How to spend a layover in Washington DC

Have a long layover in Washington DC?  Don’t waste your time hanging out at the airport, head into the city instead. 

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Whether you have a long layover between flights, or you took a train or bus to one of the DC airports, and now have hours to kill, you can easily hop into the city to explore.  This works best if you are flying out of Reagan Washington National Airport (or DCA) rather than Washington Dulles Airport (IAD). 

Recently, I spent a week in Virginia exploring Richmond and Prince William County.  At the end of my trip, I was dropped off at DCA with about 4 hours before my flight.  Some might think it would be crazy to leave the airport and head into the city, but I am not one of those people. 

Before you leave the airport for your layover in Washington DC

There are a few things you need to make sure you do before leaving the airport to head into the city.  If you have checked bags, and are on the same airline you shouldn’t have to do anything as the airline will hold your bags until the next flight.  But if you are a carry on person, or if you have a larger backpack or personal item, you may have an issue. 

Due to national security, neither DCA or IAD have any luggage storage.  This is problematic for carry-on suitcase folks as all bags are checked by security at the national museums, and they do not have bag storage.  The best alternative is to use a third party storage.  

There are a number of options that have drop off storage locations.  I personally haven’t tried these, but you can take a look at their site and reviews and decide if it’s worth it vs checking a bag.

• Bounce
• Radical Storage
• Stasher

How to get from Dulles to Washington DC

The Silver metro line connects Dulles Airport and Washington DC.  This train is about an hour each way, so again I would only recommend this if you have 5 or more hours before you have to fly.  Once the Silver Line crosses the Potomac into DC, it follows the same path as the Blue Line. 

How to get to Washington DC from DCA

The metro at DCA is just outside the terminal.  Here you can take the Blue and Yellow lines into DC, and either will get you to the National Mall.  

The Yellow Line is a little faster as it goes directly to the Mall after leaving Arlington, but it goes on the south side, whereas the Blue Line starts on the north, and cuts through south and east.  If you catch the Yellow Line, it takes about 15 minutes from when you hop on the train at DCA to exiting at the L’enfant station.  The Blue Line is about 20 minutes from DCA to either the Federal Triangle Station or Smithsonian Station, once you’re on the train. 

I strongly recommend using Apple or Google maps to figure out the best route to wherever you plan to go.  The National Mall is truly huge, and even from museum to museum can be quite the walk.  So, it’s better to switch trains if you need to in order, to get to your final destination.  Your transfers (including buses) are all free within 2 hours of activating your first ride. 

Unfortunately, metro fares vary based on time of day, and I believe travel distance so there’s no specific price I can give you for your trip.  You can find out more about the fares on the WMTA website.  I had my “layover” midday on a Monday, and the round trip total for my quick trip into the city was $5.10 in metro fees.  You do not need to purchase tickets at the machines, you can just tap to pay.  But you need to make sure you tap in and out with the same card. 

Things to do on a layover in Washington DC

The best thing about visiting DC is that you can spend an entire week and not spend any money on activities.  Everything on the National Mall from museums and monuments to the US Capitol and Library of Congress are free to visit. 

If you’re unfamiliar, the National Mall is a massive federally protected park that stretches from the US Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, down to the Jefferson Memorial.  It is over 1000 acres of green space including lawns, gardens, pathways and the Tidal Basin. 

Museums to visit

I think visiting one of the fantastic museums in the city is the best way to enjoy a layover in Washington DC.  There are so many to choose from that satisfy any interest, and bonus if you visit in the summer, they’re air conditioned.  So no need to return back to the airport super sweaty. 

Free museums

DC has more than 20 free museums available to choose from, but the majority are on, or just off, the National Mall as part of the Smithsonian.  The National Air and Space Museum is fantastic and covers everything from the birth of flight to the space race and beyond. They are finishing a major expansion with their new exhibits opening October 30, 2026.  

This year I went to the National Museum of American History either for the first time, or the first time since I was 12.  I wasn’t able to spend as much time as I wanted but they have great exhibitions.  I really enjoyed the Entertainment Nation exhibit on the third floor which ties in pop culture with modern American history. 

You can’t go wrong visiting the National Museum of Natural History.  This museum explores everything from fossils and gems to the ocean and sky. 

