Best Museums in Washington DC

I know that when you go on a trip, you love to wander around the city and get lost in the city to discover new places. A museum is a great place to connect you with the city you are in. There is so much to see and do in Washington D.C. And boy, does the capital of the United States have museums to visit! History, science, culture and art; Washington is not only the capital of the United States, but also one of the most important scientific and humanistic outreach capitals in the world.

I will leave you with several options of museums that you can include in your travel itinerary. In addition, I will explain the best of each one and what you can learn while enjoying the best of DC.

The National Museum of American History is dedicated throughout its exhibits, distributed on three floors, to narrate in a didactic way the republican political, social and cultural history of the United States. The museum gathers and preserves more than three million objects that build the historical networks of the nation of the stars and stripes.

You will be able to learn, in its extensive exhibits, the historical plots that led the United States to be the country it is today: its independence; its internal and external conflicts; the search for individual freedom; democracy; its contradictions; the construction and contribution of its culture to the world.

You can visit this museum for free and also, you have the possibility of having audio guides in Spanish for most of its exhibits.

It is open to the public every day of the year, as well as its two cafeterias. All areas of the museum have free Wi-Fi. Keep in mind that the complete tour takes between two and four hours, so don't forget to wear comfortable shoes.

The museum is located on the National Mall and has two entrances for different destinations: you can enter from Constitution Avenue or Madison Street. You can get there comfortably through the Metrorail, Washington's subway system.

My advice is to approach using the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian stations on the Blue and Orange lines.

Practical Information

• Location: 1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560. You can get there on the Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange and Silver lines) and Smithsonian (Blue, Orange and Silver lines) stations.
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Want to touch a moon rock or simulate your next trip into space? Well, at the National Air and Space Museum in the United States, you can. You can even discover how astronauts go to the bathroom in space.

Visit one of the most popular museums in the world for housing the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts on the planet.

A space where you will be moved by the stories of people who have defied gravity, air and outer space throughout their lives awaits you. Here you can experience the world of aviation and learn the secrets of space travel, as well as fulfill your dream of piloting a ship.

Take a look at the celestial bodies with one of the museum's three high-precision telescopes to take advantage of one of Washington's most impressive nighttime spectacles.

You have the possibility to take the tour for free and I suggest you leave your watch at the hotel, since the tour is extensive and you should invest a few hours of your trip to explore this incredible place. In addition, the museum is designed with full accessibility for people with functional diversity.

The museum opens its doors from 10:00 am and closes its exhibits at 5:30 pm. You can take the Metrorail to the museum at the L'Enfant Plaza station and walk to 4th and 7th Streets, SW, on Jefferson Drive where the museum is located.

Practical Information

• Location: 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560. You can get there using the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station (Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Henry the elephant welcomes you to the National Museum of American History, the second most visited museum in the U.S. capital.

Tour this beautiful neoclassical structure as you become absorbed in its collection of 140 million natural science specimens and cultural artifacts displayed in its exhibits.

In this three-story museum you will witness the development of life on earth. The museum is very didactic as it teaches the history of the planet and the human cultures that have populated it. You will get lost in this inexhaustible source of knowledge as you tour it for free.

Take a stroll through its many exhibition halls as you marvel at its collection of mammalian animals, dinosaur fossils, oriental artifacts, gems and rocks. The museum tells you about all the possibilities that the planet has found to generate life.

If you give yourself to the experiences, you will not notice the passing of the hours in one of the museums that should be an indispensable part of the best tours you make in the city.

I recommend the subway again: take the Orange or Blue lines to the Smithsonian station and use the Mall exit to get to the museum faster. It is best to go as early as possible to avoid the queues that are generated.

Practical Information

• Location: 10th St. & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560. Smithsonian Station (Orange, Silver and Blue lines) is the closest, but Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange and Silver lines) is also convenient.
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Traveller Tip

Hey, you're not in a race to visit the most museums in a day! Preferably I advise you to go to one a day or if you only have a few days and have good sneakers, go to one in the morning, have lunch and go to another one in the afternoon. Strolling through the museums is an experience for knowledge, go calmly.

Learn about the pain, the struggle, the freedom, the contradiction, the social vindication of the American nation at the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. In this magnificent museum, you can learn in detail the history of the African-American community in the country.

Start in the Slavery Room, where you'll learn how the commercialization of people in the New World worked, and learn about the contradictory relationship of the country's freedoms to its continued practice of slavery.

In the second part of the exhibit, learn about the segregation experienced after liberation and the struggle for equality in the United States.

Finish by learning about the impact and legacy of this community on the country's progress in different areas of human development. This historical trail will not leave you indifferent as you walk through its amazing showcases and incredible memorial at no cost.

The museum, due to the demand of visitors, has a daily ticket reservation system, so I advise you to be aware of getting them. The museum is located on the National Mall and the nearest subway station that can drop you off is Smithsonian, although it is also very convenient if you get off at Federal Triangle.

