rich in content. It has 5 floors in total. The top 2 floors are staff offices, and the bottom 3 floors are exhibition halls that can be visited. We took a quick tour and it took us two and a half hours.

  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial
    10
    󰺂5.7
    Washington D.C.2.9 km from downtown
    Highlights:
    Admire ancient Roman domed architecture at the Tidal Basin
    󱨜Visit the landmark Thomas Jefferson Memorial
    󱨠27% positive reviews
    4.6/5
    泰迪小熊泰迪小熊

    Came here on September 22, 2017. I first knew about this place when I was a kid playing Red Alert 2. I was deeply impressed by the shape of this building, and I recognized it at a glance when I came to Washington. Among the "national attractions" in the center of Washington, this place is not particularly popular, and the layout of the entire memorial is relatively simple, so just take a simple walk. By the way, there are still extra gains when coming here. We all know President Jefferson's famous saying "Knowledge is power", but after coming here, I learned that this famous saying has a second half: knowledge is happiness.

What Best Things to Do are there in Washington D.C.?
These are all Best Things to Do in Washington D.C.:United States Capitol, The White House, Washington Monument, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, National Mall
What are some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Washington D.C.?
Some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Washington D.C. include:United States Capitol:4.6, The White House:4.5, Washington Monument:4.5, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum:4.6, National Mall:4.6
At what locations in Washington D.C. can Best Things to Do in Washington D.C. be found?
The Best Things to Do in Washington D.C. are mainly located in:United States Capitol:Washington D.C., The White House:Washington D.C., Washington Monument:Washington D.C., Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum:Washington D.C., National Mall:Washington D.C.
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