Washington is a huge city with many attractions. When deciding on what to do in Washington it is helpful to first define the scope of your trip and decide on what your expectations are, and then go from there. Naturally the prerequisite for any newcomer to Washington is to visit the National Mall which is lined with museums, monuments, the US capitol building, and the White House (where the American president lives while in office). The Mall is particularly beautiful in the spring time when all of the cherry trees are in bloom. Another great time to visit is during the Independence Day festivities on the 4th of July; on this day the city sky is lit by fireworks at nightfall.

The Washington shopping experience depends on what district you choose to visit. The Chevy Chase shopping district is an upscale area with many boutiques and high and stores like Gucci, verse IT, and Sax. You'll also find a number of spas in this district. The Georgetown district is known for more moderately priced to those still high scale stores. If you're searching for touristy items to remember your trip by you can find them throughout the entire city of Washington, though there is a high concentration of tourist shops located near the national Mall. Another great place to buy tourist items is in the Smithsonian Museum shop.

Car parking in Washington can be a little crazy due to the huge amount of people in this city although it is available if you can pay for it. Similarly it is relatively easy to car hire in Washington, although it is dubious whether an international tourists, or even a tourist from a neighboring state, would want to drive in Washington. Roads are all laid out in a clear manner with ample signage alerting you where to go, the problem is the road lay out its self. The city was originally designed to confuse in invading armies so the street system is a network of diagonal roads that are overlapped by circular roads. It takes many years for native Washington residents to get used to driving on these roads, so there is little hope that a tourist only in the city for a week would be able to cope.

Finding a Washington hotel depends upon your budget, and there are no real bargains to be had. Washington is a city full of politicians and business people who can spend the big money on fancy hotel rooms. There are a number of lower-priced motels, although these are not nearly as numerous as the upscale international hotel chains that can be found throughout the city. The gamut of Washington restaurants is astonishing and pretty much has everything from around the globe. Generally you'll find bargains in small casual restaurants, and pay a hefty premium to eat at restaurants frequented by politicians and their staff. In Washington price is no indication of food quality, so ask around and find where the locals like to eat in order to get the best meal.