Washington DC Holiday

Murphy_The_Cat

I was going to recommend a tour of the J Edgar Hoover, FBI Headquarters,but when I went for the link, they no longer do them. Keep an eye out, just on the odd chance that they start up again.
I really enjoyed going around FedCentral !

old_motters

If the OP can find comparably priced flights into Washington National, I would suggest that would be better than IAD even if it involves a connecting flight.

National airport is on the metro which is far quicker into the city than taking a taxi.

malkie76

That's not a bad idea, however overall the time required for a transfer would counter-act any time gained landing in central DC. National doesn't do international flights (except for Canada), so you'd have to take a transfer.

Most likely option would be through NYC, which is well known for having horrid immigration queues, meaning you'd have to give yourself a few hours transfer time before getting a flight into National.

In those terms BWI is the better option overall, however there are more flights and carriers into IAD giving you more options! While rather dull inside, IAD is a reasonably solid functioning airport.

All that being said, a daytime flight into National gives fantastic views of the White House, memorials and The Mall.

davidlizard

I went there when the 4th July celebrations were on. Big parade during the daytime and a decent fireworks display in the evening.

We stayed in Arlington and watched the display from the Iwo Jima monument.

Did the touristy things in Washington itself (White House, Capitol, Jefferson/Lincoln monuments), enjoyed the nightlife, and spent a few days out of town looking around some of the civil war battlefields.

The USA is not really my cup of tea (I was there on business) but did enjoy my time there.