I also strongly recommend the National Portrait Gallery.  This museum is off the mall, but not far from one of the Yellow Line metro stations.  The museum has the official portraits of past presidents as well as important figures in American history. They are also open until 7pm every day if you have a late night flight. 

One museum I don’t recommend is the National Archives.  You either have to pay for a timed ticket, or wait in a long line.  And honestly, the dark room where they have the Constitution and other important historical documents is really underwhelming.  I left like “that’s it?”  If you have more time in DC then I’d say fine to put it on your list if you feel like you need to, but with a finite amount of time there are so many better places to go. 

One important note: Some of the most popular museums (including the Air & Space Museum) have timed entry tickets. I didn’t have any issue getting in right away during my most recent trip, but if there’s a specific museum you are trying to visit I’d recommend grabbing tickets online before you get there just to be safe. 

Paid museums

There are a handful of paid museums throughout the city as well.  You can find historic mansions around Dupont Circle and Georgetown.  Both are a little more challenging to get to on transit than the others near the Mall.  

There’s one paid museum in particular that I think is expensive, but worth the cost, and that is the International Spy Museum.  This museum is all about espionage and spy craft. You’ll learn about code breaking, covert missions, and see how technology has changed to support spies over the years. 

Monuments & memorials

As Washington D.C. is the nation’s capitol, naturally it will have a lot of memorials.  The large (and most popular) memorials are all concentrated around the National Mall.  

The most noticeable is the Washington Monument, dedicated to George Washington, is the tallest structure in Washington DC.  This is located about halfway between the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capitol building.  The best view is usually from the Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool, however currently the pool looks like trash due to the current administration.  

The Lincoln Memorial is probably second in terms of famous memorials in the city.  The memorial is located on the west end of the reflecting pool.  You will climb 87 steps to reach the Parthenon inspired building.  Inside is a giant marble sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln looking out towards the Washington Monument. 

The Jefferson Memorial is a bit of a hike, especially if you’ve got a shorter amount of time for your layover in Washington DC.  It sits on the south end of the Tidal Basin.  The design of the monument was inspired by Monticello, Jefferson’s home which he himself designed.  If you are visiting in March, this is one of the best areas to be during the DC Cherry Blossom Festival. 

While walking around this part of the Mall, you can also visit the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and World War II Memorial. 

Government buildings

On the far east end of the National Mall you’ll find three of the most important US government buildings, the US Capitol, the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court.  All of these buildings have free access to the public parts of the building. 

The US Capitol is open Monday – Saturday and offers tours that require timed access tickets.  Tickets may be available the same day, but reservations are recommended. 

I visited the Library of Congress for the first time during my 2024 trip to Washington DC and was in awe. The Great Hall is breathtaking with the intricate tile mosaics, columns, and coffered ceiling with stained glass inlays. If you can, time it when the reading room is open to visitors.  The whole room is beautiful, but the dome is the star.  The library is open Tuesday – Saturday.  There are special late night hours on Thursdays for Live at the Library, which I highly recommend if you have a later flight.  The Library of Congress also has timed entry tickets, with a small allotment available the day of starting at 9am. 

The final building in the trifecta is the Supreme Court.  This is open to the public, without tickets, Monday – Friday.  However some days not everything is available, so it’s best to check the calendar.  Court sessions are open to the public, which means you have the chance to sit and see a potentially monumental hearing or ruling as it happens. 

Washington DC Map

I’ve put together a map of the attractions from museums and monuments as well as the subway stops for the lines that run to both IAD and DCA.  

How long of a layover do you need to visit Washington DC?

When I recently visited, I had 4 hours before my flight, which is enough time to get 1.5-2 hours worth of sightseeing in.  I wouldn’t recommend anything under 4 hours for DCA and at least 5 if you’re at Dulles since it is farther away from the city. 

Since you only have a finite amount of time in the city, I recommend you pick one thing (or area) to focus on, rather than trying to see a little bit of everything. With 90 minutes to two hours, you will have plenty of time to walk through and enjoy one of the massive Smithsonian Museums or spend your time walking around the monuments instead.  For longer layovers in DC, you have more wiggle room to check out a few different things. 

You will need to go through security again once you return to the airport.  I’ve flown out of DCA and Dulles in the last couple of years and don’t remember there being any lines for security.  However, I do have TSA Pre-check, so I almost never wait in line. 

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