Five Days: DC Plus Annapolis and Baltimore

This five-day plan is built for a visitor who has already read about the Smithsonian’s free timed-entry passes or the walk from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol, and now wants to know what comes after the monuments. The answer, for this itinerary, is a single day pushed outward into Maryland — not a rental car and a highway, but a train ticket, a harbor, and a sailing town on the Chesapeake Bay. It sits between the pure-DC itineraries and the six- and seven-day versions that add a car and reach into Civil War country or historic Virginia; this one keeps things closer, and keeps them on rails.

Day 1: The National Mall Core

Start where every DC trip starts: the National Mall, the roughly two-mile lawn connecting the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. Morning at the Smithsonian museums nearest the Capitol end — Natural History or American History are reliable first stops, and both are free walk-in museums with no reservation required for general admission. If the National Air and Space Museum or the National Museum of African American History and Culture is on your list, reserve a free timed-entry pass online before you leave the hotel; same-day passes for both typically release online early in the morning.

Afternoon, walk the memorial cluster: the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the MLK Memorial are all free, outdoor, and open 24 hours, though rangers are only posted during daytime hours. For an evening layer many visitors skip entirely, a guided after-dark tour of the illuminated monuments reframes the same ground once the crowds thin and the marble catches the floodlights.

Day 2: Capitol Hill and More Smithsonian

Book a free Capitol tour in advance through the Capitol Visitor Center — reservations open roughly 90 days out, and this is a walk-through of the building itself, not a seat in the House or Senate gallery, which needs its own separate pass through a congressional office. Pair the tour with the Smithsonian museums you skipped on Day 1: American Art, the Natural History dinosaur halls, or the Museum of the American Indian.

If a full tour of the U.S. Capitol doesn’t fit your schedule, at least walk past it and into the Library of Congress reading rooms nearby before the museums close for the day.

Day 3: Georgetown and the Waterfront

Shift away from the federal core. Georgetown’s rowhouses, the C&O Canal towpath, and the Potomac waterfront at The Wharf make for a slower, shopping-and-eating day after two days of monuments and marble. This is also a natural point to add a half-day at Arlington National Cemetery across the river — free to enter on foot, though reaching the farther sections (Arlington House, JFK’s grave) means a real walk or a paid tram.

Travelers who want to compare this slower pace against the neighborhood across the Potomac can read how Georgetown stacks up against Old Town Alexandria — both are walkable, historic riverfront districts, but only one means crossing into Virginia. If a sit-down reservation matters more than sightseeing on this particular day, a guided food tour through Georgetown is worth booking a day or two ahead rather than showing up and hoping for a table.

Day 4: Optional Fourth DC Day or Early Start Toward Maryland

Some travelers use this day for a fourth round of DC — the Tidal Basin, a Potomac cruise, or a neighborhood beyond the core like Capitol Hill’s residential streets. Others treat this as the transition day: pack for an early train and confirm your MARC or Amtrak schedule for tomorrow’s regional day, since this is where the itinerary’s pace changes from walking-and-Metro to a timed train connection.

Day 5: Annapolis and Baltimore by Train

This is the day that separates this itinerary from a plain DC city break, and it runs on rails, not a rental car — that distinction matters, because the six- and seven-day versions of this trip lean on a car for Civil War sites and historic Virginia, while this one deliberately doesn’t.

Getting there. MARC’s Penn Line runs from Washington’s Union Station to Baltimore’s Penn Station in roughly 30-45 minutes on weekdays; Amtrak covers the same route on weekends and holidays when MARC doesn’t run. Annapolis has no direct rail station, so most visitors reach it from DC by regional bus or a short drive-and-park arrangement, or fold it into the same day as a rail-plus-connection trip from Baltimore. Because of that connection gap, many travelers split the day: Baltimore first by train, Annapolis on a separate half-day, or vice versa — treat the two as a loose pairing rather than one seamless rail line.

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The harbor promenade itself is free to walk, but every attraction around it — the National Aquarium, the science center, the historic ships — is separately ticketed. Budget for whichever one or two you actually want to enter rather than assuming a single pass covers them. For lunch or dinner near the water, the Hard Rock Cafe on the harbor is a reliable, kid-friendly option if you’re traveling with a mixed group. History-minded visitors can add a guided walk through the Johns Hopkins University campus, a short trip from downtown.

Annapolis. Maryland’s state capital and a genuine sailing town on the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis rewards an unhurried afternoon: the Naval Academy grounds, the State House, and a waterfront lined with sailboats rather than cargo ships. A guided walk through the historic district with lunch included covers the compact core efficiently, or go deeper with the America 250 historic walking tour for more Revolutionary-era detail.

Pace warning. Combining a dense downtown day with a regional train connection is noticeably busier than any single day inside DC — expect more walking, more schedule-watching, and less flexibility if a train runs late. Travelers who prefer a gentler week should treat Day 5 as optional and add a second slow DC day instead.

