A Budget Friendly Trip To Washington DC

Main Tips

Stay outside of the city.

Use public transportation.

Plan out your trip

Be prepared for the sun

We drove down to Washington DC on a busy Memorial Day weekend because it was the patriotic thing to do and the beaches were crowded. I found the hotels all around Washington DC to be way too expensive for my taste. Also, I dislike paying for parking, it irks me to the core. Those two factors drove me to look outside of the city. As I started exploring, I noticed that the prices kept going down (AND the quality of the hotels kept going up. Thats why we settled on the Washington Dulles Marriott Suites hotel that was pretty far away from the city, but one where we could be extra comfortable. The hotel was great! It was a suite for less than $100 a day on a busy weekend. Additionally, free parking, no destination fee, and no resort fee, but there is a spa next to the hotel, just in case you wanted to get pampered. They also offered a decent breakfast (for a fee) which we took advantage of twice. We were disappointed that the rooftop pool was still closed during Memorial Day weekend, so if you are planning to stay there, please make sure to call ahead. To be fair, they did have an indoor pool available, but it was not to our liking. We found the hotel through Booking.com. There are still similar deals for the hotel, just make sure to play with the dates, and you will find some solid deals. As a reminder, always check for information on the hotel so that you know about all the fees that may be associated with your stay. I always use www.tripadvisor.com and search for "fee" in the review search bar for the hotel.

While we were initially planning to drive into the city, we discovered that there was a train station that was close to our hotel. The Washington DC METRO System is probably the best system in the United States and second busiest after NYC! The Silver line into Washington DC stopped about 2 miles away from our hotel and had free parking during the weekends. It would drop us off right on the Washington Mall and had plenty of interesting stops. The price per day was less than the toll plus parking in DC. Additionally, the ride was only about 5 more minutes than driving. A stress free trip! Take public transportation!

Furthermore, we found a few restaurants around our hotel that offered great meals at great prices. We took advantage of the small town feel. The more research that you do, the less you feel like a tourist, and the less that you PAY like a tourist. I suggest that you do a simply search on Google Maps to look for ideas.

Washington DC is always busy. However, there are many free activities and so much to do. Wear proper walking shoes and be ready to walk, walk, walk. Also keep in mind that it gets hot and in the mall there is limited cover. So be prepared with plenty of water.

It is almost impossible to see all of DC in one or two days, so plan out where you want to go and what you want to see prior to arriving. It's easy to spend hours in just one museum. Do not assume that you will be able to see everything during your trip. I have been to Washington DC numerous time and I have yet to explore the actual city.

What we liked:

We enjoyed the room and food around the hotel.

The wonderful Washington DC area transportation system.

The seamingless endless list of things to do in Washington DC!

What we didn't like: The heat!

The outdoor pool was closed at our hotel.

There are huge lines everywhere.

Washington DC - The Poem

Oh say can you see all the sights in DC?

The answer is no, even if they are free.

The most famous mall without any stores,

But scores of museums that are hard to ignore.

The White House, The Senate, and Memorials to visit.

The planning logistics is harder than physics.

So much to learn, there is just so much history,

Too bad that most of it will remain a mystery.

There is still much to see, still much to learn

So Washington DC, we will return!