Washington DC lodging on a budget

[DCPrincess]

I would also check out the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City (that particular Ritz often is priced below other not as nice hotels). I've gotten it for about $130 / night with free breakfast etc. Looks like they are running a special now for $169/night and $100 credit for a 3 night stay. It is attached to the pentagon city mall so lots of food options and the metro is right there and just a couple stops into D.C.

 

[Glenn]

My brother & his wife went last Sept & lucked out at Embassy Suites Convention Center. No congress in session or conventions when they went so the price was a little better. They had been thinking of Alexandria but when they factored in the cost of Metro during at least 1 rush hour it cost them less than $10 a day extra to be within a 10 minute walk of the White House. It did include a very good hot breakfast & a managers reception in the afternoon. They did do a lot of walking to get to places but for them its part of the vacation.

 

[ssawka]

One thing to keep in mind is mid-March is usually the start of Tourist Season in DC, which means hotel prices begin to rise. Given your dates, I think you should be OK, but the cherry blossoms usually start to bloom in late March.

 

[NotUrsula]

WOW all great suggestions. Our budget would be to stay under $200/night. We don't want to rent a car. Just fly in and shuttle to a hotel. My kids have Spy museum on their list. Thanks for the tip on the national archives! Love all the info.

The same tip that is important for the Nat'l Archives is important for the Spy Museum as well. There are also two lines at the Spy Museum; the one to buy tickets, and the one to get in after you get the tickets, because the tickets are timed.

So, decide when you are going to the Spy Museum, and buy the tickets online ahead of time. The sooner you buy them, the better the pick of the time you want (and yes, you can buy tickets for March now.) BTW, it's good to do the Archives and the Spy Museum on the same day, as they are located very close to one another. (And close to Chinatown. I *really* recommend having dinner in Chinatown; the food there can be extraordinarily good.)

When it comes to kids and the Nat'l Archives, the treasures room usually doesn't do that much for them. What they DO tend to like is the part at the end of the tour, where you are turned loose with a lot of very ordinary documents on exhibit, with audio commentaries to listen to about what they are. My kids were interested in things like ration tickets from WW2, Civil-war era letters, draft cards, etc.

Hands down, THE place that we found was a favorite was the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (the factory that makes printed money). Tickets to this one are EXTREMELY tricky to get, as it is very popular and cannot normally be reserved in advance unless you are touring with a group, or have gotten tickets way in advance by requesting them from your Congressional Representative's office.

This tour is free and is only available on weekdays, and again, times are assigned. Same-day tickets may be obtained from the kiosk next to the Holocaust Museum on Raoul Wallenberg Place. The trick is that they open the kiosk at 8 am, and by 8:30 all of the tickets for the day are usually gone. You *must* line up by 7 am if you want to be successful at getting tickets during a busy week. What we did for this one was send my DH as a scout: each person in line is allowed to claim up to 4 tickets, and we needed 4. He likes taking photos, so he got up before dawn and took his camera to the mall for sunrise shots, got in line at 6:30, got the tickets for an after-lunch slot, had breakfast, took some more photos, and we met him at our morning destination. Here is the link that explains things: http://www.moneyfactory.gov/wdctourtickets.html

BTW, I would say don't bother with the Capitol Tour unless you get passes via your representative's office. The wait to get in is long and complex, but you only get to see two rooms on the general tour. The sponsored tour is MUCH better.

I recommend doing the monuments in the evening after the museums have closed, but unlike most folks here, I don't recommend doing the "Monuments at Night" bus tour; very pricey, and the bus is uncomfortable IMO. I think that one of the best ways to do them is by bike. There are formal bike tours with guides, but again, they are on the pricey side. The cheap way to do it at your leisure is to use the Capital Bikeshare system, (http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/home). The system has public bike rental kiosks in DC, so you can take Metro to the nearest one, rent bikes, pedal your way around to the monuments at your leisure, then return the bikes to a kiosk and go back to your hotel.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Do you need parking? (That could add $30/day, easy) 2 bedrooms or 1 with a pull-out sofa? Are you talking $150 / night or $300 / night?

Neighborhoods that would be fun with 2 teens: Dupont Circle / Adams Morgan / Eastern Market/ Barracks Row/ Penn Quarter. All of those, except Adams Morgan would be near a metro.

I wouldn't worry about staying near the Mall ~ those hotels (like the JW Marriott) are going to be expensive, in somewhat dull neighborhoods and have a severe lack of restaurants.

Anyway, give me an idea of budget & I'm happy to make more specific suggestions.

What makes up for the JW Marriott being in a dull neighborhood is the convenience to the sights you are going there to see.

It's a block away from the White House and walking distance to mostly everything you want to see on a short visit.

