Washington, D.C., commonly referred to as D.C., is the Federal Capital of the United States of America. As such, this city contains an incredible array of attractions that aren’t found elsewhere in the country. DC is a city that makes history. Discover it for yourself in classic sights like the National Archives and the National World War II Memorial. Plug in to the energy of interactive experiences like a bike tour of the National Mall and DC’s neighbourhoods or the CSI Experience at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment.

The Most Popular Washington Attractions
Among the attractions are a series of memorials and monuments, such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. While the Smithsonian Institution has programs and facilities throughout the nation, Washington is where 16 of its museums and the National Zoo are located, displaying less than two percent of the 142 million artifacts the institute owns. National museums in D.C. include the National Air and Space Museum, the National Building Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the National Postal Museum, to name but a few. Other prominent sights while in the Capital are the cornerstones of the U.S. Government: the United States Capitol, the United States Supreme Court and the White House, home of the President of the United States.

Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is a 555ft/169m tall obelisk built between 1848 and 1884 in honor of the first President of the United States, George Washington. It is the tallest free standing masonry structure in the world. The Washington Monument is located at the National Mall. It is surrounded by flagpoles, with each flag representing one state. The monument is open to the public; an elevator brings you to the observatory at the top of the obelisk from where you have a magnificent view over all of Washington. Admission is free, but you have to reserve a ticket.

Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln memorial is a monument honoring the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Dedicated in 1922, architect Henry Bacon designed the Greek-inspired temple. The Lincoln statue, which tops out at 19 feet, was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts. Above the temple’s 38 columns are the names of the 36 states that were in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death in 1865.

Iwo Jima Memorial
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial, better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial depicts one of the most historic battles of World War II, the battle of Iwo Jima. The memorial is dedicated to all marines who have given their lives in battle. The Iwo Jima Memorial is located near Arlington cemetery, across the Potomac river from Washington, D.C.

White House
The White House has been the official residence of every President of the United States with the exception of George Washington. The White House is located on a site near the Mall chosen in 1790 by president George Washington and Pierre l’Enfant, the architect who created the master plan for the new capital. The White House has been extended and modified many times. The most important extensions were the addition of the East Wing and the West Wing. The latter contains the famous ‘Oval Office’, the president’s main office. The room was modeled on the ‘Blue Room’, an oval room at the center of the White House. The building contains a total of 132 rooms, some of them can be visited on a tour, including the Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room and State Dining Room. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to allow public tours of the White House in 1805. Since September 11, 2001 they have been suspended but US residents can arrange group tours of 10 or more people through their member of Congress.

US Capitol
The US Capitol houses the legislative branch of the American government. The Senate occupies the building’s north wing and the House of representatives is housed in the south wing. The neo-classical building’s size is impressive: it is 751ft/229m long and 350ft/107m wide. The dome including the 19ft tall statue reaches a height of 188ft or 57m. The building contains some 540 rooms spread out over five floors. Some of the most notable of these rooms are the rotunda, a large domed room in the center of the capitol and the National Statuary Hall, where statues of prominent citizens are displayed. Self-guided tours to the US Capitol are not allowed anymore, but you can still take a free guided tour. The Capitol is located on top of a hill, now known as the capitol hill, on the east side of the National Mall.

Jefferson Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial pays tribute to Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Thomas Jefferson is one of the greatest figures in the history of the nation. The author of the Declaration of Independence was one of the founding fathers of the United States. A firm believer in equal rights, democracy, education available to all, freedom of religion and separation between church and state, he gave form to the nascent nation still searching for its identity. The Jefferson Memorial is located at the south side of the Tidal Basin. The manmade inlet is surrounded by cherry trees. The trees were a gift from the city of Tokyo to the city of Washington in 1912. It is one of the most photographed sights in Washington, especially during the two weeks when the trees bloom.

National Air & Space Museum
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. The collection includes more than 30,000 aviation-related and more than 9,000 space related artifacts. A large part of this collection is shown at the National Air and Space Museum at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum is divided into 22 thematic exhibition galleries with names such as ‘Milestones of Flight’, ‘Early Flight’, ‘Aviation in WWII’ and ‘Space Race’. Besides displaying the planes and space modules, the museum also includes interactive exhibits as well as the 230-seat Albert Einstein planetarium and the Langley IMAX theater where you can watch breathtaking movies on a five storey high screen.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
Dedicated in May 1997, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial honors the man who served nearly four terms as president of the United States and has been lauded as one of America’s greatest leaders. The memorial sits on what is known as the Cherry Tree Walk and covers a total of about 7.5 acres (3 ha). It consists of a series of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR’s terms. Inside the rooms, visitors will find particular reference to events that were occurring during those four years, including World War II. Surrounded by shade trees and enhanced by lovely waterfalls, the memorial is one of the most unobtrusive in the nation’s capital.

