WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO EXPLORE WASHINGTON DC?

There are many different ways to explore the city, one way is by doing self-guided tours and exploring the city using a combination of walking and the city's public transportation, which includes the Metro and Bus. It should be pretty easy to navigate the DC's Metrorail system, you just have to map out your itinerary of places you want to visit and map out your route accordingly. In addition to the Metro and Bus, if you want to travel to other parts of the Metro Washington Area, you can take a Water Taxi to places like Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria, and National Harbor. If you are going to use the city's metro system, the following is a list of metro hubs and prominent stations in DC:

Metro Center: This station is one of the most important hubs in the Metrorail system. It's located in the heart of downtown D.C. and serves as an interchange for the Red, Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

L'Enfant Plaza: This station is an important hub for transfers between the Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, and Yellow lines. It's located near the National Mall and government buildings.

Eastern Market: Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, this station serves as a hub for the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines.

Gallery Place-Chinatown: Located near the Capital One Arena and the Chinatown neighborhood, this station is another major hub where the Red, Green, and Yellow lines converge.

Union Station: Serving as both a train station and a metro station, Union Station is a significant hub for Amtrak, MARC Train, VRE, and the Red Line of the Metrorail.

Farragut West and Farragut North: These stations are located in the central business district and serve as transfer points between the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

Dupont Circle: Serving the vibrant Dupont Circle neighborhood, this station is an interchange between the Red Line and the Q Street exit of the L Street entrance.

Shaw-Howard University: Serving the Shaw neighborhood, this station is a transfer point between the Green and Yellow lines.

Rosslyn: This station is located in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Georgetown. It serves as an interchange between the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. To get to Arlington National Cemetery, you need to take the Blue line and transfer to Rosslyn, then get off at Arlington Cemetery Station.

Anacostia: Serving the Anacostia neighborhood, this station is a transfer point between the Green Line and the Congress Heights-bound Yellow Line.

Southwest Shuttle-The Wharf

If you visit the District Wharf and the Marina for some outstanding views and food, The Wharf offers a SW Neighborhood Shuttle that is free and open to the public. With daily service and short headways, it’s easy and convenient to take the shuttle between The Wharf and SW Duck Pond, L’Enfant Plaza Metro, the National Mall, and additional parking at L'Enfant Plaza. The shuttle is wheelchair accessible. Like on Metro, pets may be transported on the Shuttle, provided they are carried in a secure container from which they cannot escape. The Hours of Operation is from Monday-Thursday: 6:30am-8:30pm, Friday from 6:30am-10:30pm, Saturday from 9:30am–10:30pm, and Sunday from 9:30am-8:30pm. 

Roundtrip Shuttle Route

The Wharf, at 800 Maine Ave SW (near CVS)

The Wharf, at 680 Maine Ave SW (near 7th Street Park)

SW Duck Pond, on 6th St. SW at K St. SW (at the WMATA Bus Stop)

L’Enfant Plaza Metro & VRE Station, on 7th St at Maryland Ave SW

National Mall, on Independence Ave at 7th St SW (near the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum)

L'Enfant Plaza Parking, on 10th St. SW (near Spy Museum) 

Old Town Trolley Tours

One way to explore Washington DC is by using the Old Town Trolley Tour; there are two Old Town Trolley Tours that visitors usually end up joining, the 1-Day Trolley Tour and the Old Town Trolley Tour & Arlington National Cemetry Tour. The 1-Day Trolley Tour is listed at $44.95 on its website, but when you go to checkout, the total cost will be $58.95. The Tour that I would suggest joining is the Old Town Trolley Tour & Arlington National Cemetery Tour because you get Admission to Arlington National Cemetry as well; This tour is listed at $59.70 on the website but is $73.70 at checkout. Old Town Trolley Tours in Washington DC is the longest-running city tour, it has been riding around the Beltway for over 30 years. All our DC tours are 100% live in real time - No pre-recorded narration. Old Town Trolley Tours offers the finest, most highly-trained, and knowledgeable guides and unlimited hop-on & hop-off as often as you like all day long. This is the only tour authorized to enter the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery. If you want to save money on your Old Town Trolley Tour, check out this Hop on Hop off Tour from GetYourGuide. GetYourGuide also this Washington DC: Arlington Nat. Cemetery Ticket & Tram Tour for just $19.50. 

Big Bus Hop on Hop Off

Another popular way to tour the city is the Hop on Hop off Washington DC Big Bus Tour; their tours provide the perfect introduction to the city and the best photo opportunities of iconic landmarks from the top deck. Big Bus Tours typically offer several routes covering major attractions and landmarks in the city. These routes often include stops at popular destinations like the National Mall, the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and more. One of the main features of Big Bus Tours is the hop-on hop-off concept. This allows you to get off the bus at any designated stop, explore the area, and then catch another bus when you're ready to continue your tour. This flexibility allows you to spend more time at places that interest you the most. The buses usually provide audio commentary in multiple languages. As you ride the bus, you'll receive informative commentary about the sights and landmarks you're passing. This commentary often includes historical facts and interesting tidbits about the city. The buses typically run on a regular schedule, with buses arriving at each stop at regular intervals throughout the day. It's a good idea to check the specific schedule for the day you plan to use the service.

Like most Big Bus Tours, Big Bus Washington DC offers 4 different tickets in the city including the Discover Ticket, Essential Ticket, Explore Ticket, and Night Tour. The Discover Ticket costs $54.00 and includes a 1-day hop-on hop-off ticket, access to the Red Loop, Authorized National Park Service Concessioner, and a Bike Rental offer. With this ticket, you can discover the best of DC, featuring pre-recorded commentary in 8 languages, Buses operate from 9:30am -5:30pm, every 15-20 minutes. The Essential Ticket costs $63.00 and includes a 2-day hop on hop off ticket, access to the Red Loop, Authorized National Park Service Concessioner, Bike Rental offer, Great Extras-discounts for

attractions and shopping, and fully flexible bus tickets. The Night tour is a great way to see Washington DC at night, It is a 2-hour Night Our, featuring a Live Guide from Fridays to Sundays only; the tour costs $58.50. 

Because Washington DC is such a walkable city, it makes doing a self-guided tour doable, especially if you are using public transportation, which is pretty easy to use. However, if you are on a time restriction and only have a day or two in the city, it may be best to go on a Big Bus Tour or Old Town Trolley Tour, so you don't waste time getting to and from point of interest. It all really depends on your schedule and how comfortable you are walking around the city.