Best Museums in Washington DC

I know that when you travel, 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 science and humanities capitals in the world.

I'll leave you with several options of museums to include in your travel itinerary. Plus, I'll explain the best of each and what you can learn while enjoying the best of DC.

The National Museum of American History is dedicated throughout its exhibits, spread over three floors, to narrating in a didactic way the republican political, social and cultural history of the United States. The museum collects 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 exhibitions, about the historical plots that led the United States to become 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 you can also get audio guides in Spanish for most of the exhibits.

It is open to the public every day of the year, as are its two cafeterias. Free Wi-Fi is available in all areas of the museum. Bear in mind that the entire 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 conveniently via the Metrorail, Washington's underground system.

My advice is to get there 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 am -17:30 pm

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 find out how astronauts go to the bathroom in space.

Visit one of the world's most popular museums for housing the largest collection of aviation and space objects 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. Here you can experience the world of aviation and learn the secrets of space travel, as well as fulfil your dream of flying a spaceship.

Get a glimpse of celestial bodies with one of the museum's three high-precision telescopes for one of Washington's most impressive nighttime shows.

You can do the tour for free and I suggest you leave your watch at your hotel, as the tour is extensive and you should invest a few hours of your trip to explore this amazing 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. The Metrorail will take you to the closest station to the museum, L'Enfant Plaza, 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 am -17:30 pm

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

Tour this beautiful neoclassical structure as you absorb the museum's collection of 140 million natural science specimens and cultural artefacts on display.

In this three-storey museum you will witness the development of life on earth. The museum is very didactic in teaching the history of the planet and the human cultures that have populated it. You will lose yourself in this inexhaustible source of knowledge as you wander through it for free.

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

If you give yourself up to the experience, you won 't notice the passing of the hours in one of the museums that should be an indispensable part of the best tours you take in the city.

I recommend the metro again: take the Orange or Blue lines to the Smithsonian station and use the Mall exit to get to the museum more quickly. It is best to go as early as possible to avoid the queues.

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 am -17:30 pm

Traveller Tip

Hey, you're not in a race to see the most museums in a day! Preferably go to one a day or if you're short on time and have good trainers, go to one in the morning, have lunch and go to another in the afternoon. Strolling through museums is an experience for knowledge, so take your time.

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 about the history of the African-American community in the country.

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

In the second part of the exhibition, learn about post-liberation segregation 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 wander through the amazing display cases and incredible memorial at no cost.

The museum, due to the demand for visitors, has a daily ticket booking system, so I advise you to keep an eye out for your tickets. The museum is located on the National Mall and the closest metro station to the museum is Smithsonian, although it is also very convenient if you get off at Federal Triangle.

Practical information

• 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 am -17:30 pm

When you walk through the Holocaust Museum, the most important museum on the American continent, 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 recognising history in order not to repeat it.

Similar to the Museum of African American History and Culture, this space begins by recounting the systematic dehumanisation of 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 travelling exhibitions of other genocides and one of the most impressive and imposing War Memorials in the capital where you can download the experience you gained at the end of your visit.

The tour will take you no more than three hours and you can get there just one block from the Smithsonian station on the Orange, Blue and Silver underground lines. Most of Washington's tour buses also pass through here, so if you hire one, you won't want to 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 story of America's Republican history, the National Museum of the American Indian tells the story of the history and ancestral cultures that are native to the American nation. Are you going to miss it?

The National Museum of the American Indian houses one of the world's most extensive collections of Native American archives, records and artefacts.

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

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

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

The Blue, Orange and Silver lines stop at this station and you 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 with one of the most extensive catalogues of works of art in the country. You can see no less than 141,000 paintings contained in two buildings: the West Hall and the East Hall.

Both are connected by an art installation in which 41,000 LED nodes light up an underground tunnel. Definitely one of the best visits in the capital.

Depending on the time of the year, the visits to the gallery may change. The museum is constantly giving space to new artists to exhibit their work to the public.

All the masters of European and American painting can be found in the west room, as well as the only exhibition of a Da Vinci on the American continent.

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 open-air 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 museum visitors and you will have the privilege of enjoying a nice 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 enrich the experience.
Did I tell you that the entrance to the gallery is totally free? The only thing you'll have to invest in is a metro 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 am -17:00 pm

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

Before selfies, the wealthiest people used to have their portraits taken. This museum houses a collection of portraits of the most influential people in the United States.

Yes, you'll 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 features of the tour of this magnificent space, where the official portraits of each president leaving office are on display. The nearest metro station is Gallery Pl-Chinatown, on the Green, Red and Yellow lines.

Practical 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 am - 7:00 pm

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

In its various spaces, it features various 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 are a good fit for your trip to the American 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 entrance fees.

Practical information

• 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: 11:30am - 7:00pm

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

Walk through its halls as you soak up the historical decisions recorded in handwriting in this catalogue of historical archives. There is also an exhibition dedicated to the civil rights struggle of women in the country and their fight for the right to vote.

The museum has flexible opening hours to accommodate any travel plans and is free of charge. The museum is 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 bet for getting to this amazing site.

Practical 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 am -17:30 pm

Traveller Tip

While you're 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're visiting Washington in the middle of spring, your stay can't 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 spaceship-like design and when you are there, stroll through its gardens while enjoying Miró, Rodín, Serrano, Calser, among other masters of sculpture, free of charge.

The museum is located on the National Mall and the best way I can recommend to easily get to this amazing place is to take the metro to 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 am -17:30 pm

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

The impressive cabin sits on a hillside 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 retreat 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, as well as using the space to draft the historic Emancipation Proclamation.

It's 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 a variety of services and tours. There are prices to suit all budgets and from 13 euros you can enjoy this incredible space dedicated to history, which also has free parking.

It's a relatively short walk because you'll be able to 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 after that.

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 after that.
• Price: Ranges from €13-31, depending on the day and whether you are an adult or a child.
• Opening hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

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 capital's most technologically advanced museums while marvelling 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 learning first-hand about the art of shadows and secrets.

This is one of the few museums in the capital that you have to pay for, as it is an independent institution, but the fee is less than 30 euros and 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 use to get to the museum is L'Enfant Plaza. Every day of the week the museum offers tours from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, so you can let yourself be guided through the fascinating stories of those men and women who risked body and mind to keep or know the darkest secrets of nations.

Practical information

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

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 at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC Thanks to this institute, most museum visits are free, so you will save as much as possible.

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