Explore Washington, D.C. and its surroundings by area

C. anchors this hub, and everything else fans out from it across seven regions covering the federal capital, its neighboring states and the wider mid-Atlantic day-trip radius — Washington itself sits as its own federal district on the Potomac River, wedged between Maryland and Virginia. Capital Region groups the National Mall, Capitol Hill, the White House, the Smithsonian museums, Georgetown, the Tidal Basin, the Potomac waterfront and The Wharf. Northern Virginia covers Arlington and Arlington National Cemetery, Old Town Alexandria, Mount Vernon, and the Tysons-Leesburg suburbs, generally 15 to 30 minutes away.

Maryland takes in Baltimore and the Inner Harbor, Annapolis, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Maryland suburbs of Rockville, Bethesda and Gaithersburg, roughly 35 to 60 minutes out. Civil War Country reaches Gettysburg, Antietam and Sharpsburg, Harpers Ferry, Fredericksburg and Frederick, about an hour to an hour and a half by road. Shenandoah & Blue Ridge groups Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, Luray Caverns, and Charlottesville and Monticello, roughly an hour and a half to two and a half hours away. Historic Virginia covers Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown and Richmond, about two and a half to four hours out.

Atlantic Coast closes the loop with Norfolk's naval harbour, Virginia Beach, Ocean City, and Assateague Island, roughly two and a half to three and a half hours away. Metro and regional buses run on the SmarTrip card under WMATA, with distance-based fares, while Reagan National is the only airport directly on the Metro — each destination page below sets out what's actually there rather than a generic description of "America".