Downtown & Penn Quarter

A look around

What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.

1/6

Where it sits

The circle is Downtown & Penn Quarter and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.

How far is everything?

From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.

• Holocaust Memorial Museum13 min walk1.1 km
• Jefferson Memorial & the Tidal Basin21 min walk1.8 km
• Library of Congress24 min walk2.0 km
• Lincoln Memorial26 min walk2.2 km
• U Street & go-go history7 min taxi2.4 km
• Eastern Market & Capitol Hill8 min taxi2.8 km
• Georgetown & the waterfront10 min taxi3.3 km
• Arlington National Cemetery12 min taxi4.1 km

On your doorstep

What you’re living next to if you stay here.

• 1.The National Mall — The nation's front lawn — a two-mile sweep of grass from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, lined with monuments, memorials and the Smithsonians. Walk or bike it at dusk when the marble glows; the heart of a DC visit and free.
• 3.National Air & Space Museum — The Smithsonian's blockbuster — the Wright Flyer, Apollo capsules, moon rock and a hall of iconic aircraft, all free. The most popular museum in the country; grab a free timed pass and go early.
• 4.US Capitol & Library of Congress — The great white dome of American democracy — tour the Rotunda and chambers (free, book ahead), then cross to the sumptuous Library of Congress next door. The seat of Congress and a stunning piece of architecture.
• 5.The White House — The most famous residence in the world — you'll see it from the fence on Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square (interior tours need a long-lead request through your embassy or a member of Congress). A must-photograph, right by the Mall.
• 6.Washington Monument — The soaring marble obelisk at the centre of the Mall, the tallest thing in the city by law — ride to the top (free timed ticket) for a panorama over the monuments and the Potomac. The city's exclamation mark.
• 7.Natural History Museum — Another free Smithsonian giant — the Hope Diamond, a full-size elephant in the rotunda, dinosaurs, gems and an ocean hall. Brilliant for all ages and a cool refuge from the summer heat.
• 8.National Gallery of Art — One of the world's great art museums, free — old masters (the only Leonardo in the Americas), Impressionists and a sculpture garden that becomes a skating rink in winter. A serene, superb couple of hours on the Mall.