Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. trip planning tool
Pick your month and your pace to get a recommended stay and a shape for the days.
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When are you going?
Moderate crowds and prices. Mild temperatures.
October fit for Washington D.C.
Value in October70/100 Best autumn colour and clear air
Longer is better on every axis
A day here in October
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Morning 08:00–11:00
Outdoors, before the heat and the coaches
Washington Monument · West Potomac Park
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Midday 11:30–15:30
Indoors, while the sun is high
Octagon Museum · Ford's Theater · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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What's your travel pace?
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Your recommended stay
3–4 days
Balanced pace
Why this duration?
- Covers the 3 headline sights
- The centre spans 1.6 km, all of it on foot
Best destinations by month
April, May, September and October are the comfortable months, and the best balance of weather against crowds.
Late March to early April is cherry blossom, which is genuinely spectacular and brings well over a million people to a small basin for about two weeks. Peak bloom shifts each year and is forecast only a couple of weeks ahead, which makes booking around it a gamble.
July and August are hot and very humid, with afternoon thunderstorms. The museums are air-conditioned; the Mall is not, and it is treeless.
Winter is cold, quiet and much cheaper. Snow is occasional and the city handles it poorly, but January and February are the easiest months to see anything without a queue.