Practical information about the museum

• Location: 1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560. To get there, you can use the Smithsonian Metro Station (Blue, Orange and Silver lines) or the Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange and Silver lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

When you walk through the Holocaust Museum, the most important museum in the Americas, you will remember the immortal words of Elie Wiesel, "this museum is not an answer, it is a question". The Holocaust Museum is a space for reflection.

Through objects, recreations and historical representations, it offers a historical guide through one of the most inhumane moments in contemporary history, the Holocaust, while testimonies and film archives complement the uncomfortable but necessary experience of recognizing history in order not to repeat it.

Similar to the Museum of African American History and Culture, this space begins by recounting the systematic dehumanization experienced by various minority communities, especially the Jewish community, in Nazi Germany.

From the beginnings of anti-Semitic policies in the early years, to the "Final Solution" and the construction of Auschwitz.

The museum even has traveling exhibits of other genocides and one of the most impressive and imposing War Memorials of the capital where you can download the experience gained at the end of the visit.

The tour will take you no more than three hours and you can reach its facilities one block from the Smithsonian station on the Orange, Blue and Silver subway lines. Most of Washington's tourist buses also pass through this site, so if you hire one, you won't miss it.

Practical information about the Holocaust

• Location: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl SW, Washington, DC 20024. The Smithsonian Metro station (Orange, Blue and Silver lines) is the closest.
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Just as the National Museum of American History tells the Republican history of the United States, the National Museum of American Indians tells the history and ancestral cultures of the American nation. Are you going to miss it?

The National Museum of the American Indian houses one of the largest collections of Native American archives, records and artifacts on the planet.

Shudder and marvel at the 1,200 indigenous cultures that tell their incredible 12,000 years of history through various media.

The interactive catalog features aesthetic, religious, cultural and historical objects that give voice to the native peoples, while you tour, free of charge, its facilities designed by indigenous architects who designed it with limestone.

The easiest way to get to the museum is by Metrorail. I suggest you get off at the Federal Center station.

You will have no problem getting there since the Blue, Orange and Silver lines stop at that station and you will only have to walk up two blocks. L'Enfant Plaza station may also be convenient, especially if you are coming from the Yellow and Green lines.

Useful Information

• Location: Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20560. You may want to get off at the Federal Center station (Orange, Blue and Silver lines) or L'Enfant Plaza (Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 am -17:30 pm

The National Gallery of Art is a huge museum that has one of the most extensive catalogs of works of art in the country. You will be able to see no less than 141,000 paintings contained in two buildings: the West Hall and the East Hall.

Both are connected by an artistic installation in which 41,000 LED nodes illuminate a subway tunnel. Definitely one of the best visits in the capital.

Depending on the time of the year, the visits that take place in the gallery may change. The museum is constantly giving space to new artists who exhibit their works to the public.

All the masters of European and American painting can be found in the west room, in addition to having the only exhibition of the American continent of a Da Vinci.

On the other side of the museum, in the east, you will find modern art and its main representatives. This site has the Gallery's Sculpture Garden, an outdoor space where you can enjoy art outside the walls of the building.

The garden has to be one of your must-see winter visits to Washington as the fountain serves as an ice rink for all visitors to the museum and you will have the privilege of enjoying a good hot chocolate in its cafeteria.

I assure you that if you check the calendar before going to the gallery you will be able to find out if there is a concert or a cultural event that will further enrich this experience.
Did I already told you that the entrance to the gallery is totally free? The only thing you will have to invest is the subway ticket and get off at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter station on the Yellow and Green lines.

Practical Information

• Location: Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565. Nearest Metro station is Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter (Yellow and Green lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Congratulations! I'm going to recommend you not to miss two museums that are in the same building. I start by telling you about the National Portrait Gallery.

Before selfies, people with more purchasing power had their portraits taken. This museum houses a collection of portraits of the most influential people in the United States.

Yes, you will find a repertoire of portraits of white men of European descent, but don't worry! This collection contains portraits of female historical figures, Native American tribesmen and the African-American community.

The biggest attraction I can recommend is the display of official portraits of each of the nation's presidents.

And yes, free of charge is one of the characteristics of the tour of this magnificent space, where the official portraits of each president leaving the government are exhibited. The nearest subway station is Gallery Pl-Chinatown on the Green, Red and Yellow lines.

Useful Information

• Location: 8th and G Streets, Washington, DC 20001. You can get off at Gallery Pl-Chinatown station (Green, Red and Yellow lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

As I mentioned, there are two museums in one building: there is also the magnificent Smithsonian American Art Museum, located right next to the National Portrait Gallery.

In its different spaces, it presents several works of art and pictorial representations alluding to American pop culture.

