5 Days Around DC: Day Trip Plan

Five days around DC stacks two anchor days downtown, Mount Vernon on day three, Annapolis and the Naval Academy on day four, then a genuinely different city, Baltimore, on day five. Currency is USD throughout. Days one and two run entirely on Metro and the seasonal Potomac water taxi, day three shifts to car or tour bus for Mount Vernon, day four needs a direct bus or car for Annapolis, and day five swaps all of that for a MARC or Amtrak ride out of Union Station. Go weekdays when you can, it thins the Smithsonian timed-pass lines and the aquarium queues alike.

Book these before you go

Day Focus Travel Time Rough Daily Cost (USD)
1 DC core: National Mall, one Smithsonian, night memorials Walkable core, Metro to Smithsonian station 40-60
2 Old Town Alexandria: King Street, waterfront Blue/Yellow Line to King St, ~20-25 min, or seasonal water taxi 45-70
3 Mount Vernon: estate, tomb, gardens ~16 miles, car/tour bus ~35-45 min, or seasonal riverboat 55-80 (incl. $30 admission)
4 Annapolis and the US Naval Academy ~33 miles, direct bus ~1h10, no train 60-100 (incl. $12 tour)
5 Baltimore: Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium ~40 miles, MARC or Amtrak ~40 min from Union Station 70-105 (incl. $49.95 aquarium)

Day 1: DC Core, Anchored

Morning

Start at the Smithsonian Metro station, it drops you between the Castle and the Mall museums. Pick one Smithsonian and commit rather than stacking three before lunch. If it’s the National Museum of African American History and Culture or the Air and Space Museum’s Mall building, book a free timed pass ahead on si.edu, walk-up entry there is weekday-only and only after a set hour. The National Gallery of Art next door is free with no pass required, and it technically isn’t a Smithsonian at all.

Afternoon

Grab a half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, then work the monument end of the Mall, Washington Monument if you booked a $1 recreation.gov ticket ahead, plus the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans memorials clustered nearby.

Evening

Come back after dark. The Lincoln, Jefferson, MLK, and the war memorials are free, unticketed, and open 24 hours, and the crowds thin out fast once the sun sets.

Day 2: Old Town Alexandria

Morning

Two ways across the Potomac, pick by season. Year-round, Metro’s Blue or Yellow Line reaches King St-Old Town in about 20-25 minutes, tap in and tap out with SmarTrip or a contactless card, WMATA charges by distance with a $6.75 weekday max fare. March through December only, the water taxi from The Wharf runs roughly $22 one-way for a 30-minute crossing. Skip the DC Circulator entirely in your planning, it shut down for good on 31 December 2024.

Metro or Water Taxi to Alexandria?

If it’s running and the weather cooperates, the water taxi is worth it for the ride itself. But it’s seasonal, March through December only, and costs roughly $22 against a Metro fare under $4, so outside that window, or on a tight budget, Metro to King St plus the free King Street Trolley covers the same waterfront for less.

Afternoon

Walk the cobblestone blocks around King Street, browse the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s working studios, then head down to Waterfront Park. Lunch here runs casual, $12-20 a head, tip 18-20% the US way.

Evening

Dinner in Old Town, then Metro back before the trains thin out, last trains run later Friday and Saturday than the rest of the week.

Day 3: Mount Vernon

Morning

Mount Vernon sits about 16 miles south of the city, and it is a paid historic estate and tomb, not a free National Park Service monument like the Mall’s memorials to the same president, don’t conflate the two. Admission is $30 for adults, $16 for ages 6-11, free under 6, open 9am-5pm April through October and 9am-4pm November through March. Get there by car, a tour bus, or, seasonally, a Potomac riverboat cruise from the Wharf or Alexandria.

Is Mount Vernon’s $30 Admission Worth It?

Yes, for the half-day it takes. You’re touring Washington’s actual working farm, mansion, and tomb, not a monument or a museum diorama, and the estate grounds alone justify a slow morning even before you count the house tour.

Afternoon

Tour the mansion, walk the outbuildings and slave memorial, then wander the gardens down toward the river.

Evening

Head back toward Old Town or downtown for dinner, both are a straightforward drive or tour-bus ride from the estate.

Day 4: Annapolis and the Naval Academy

Morning

Annapolis sits about 33 miles east, and there’s no direct train, the cheapest car-free option is a once-daily direct bus, roughly $4-12 for about 1 hour 10 minutes. Rideshare runs $60-135 one-way depending on demand, so plan the bus in advance if you’re going car-free.

How Do You Reach Annapolis Without a Car?

The direct bus is the only realistic car-free option, book it ahead since it runs once a day each direction. Rideshare works but costs far more for the same distance, and there’s no train at all despite how close Annapolis looks on a map.

Afternoon

The Naval Academy yard is pedestrian-access-only, no vehicle entry, and every visitor 18 and older needs a REAL-ID-compliant photo ID or a passport to get in. Guided tours run about $12 for adults, open 9am-5pm March through December with shorter winter hours. Pair the tour with a walk through the State House and down to City Dock.

Evening

Chesapeake crab cakes are the local specialty here, Maryland claims them, not DC, worth the mid-range $30-55 dinner before the bus or drive back.

Day 5: Baltimore, Inner Harbor and the Aquarium

Morning

Baltimore is about 40 miles north, and it’s a genuinely bigger, different city, not another quaint day trip like Alexandria or Annapolis. Two ways from Union Station, both roughly 40 minutes: MARC’s Penn Line is the cheaper, slower, commuter-paced option, Amtrak costs more but runs on a fuller, more day-trip-friendly schedule. Check the current fare gap before you commit, MARC’s savings shrink outside peak commuter hours.

Afternoon

Walk the Inner Harbor waterfront, then hit the National Aquarium, $49.95 for adults and $39.95 for youth and seniors, timed entry required, book online rather than counting on a walk-up slot. Two ways to cut the cost: Friday after 5pm runs half-price walk-up admission, and Maryland residents get a weekday-before-noon discount.

Evening

Dinner around the harbor, then MARC or Amtrak back to Union Station. Check the return timetable before you settle in, MARC thins out fast once the evening commuter window closes, Amtrak keeps a steadier schedule later into the night.

Five days nests the four-day anchor-plus-Alexandria-plus-Mount-Vernon-plus-Annapolis plan inside it, then adds Baltimore as a full day trip out of Union Station. The 2-day plan is the anchor-plus-Alexandria version, the 4-day plan adds Mount Vernon and Annapolis, the 6-day plan tacks on Great Falls and Harpers Ferry, and the 7-day plan closes with one long Gettysburg-or-Shenandoah day. Check current fares at wmata.com , Mount Vernon specifics at mountvernon.org , Old Town details at visitalexandriava.com , Naval Academy tour rules at navalacademy.com , National Aquarium hours at aqua.org , and general DC planning at washington.org .