The Old Ebbit Grill is around the corner, Hard Rock Cafe is a couple blocks away by the Ford Theater, and you have a bunch of places to eat in the Old Postal Pavilion which is across the street.

The JW is always running specials and you can sometimes get rooms under $200 per night.

Plus it has an indoor pool.

 

[acebatonfan]

Consider the cost of metro passes in your decision. If you are flying in, a hotel walking distance to the mall, a few cabs, and a few metro tickets MIGHT end up being cheaper than metro passes for the bunch of you for the whole trip.

We stayed at a Embassy Suites about five blocks off the mall - it was a LOT of walking, but we had one metro trip (to the zoo) and one set of tour bus tickets (a day for monuments). They did a full breakfast every morning, which helped with expenses.

Also, take a look at metro maps - like all subway systems, it doesn't stop every block like a bus does - you may have a hike from your hotel to the metro and then from the metro to the museum you want to get to. We'd have had to walk farther to get to the metro stop near our hotel, then from the Smithsonian metro stop to the museums than to just walk to the museums.

DM and I also stayed at the Embassy Suites the last time we were in DC. The metro is, literally, right under the hotel (either go through a very small mall or across the street to access it), and we noticed that it was roughly the same price as the L'enfant, but we ended up getting more room in the suite and had cheaper parking. There was also a pretty good Italian restaurant that gave you a serving of pasta to take home and a few other great eats (and they were planning on building a Starbucks in the hotel lobby).

It might be worth budgeting enough for all-day metro passes for the days you plan on touring. It is a lot easier not having to worry about calculating exact fare per day, and it allowed for DM and me to go off the beaten path and explore a few areas. Typically, if you want to visit the Smithsonians, the L'enfent stop is the closest one (and connects to, I believe, all four rails).

 

[ckmommy]

The same tip that is important for the Nat'l Archives is important for the Spy Museum as well. There are also two lines at the Spy Museum; the one to buy tickets, and the one to get in after you get the tickets, because the tickets are timed.

So, decide when you are going to the Spy Museum, and buy the tickets online ahead of time. The sooner you buy them, the better the pick of the time you want (and yes, you can buy tickets for March now.) BTW, it's good to do the Archives and the Spy Museum on the same day, as they are located very close to one another. (And close to Chinatown. I *really* recommend having dinner in Chinatown; the food there can be extraordinarily good.)

When it comes to kids and the Nat'l Archives, the treasures room usually doesn't do that much for them. What they DO tend to like is the part at the end of the tour, where you are turned loose with a lot of very ordinary documents on exhibit, with audio commentaries to listen to about what they are. My kids were interested in things like ration tickets from WW2, Civil-war era letters, draft cards, etc.

Hands down, THE place that we found was a favorite was the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (the factory that makes printed money). Tickets to this one are EXTREMELY tricky to get, as it is very popular and cannot normally be reserved in advance unless you are touring with a group, or have gotten tickets way in advance by requesting them from your Congressional Representative's office.

This tour is free and is only available on weekdays, and again, times are assigned. Same-day tickets may be obtained from the kiosk next to the Holocaust Museum on Raoul Wallenberg Place. The trick is that they open the kiosk at 8 am, and by 8:30 all of the tickets for the day are usually gone. You *must* line up by 7 am if you want to be successful at getting tickets during a busy week. What we did for this one was send my DH as a scout: each person in line is allowed to claim up to 4 tickets, and we needed 4. He likes taking photos, so he got up before dawn and took his camera to the mall for sunrise shots, got in line at 6:30, got the tickets for an after-lunch slot, had breakfast, took some more photos, and we met him at our morning destination. Here is the link that explains things: http://www.moneyfactory.gov/wdctourtickets.html

BTW, I would say don't bother with the Capitol Tour unless you get passes via your representative's office. The wait to get in is long and complex, but you only get to see two rooms on the general tour. The sponsored tour is MUCH better.

I recommend doing the monuments in the evening after the museums have closed, but unlike most folks here, I don't recommend doing the "Monuments at Night" bus tour; very pricey, and the bus is uncomfortable IMO. I think that one of the best ways to do them is by bike. There are formal bike tours with guides, but again, they are on the pricey side. The cheap way to do it at your leisure is to use the Capital Bikeshare system, (http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/home). The system has public bike rental kiosks in DC, so you can take Metro to the nearest one, rent bikes, pedal your way around to the monuments at your leisure, then return the bikes to a kiosk and go back to your hotel.

The Bureau of Engraving was hands down my boys favorite part of visiting DC. We were in line for ticket at 8:00 am and got tickets for the 10:15 tour. During the waiting time for the tour, we waited in line for tickets to the Holocaust Museum--another great museum.

 

[brymolmom]

The Bureau of Engraving was hands down my boys favorite part of visiting DC. We were in line for ticket at 8:00 am and got tickets for the 10:15 tour. During the waiting time for the tour, we waited in line for tickets to the Holocaust Museum--another great museum.