National Mall
The National Mall or ‘The Mall’ is a long strip of green surrounded by museums and monuments. It stretches for over 2 miles/3 km from the Lincoln Memorial on the western border to the US Capitol on the east. Along the Mall are a number of the nation’s most popular museums, including the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum.

World War II Memorial
One of Washington D.C.’s newest monuments, the National World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces during the war and the 400,000 Americans that died in a war that worldwide claimed more than 70 million casualties. Surrounded by two of Washington D.C.’s most notable structures – the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial – the National World War II Memorial was dedicated in May 2004. Operated by the National Park Service, it was designed to be “a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace
World War II Memorial seen from Washington Monument and freedom from tyranny throughout the world”.

National Cathedral
The classical gothic style of Washington’s National Cathedral makes it look as if this magnificent structure was built somewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages. In fact, the cathedral was only finished as recently as 1990. The cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, is 301ft (92m) high and 517ft long. The National Cathedral is located on Mount St. Alban at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. It can be visited daily and tours are available.

National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History is generally regarded as one of the finest museum of its kind in the world. Like other Smithsonian Museums, entrance is free of charge. This is necessary to educate people, since there are still people in the US who believe in creationism! The building has an octagon-shaped rotunda; its dome is visible from many parts of the city. A variety of displays and collections can be enjoyed by visitors to this free museum. Kids and adults both love the Hall of Dinosaurs, with its collection of 46 complete fossilized dinosaurs. There are also several exhibits on the waters of the world and sea life in general as well as botany and anthropology displays and an IMAX theater.

Smithsonian Castle
The Smithsonian is an institution that manages a whole range of museums across the city of Washington. The collection of the Smithsonian was originally housed at a castle-like structure, the appropriately named Smithsonian Castle. The castle is the headquarters of the Smithsonian Information Center, a good place to stop before you embark on your multi-museum tour of the Smithsonian Institution. You’ll learn lots about the 16 various museums that are part of the complex via a short video presentation, maps, and brochures.

Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. It houses more than 23,000 employees, both military and civilian. The design was straightforward but very efficient: a 5 acre (2ha) central courtyard is surrounded by five pentagonal rings. The five different wedges forming the pentagonal shape were created one by one and as soon as a wedge was finished, it would be occupied. The first occupants moved in the Pentagon in April 1942 and the building was completed in January 1943. Guided tours were given every hour by military staff in full uniform, but since the attacks on September 11, 2001 the tours have been restricted to US Residents.

National Museum of the American Indian
This Washington museum opened in 2004 as the nation’s first museum honoring American Indians. It is housed in a fascinating limestone building, evoking the image of large desert rocks and symbolizing the connection of the American Indians with nature. The museum boasts expansive display areas that showcase both permanent and temporary exhibits about the lives and culture of the American Indian and other Indians of North America.

Tidal Basin
Technically, the definition of a tidal basin is “a body of water in an area subject to tides whose water level is maintained at a desired level by artificial means”, but to Washingtonians and those who visit the capitol of the United States, the Tidal Basin is much more. The Tidal Basin is part of Washington D.C.’s West Potomac Park and is a favorite area for tourists to visit to enjoy a stroll around this attractive city. One of the most magnificent sights of the Tidal Basin areaoccurs during the early weeks of April,when spring hits the eastern coast of the United States. That’s when D.C.’s famous cherry trees – which line the Tidal Basin – are in bloom.

US Supreme Court Building
The neo-classical US Supreme Court Building was built in the early 1930s to house the members of the Supreme Court, the highest judicial court in the United States of America.

Washington, D.C. Shopping
African masks that could have inspired Picasso; kitchenware as objets d’art; bargains on Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, and Burberry; paisley scarves from India; American and European antiques; books of every description; handicrafts from almost two dozen Native American tribes; music boxes by the thousands; busts of U.S. presidents; textiles by the armful; fine leather goods—all this and more can be found in the nation’s capital.
Many of the smaller one-of-a-kind shops have survived urban renewal, the number of designer boutiques is on the rise, and interesting specialty shops and new shopping areas are springing up all over town. Weekdays, Downtown street vendors offer a funky mix of jewelry; brightly patterned ties; buyer-beware watches; sunglasses; and African-inspired clothing, accessories, and art. Discriminating shoppers will find satisfaction at upscale malls on the city’s outskirts. Of course, T-shirts and Capitol City souvenirs are always in plentiful supply, especially on the streets ringing the Mall.

Washington, D.C. Nightlife
From buttoned-down political appointees who’ve just arrived to laid-back folks who’ve lived here their whole lives, Washingtonians are always looking for a place to relax. And they have plenty of options when they head out for a night on the town. Most places are clustered in several key neighborhoods, making a night of barhopping relatively easy.
Georgetown’s dozens of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants radiate from the intersection of Wisconsin and M streets. The crowds include older adults and college students. Georgetown is one of the safest neighborhoods in D.C., with a large police presence on weekends. Parking, however, is a scarce commodity, and there is no nearby Metro station. Taxis are often the best choice.

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