If you are a lover of painting, this museum and the National Portrait Gallery go well in your trip to the U.S. capital. The closest station to the museums is Gallery Pl-Chinatown, which is part of the Green, Red and Yellow lines. Enjoy this tour in its entirety without spending a penny on admission fees.

Practical information about the Smithsonian Museum

• Location: G Street NW, 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20004. Nearest Metro station is Gallery Pl-Chinatown (Green, Red and Yellow lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Welcome to the home of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and where the Declaration of Fundamental Rights shares a home. The National Archives Museum preserves more than 15 billion historical records.

Walk through its halls as you soak in the historical decisions recorded in handwriting in this catalog of historical archives. It also has an exhibit dedicated to the civil rights struggle of women in the country and their fight for the right to vote.

This museum has a flexible schedule for any travel planning, in addition to being free of charge. The museum awaits you with doors open every day of the year, except Christmas and with extended hours in the summer. The Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter station is your best option to get to this amazing site.

Useful Information

• Location: 701 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20408. Best to get off at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter station (Yellow and Green lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Traveller Tip

While you are touring the National Archives Museum, I suggest you stop by the Library of Congress. It is the largest library in the world with over 162 million items in its collection and every day the collection grows to 12,000 items.

If you are visiting Washington in the middle of spring, your stay cannot be complete without a visit to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, one of the most visited art museums in the country, with one of the best views in the city, on its third floor: the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

The modern building, designed in a circular fashion by architect Gordon Bunshaft, awaits you in its gardens and exhibitions where it houses a collection of modern and contemporary art. Guided tours and private tours are available to add to your experience.

I suggest you fully enjoy this building that contrasts with the city for its design that resembles a spaceship and when you are there, walk through its gardens while enjoying Miró, Rodin, Serrano, Calser, among other masters of sculpture, free of charge.

The museum is located in the National Mall and the best way I can recommend to easily reach this incredible site is to take the subway to the L'Enfant Plaza station.

Practical Information

• Location: Independence Ave SW &, 7th St SW, Washington, DC 20560. The museum is very close to L'Enfant Plaza station (Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green lines).
• Price: Free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

If you like history, but prefer to be presented from a different perspective than you are used to, at President Lincoln's Cabin you can enjoy a unique retelling of the American Civil War.

The impressive cabin sits on a hilltop overlooking the famous Soldiers' Home grounds northwest of Washington, DC.

This house was used by the Lincoln family in the hot summers of the capital when he ruled the country in the midst of the Civil War to take refuge from the political bustle of the Capitol, so a summer visit will give you a much better understanding.

In these rooms, Lincoln visited wounded soldiers and hosted social events; he also used the space to draft the historic Emancipation Proclamation.

It is a place where you can learn about daily life and home customs through the reconstruction of a retirement cabin of the time.

The museum opened in 2008 to the public and offers several service offerings and tours. There are rates for all budgets and it is from 13 euros that you can enjoy this incredible space dedicated to history, which also has free parking.

It is a relatively short walk because you can finish the tour in two hours at most, but I suggest you give yourself time to soak up the history of those walls.

The closest station for you to get to the site is Georgia Ave-Petworth, although you'll probably have to take a bus afterwards.

Practical Information

• Location: 140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW, Washington, DC 20011. Nearest station is Georgia Ave-Petworth (Green and Yellow lines), but it's a long walk to get there after that.
• Price: ranges from $13-31, depending on the day and whether you are an adult or a child.
• Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Become James Bond or Ethan Hunt at the International Spy Museum. The fascinating world of intelligence services and secret agencies find a space to tell the stories of great events from the shadows.

You can enjoy one of the most technologically advanced museums in the capital while marveling at the collection of 600 exhibits that tell the story of espionage in the real world and popular culture. Myths and reality blend together in a single space for you.

You will have the opportunity to learn about the most emblematic cases in history and learn about the impossible operations that were carried out over the years, as well as learn first-hand about the art of shadows and secrets.

This is one of the few museums in the capital that is paid, because it is an independent institution, but the fee does not reach 30 euros and is worth every one of them, as you will live an interactive experience of the museum. In addition, you can complement your visit by enjoying one of its two restaurants.

The metro station I recommend you to use to get to the museum is L'Enfant Plaza. Every day of the week the museum has tours from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, so you can let yourself be guided in the fascinating stories of those men and women who risked body and mind to keep or know the darkest secrets of nations.

Practical Info

• Location: 700 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington DC 20024. Here you can also get off at L'Enfant Plaza station (Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green lines).
• Price: about 30
• Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Buying tickets for attractions and museums is not difficult, but you should know that most of the museums in Washington belong to the Smithsonian Institution, the largest complex for the dissemination of human knowledge in the world.

The main headquarters is located in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC Thanks to this institute, most of the museum visits are free, so you will save as much as possible.

Be prepared to do one or two views a day, as these museums are known for housing inexhaustible collections of knowledge in vast spaces.