I would recommend the previous poster's 7am suggestion in March. We went in March 2 years ago and got in line approx 8:15am and the line was wrapped around the building...They ran out well before they got to us. So this past April when we went we sent DH and our neighbor (traveling with us) down there and they were in line maybe 7:15am and got us all tickets no problem. I think we had the 9:30 tour. I took the kids to breakfast and then we all headed down an hour and a half after them - so it was perfect timing for our tour.

 

[disneybirds]

We went last year for Spring Break and had a great time. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City. They picked us up from the airport and took us to the hotel. They have a shuttle that runs every 30 minutes to the metro station. You can walk, but it is about 15 minutes. They have a full breakfast and small reception with snacks and drinks at night. They also took us to restaurants at night in the area. We were pleased with our stay and would stay there again.

 

[crisi]

Write your congressman - most reps will have a link right on their website to get tickets to the Buereu of Engraving, Capitol, White House (if they are offering tours, I know they weren't for a while), Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and the State Department. It doesn't take long to turn around those tickets. We got the Capital, White House and BoE when we went - and I wish I'd gotten the LoC - that building is beautiful (at least visit the building, you don't need tickets to see most of it). The BoE is the highlight of a lot of people's trip - and its free.

Also in advance, book Ford's Theatre (free, but you can spend something for an audio tour if you want) and the Holocaust museum (which has a small service charge for tickets). You don't need tickets for the "children's exhibit" at the Holocaust museum. The main exhibit is recommended for teens and up - it isn't something they recommend for young kids. My son was the only one who did the Holocaust museum with me - and it made a significant impression on him.

I'm told Mount Vernon is worth a day trip - we didn't fit it in. We did fit in Udvar Hazy - which is an extension of the Air and Space museum. You can see a space shuttle and the Enola Gay there.

 

[Eureka]

I'm told Mount Vernon is worth a day trip - we didn't fit it in. We did fit in Udvar Hazy - which is an extension of the Air and Space museum. You can see a space shuttle and the Enola Gay there.

Mount Vernon is really nice, especially on a clear day, you can see far across the water. My kids have been there on field trips and we have also gone as a family several times. Udvar Hazy is fantastic. There is a $15 parking fee but the museum is free. Try to go for a guided tour (free; at various time throughout the day). It's about 90 minutes and they tell you all about the aircraft; stories and details you wouldn't know just by wandering around the hangar yourself. Not sure if you can get out there (Udvar Hazy) without a car. We are local so we drive. It's out near Dulles airport, and I am not sure if there is a metro stop nearby.

 

[crisi]

Mount Vernon is really nice, especially on a clear day, you can see far across the water. My kids have been there on field trips and we have also gone as a family several times. Udvar Hazy is fantastic. There is a $15 parking fee but the museum is free. Try to go for a guided tour (free; at various time throughout the day). It's about 90 minutes and they tell you all about the aircraft; stories and details you wouldn't know just by wandering around the hangar yourself. Not sure if you can get out there (Udvar Hazy) without a car. We are local so we drive. It's out near Dulles airport, and I am not sure if there is a metro stop nearby.

Udvar Hazy is hard to get to - you can do it on public transportation, but its an hour plus each way. You can do it easily from Dulles (which is how we did it) on an inexpensive bus. The Smithsonian used to run shuttles, but they were defunded. But it is fantastic - so if you have a car - or are flying out of Dulles (we flew late, we locked our carryons in lockers at Udvar Hazy and spent the day there) - its worth a stop - especially if you have boys, who seem particularly fascinated by stealth bombers.

 

[NotUrsula]

I agree on Udvar-Hazy; it's terrific. We tend to get better prices for flights via BWI, so what we did on that trip was fly into BWI on a weekday morning and take the commuter train into DC. On Saturday morning, we rented a car out of DCA, drove out to Udvar-Hazy, then spent the night outside Baltimore, toured the Inner Harbor attractions, then returned the car at BWI and flew home on Sunday evening. (The kids really liked exploring the Constellation, the Torsk, and the Taney in Baltimore.)

My kids really like the Newseum, but some people think it's dull for kids -- I guess it might depend on whether or not you are the kind of family that likes to discuss politics and history around the dinner table, as we are. Advance-purchase tickets for this one are discounted online.

Another museum that I suggest you consider is the National Geographic Society. Their exhibits rotate, so take a look at what will be on offer while you are there. On our last family trip they had two major exhibits; one on the Titanic, and the other on Samurai culture. The kids LOVED them; especially DS16, who is a fencer; he was drooling over the katanas that they had on display. (This is not a freebie, but their exhibits are well worth the money if the topic is a good one for you; they do an incredible job with displays.)