This passed Labor Day weekend was spent exploring Washington D.C. with a friend of mine from school. We got to see and do so much that it’s definitely one of my all time favorite trips! All you need is 3 days in this fun and historical place, that you’ll never want to leave. Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s touristy. BUT, I promise you it will be a trip you’ll never forget! Today I’ve put together a quick Washington D.C. travel guide for anyone who’s planning to visit the city.
Getting to Washington D.C.
The first thing we did when we started planning our trip was track flight prices and find out which airlines are selling the most affordable tickets. Paola and I flew into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on American Airlines, which is known to be the cheaper airport to fly into and gives you the option for using the metro station for transportation to your hotel. Your best option for choosing airline tickets is to wait for a Tuesday or Sunday to purchase your tickets because those days tend to have the lowest prices for tickets!
Definitely check out deals from Expedia, Cheap Flights, and Student Universe for some affordable prices and packages!
Where we stayed
When looking at different hotels to stay at, the key is to search for rooms that are at a reduced rate for the dates that you’ll be staying! For our stay just before Labor Day weekend, we were fortunate enough to stay at the Marriott just a block away from the metro, which happened to be on a reduced rate for that weekend. The hotel was walking distance from tons of restaurants, convenient stores, the National Mall, and the White House!
Transportation
Let’s be honest, taxis aren’t the cheapest way to get around the city, especially from the airport. The best ways to get around D.C. are by city buses ($1 fare), the metro (about $4 depending on your destination), and Uber or Lyft! Because of the Marriott’s great location in the heart of D.C., Paola and I were able to walk to each of the monuments without having to pay for a thing.
We rode the bus one time from the White House to Georgetown for a dollar, which only took about 10-15 minutes including stops. From Georgetown, we got an Uber to get to Arlington U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and then back to the hotel, which totaled to about $13. No other transportation was needed! If you’re really on a budget, that’s all the transportation you need! Unless you have a bike handy, because that would work too.
FREE Things to see and do in D.C.
- National Mall
- Washington Monument
- Lincoln Memorial and the house where he died
- World War II Memorial
- MLK Jr. Memorial
- Smithsonian Castle, etc.
- National Museum of Natural History, among many others!
- The White House
- Arlington, Va
- U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial
- Georgetown (Shops, Restaurants, Georgetown University, waterfront park)
- This is the most beautiful, lively little town you’ll ever see!
- SUSHI lovers: Stop for lunch at Hashi Sushi Japanese Restaurant! It is to-die-for!
Besides the very little bit of transportation, all you’ll need is a little bit of spending money for small souvenirs and food! When choosing a hotel, it would also be wise to find one that offers complementary breakfast😉
So grab a pair of your cutest and comfiest walking shoes, some good company, and you are ready for your inexpensive trip to our nation’s capital: Washington D.C.