Washington DC's must-see list is built from stone, symbol, and memory rather than shopping streets or food halls, and most of these twelve are monuments, memorials, or seats of power. Several can be visited at almost any hour: the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial are both open 24/7. The span of dates runs from 1848 for the Washington Monument to 1993 for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, so the list carries you through a long stretch of national history. Not everything sits inside the District: Arlington National Cemetery and the Marine Corps War Memorial both have Arlington, Virginia addresses, and they are worth the short crossing. Two great churches, Washington National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, balance all that marble with real interiors and visiting hours to plan around. This list is for the visitor who wants to understand the capital as well as photograph it. Pace yourself, go to the open-air memorials late, and leave room after the heavier stops.
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1 White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500The official residence and office of the President of the United States, at the most famous street number in the country
At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in the 20500 postal code, stands the White House, the official residence and office of the President of the United States. It is also listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites, so the city counts it as heritage as well as a workplace. Skip the hurried midday photo stop squeezed between other sights and come toward dusk, when the pavement empties a little and you can take in the facade properly. Check whitehouse.gov before you plan anything beyond a look from outside, and the public line is +1-202-456-1414. Seeing a working seat of government up close, at an address everyone already knows by heart, is stranger and more affecting than the postcards suggest.
District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
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2 The Pentagon
1400 Defense PentagonThe five-sided headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, named for its shape
Dating from 1941, The Pentagon at 1400 Defense Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. Its name describes the geometry: a polygon with five sides, from the Greek penta, and it is a National Historic Landmark, which means the outline you know from maps and news footage is protected history as well as a working headquarters. Don't approach it the way you'd approach the open-air memorials. It is a defense headquarters first and a sight second. The five-sided form reads best when you take it in whole, so come for the scale and the story the shape tells rather than an easy wander.
Dates from 1941 · National Historic Landmark
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3 Washington Monument
2 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20024The obelisk on the National Mall
The Washington Monument catches the light at 2 15th St NW in the 20024 postal area, an obelisk on the National Mall. Its story begins in 1848, and it is on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. Don't tick it off from a tour-bus window. Walk toward it and watch it grow until it fills the sky, which is how the scale becomes real. It anchors the Mall the way a compass needle anchors a map, and you will keep using it to get your bearings all day. The official page at nps.gov/wamo is where to check visit details before you go.
Dates from 1848 · District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
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4 Arlington National Cemetery
1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia 22211A national cemetery in Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Since 1854, Arlington National Cemetery has held its ground at 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia 22211. It is a national cemetery and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so it is both a burial ground and a recorded part of the nation's history. Skip the rush-through pace of a bus-tour circuit. Give it an unhurried morning, wear proper shoes, and walk, because the scale of the place is what stays with you. It sits across the line in Virginia, and the short trip out of the District is the best investment on this list. Go quietly, read the names, and let the long rows do the talking.
Dates from 1854 · National Register of Historic Places listed place
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5 Lincoln Memorial
2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037A memorial open around the clock, 24/7
Open 24/7, the Lincoln Memorial at 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037 rewards anyone willing to come late. It dates from 1922 and is on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. Skip the noon crush on the steps. Locals prefer it after dark, when round-the-clock access turns one of the most crowded places in the city into one of the calmest: sit on the steps, look back the way you came, and give it ten unhurried minutes. Few monuments keep hours this generous, and that is the whole case for planning your visit around the dark. Visit details are kept at nps.gov/linc.
Dates from 1922 · District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
Hours: 24/7
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6 Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016A Neo-Gothic cathedral open to visitors daily
Neo-Gothic from the ground up, Washington National Cathedral rises at 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016, dating from 1910 and listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. Doors open 10:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 16:00 on Saturdays, and 12:45 to 16:00 on Sundays, so check the day before you set out. Better than the queue-and-shuffle sights for an unhurried hour, it gives you real interior space to take in, not just a facade. Come on a weekday morning and you will have room to look up. Current information is at cathedral.org.
Dates from 1910 · District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00; Su 12:45-16:00
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7 Jefferson Memorial
16 West Basin Drive Southwest, Washington, DC 20242A memorial open 24/7, best seen after dark
The Jefferson Memorial at 16 West Basin Drive Southwest, Washington, DC 20242 never closes: it is open 24/7. It dates from 1943 and is on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. Locals know the memorials are at their best after dark, and this one proves it. Come late and you share the place with a few walkers rather than a coach party, and the quiet suits it. Bring a jacket for the evening air and allow time to linger, because rushing defeats the point. Plan around the full listing at nps.gov/thje.
Dates from 1943 · District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
Hours: 24/7
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8 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126The United States' official memorial to the Holocaust
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126 opens at 10:00 and closes at 17:20 every day, serving as the country's official memorial to the Holocaust. It dates from 1993. Don't try to fit it into the final hour before closing. This is not a building to rush, and you will want time and quiet afterward before your next stop, so plan the rest of the afternoon lightly and treat this as the thing the day is built around rather than something squeezed between other plans. It is demanding, and it should be. Check ushmm.org before you go.
Dates from 1993
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:20
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9 Vietnam Veterans Memorial
5 Henry Bacon Dr NW, Washington, DC 20002A US national memorial, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 5 Henry Bacon Dr NW, Washington, DC 20002 is a US national memorial, dating from 1982 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Resist the group-photo instinct. Walk slowly, keep your voice down, and let other visitors have their moment with it, because many come with a specific name in mind and the right response is patience. Give it the time it asks for, and it will stay with you well after you've passed the larger monuments nearby. Details are kept at nps.gov/vive.
Dates from 1982 · National Register of Historic Places listed place
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10 Ford's Theatre
E Street Northwest, Washington, 20463A theater in Washington, DC, worth seeing as a working stage rather than a facade
Ford's Theatre sits on E Street Northwest in the 20463 postal area and is a theater in Washington, DC. A photo of the front alone isn't worth the trip. A theater is meant to be sat in, and the right way to know this one is from inside, so check fords.org for what's on and plan an evening around it rather than a five-minute stop. The 20463 address on E Street Northwest is all the bearing you need. Among all the marble and open lawns on this list, a room with a stage makes a welcome change of pace.
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11 Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC 20017Long daily hours, from 07:00 year-round
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC 20017, opens at 07:00 every morning, closing at 19:00 from April to October and at 18:00 from November to March. It dates from 1961. We'd arrive near opening: the building is close to yours in that first hour, before the day's visitors build. If you've had your fill of open-air monuments and want a long, quiet look at an interior, this is where to spend it. Plan ahead at nationalshrine.com.
Dates from 1961
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12 Marine Corps War Memorial
US Marine Memorial Circle, Arlington, VA 22209A large sculptural group on a circular base
A large sculptural group on a circular base, the Marine Corps War Memorial stands at US Marine Memorial Circle, Arlington, VA 22209. It dates from 1954. Don't settle for a quick glance from a car window: walk the full circle and let the group shift as you move around it, because a sculpture this size reads differently from every side. It sits across the line in Virginia, so pair it with a slow half day on that side of the river rather than squeezing it in. Late afternoon is when we'd come. Visit details are at nps.gov.
Dates from 1954
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