Alternatives to Annapolis and Baltimore on Day 5

Not every visitor wants a train-based regional day, and the Chesapeake pairing isn’t the only way to fill this slot. Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate on the Potomac, is reachable without a rental car and makes a shorter, gentler substitute — see the dedicated Mount Vernon day trip guide for the specifics of getting there. Old Town Alexandria is closer still, a Metro ride rather than a train connection, and the Alexandria day trip guide covers a full day there without ever leaving the Metro system. Travelers who came to this itinerary while weighing Annapolis against Baltimore, rather than deciding to add both, should also see Annapolis or Baltimore for a Day, which compares the two directly.

Getting Around Without a Car

Leg	Mode	Approx. time
DC core (Mall, Capitol, Georgetown)	Metro + walking	N/A — walkable city
Arlington from DC	Metro (Blue/Yellow)	10-20 minutes
DC to Baltimore	MARC (weekdays) / Amtrak (weekends)	30-45 minutes
DC to Annapolis	Regional bus or arranged transfer	45-60 minutes
Baltimore to Annapolis	No direct rail; bus or car-share connection	40-60 minutes

WMATA fares in DC are distance-based on a SmarTrip card, roughly $2.25-$6.75 on weekdays before 9:30pm, dropping to a flat cap of about $2.50 after that and on weekends. Budget separately for the MARC or Amtrak fare to Baltimore, which is not covered by SmarTrip.

Budgeting for the Day Trip

Baltimore’s paid attractions and Annapolis’s guided tours add a cost layer this itinerary’s pure-DC days don’t have, since the Smithsonian core is free. Sales tax is added at checkout everywhere you spend — Maryland’s flat 6% differs from DC’s own rate — and none of it is refundable for visitors. Tip servers and guides at the standard US rate of roughly 18-20%, including on the Annapolis walking tour lunch and any Baltimore restaurant stop.

Where This Itinerary Fits

This five-day, car-free plan sits in the middle of the site’s itinerary range. Visitors with less time should start with Two Days in Washington DC or the pure Mall-and-museums version, Museums and Memorials in Two Days, and skip the regional day entirely. Visitors with more time and a rental car should look instead at Six Days: DC and Civil War Country or the full Seven-Day Capital Region Grand Tour, both of which reach Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, or historic Virginia — places this itinerary deliberately leaves out. For a shorter version of just the Chesapeake pairing, without any of the DC days attached, see Chesapeake and Annapolis in Two Days.

Frequently Asked Questions About the DC, Annapolis and Baltimore Route

Do I need a car for this five-day itinerary?

No. The DC days run entirely on foot and Metro, and Day 5 uses MARC or Amtrak to Baltimore plus a regional bus or arranged transfer to Annapolis. This itinerary is designed specifically to avoid a rental car; the six- and seven-day versions that add Civil War sites or historic Virginia are where a car becomes necessary.

Can I do Annapolis and Baltimore in the same day realistically?

Yes, but expect a full, fast-moving day. Many travelers instead treat them as a loose pair and slow down by giving each city its own half-day, especially since there’s no direct train between the two.

Is MARC or Amtrak better for the Baltimore leg?

MARC’s Penn Line is cheaper and runs frequently on weekdays; Amtrak covers weekends and holidays when MARC service is reduced or absent. Check the day of the week before booking.

Are the Inner Harbor attractions included in one ticket?

No. The harbor promenade is free, but the aquarium, science center, and historic ships each sell separate tickets. Pick your priorities rather than expecting a bundled pass.

Is this itinerary too rushed for families with young children?

The DC days (1-4) are family-friendly at an easy pace. Day 5’s train connection and denser walking make it the most demanding day of the trip; families with toddlers may prefer to skip it and add a second slow day in DC instead.

What if I only want Annapolis, not Baltimore?

Drop the Baltimore leg and give Annapolis a full day instead — the Naval Academy, State House, and waterfront easily fill an unhurried day trip on their own.

Does this itinerary cover Civil War sites or Virginia’s historic triangle?

No — that’s intentional. Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, Williamsburg, and similar sites belong to the six- and seven-day itineraries that assume a car; this five-day plan stays car-free and closer to DC.

Should I do Mount Vernon or Alexandria instead of Annapolis and Baltimore?

Either works as a lighter substitute for Day 5. Both Mount Vernon and Alexandria are reachable without a rental car and take less time than the Baltimore-Annapolis pairing, though you’ll trade the Chesapeake Bay setting for Potomac River history instead.

Is there a good cruise option in Baltimore or Annapolis if I have extra time on Day 5?

Both harbor towns run short sightseeing cruises that need no advance planning beyond the day itself. In Baltimore, an Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise or its sunset version fits well after museum-hopping ends for the day. In Annapolis, an harbor and Naval Academy cruise covers the same waterfront from the water instead of the sidewalk.