4 Days in Washington, D.C. and Arlington: A Car-Free Itinerary

Why day 4 is the day you leave the District

Three days in Washington, D.C. barely exhausts the National Mall, let alone the Capitol grounds, the free Smithsonian museums, and Georgetown’s waterfront. A fourth day is where this itinerary does something different: it crosses the Potomac River into Virginia for the first time, without ever needing a rental car. The Metro’s Blue Line runs directly to Arlington National Cemetery, and from there a short hop by bus or train continues to the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria. It is a single day that adds a national cemetery, a changing-of-the-guard ceremony, and an entire historic waterfront town to a trip that otherwise stays inside the District.

This page assumes days 1 through 3 already follow the well-trodden DC core — the Mall’s monuments, the Capitol, the Smithsonian, Georgetown — and summarizes them only briefly below. The real planning here is for day 4: how the transit connections actually work, what is walkable versus what requires a tram or a bus, and why Mount Vernon and the wider Maryland or Civil War day trips are deliberately left out of a 4-day trip like this one.

Day 1: The National Mall and the Capitol

Start where every first-time visitor should: the National Mall, the roughly two-mile stretch between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Walk it end to end at an easy pace, stopping at the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the MLK Memorial, and the WWII Memorial — all free, outdoor, and open 24 hours, though rangers are only on-site during daytime hours to answer questions.

Reserve a morning slot in advance for a guided tour of the U.S. Capitol itself; the building tour is free but requires booking roughly up to 90 days ahead, and it does not include the House or Senate visitor galleries, which need a separate pass through a congressional office. For a broader orientation to what is walkable versus what needs planning, the national mall walking guide covers the route in more depth than a single day page can.

Day 2: The Smithsonian museums

Give day 2 to the free museums lining the Mall. The Smithsonian is not one building but a cluster of separate institutions — Natural History, American History, American Art, and others — each free with no ticket required for general admission. Two exceptions: the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Air and Space Museum both require a free timed-entry pass, released online roughly a month ahead, with same-day passes typically appearing online early in the morning. Pick two or three museums rather than rushing through five; the collections reward slower visits. If African American history is a priority, plan around NMAAHC’s pass system specifically, since it fills up faster than the others.

Day 3: Tidal Basin, White House area, and Georgetown

Day 3 moves west and softer. Walk the Tidal Basin past the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial, then swing by the White House Visitor Center — a free, self-guided stop that needs no reservation, since an actual White House tour must be requested through a Member of Congress weeks to months in advance. In the afternoon, head into Georgetown for the Potomac waterfront, the C&O Canal towpath, and the neighborhood’s shops and restaurants.

For a sense of how this neighborhood compares to what day 4 has in store, the Georgetown vs. Old Town Alexandria comparison is a useful preview: both are historic riverfront districts, but Alexandria sits across state lines in Virginia and has its own distinct colonial character.

Day 4: Crossing the Potomac to Arlington and Alexandria

This is the day this itinerary exists to plan. Everything so far has stayed inside the District; day 4 crosses into Northern Virginia, still entirely on foot and by public transit.

Morning: Arlington National Cemetery

Take the Metro’s Blue Line to the Arlington National Cemetery station — it is the line’s own dedicated stop, so there is no transfer or walk from a nearby station. The cemetery’s core, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, sits close to the visitor entrance and is easily reached on foot. The changing-of-the-guard ceremony there runs on a fixed schedule that shifts by season, so check the current times before you arrive if seeing it matters to you; it will not wait for a late Metro.

The far sections of the cemetery are a different matter. Reaching JFK’s gravesite or Arlington House, the historic mansion on the hill, means either a genuinely long uphill walk or riding the paid shuttle tram that loops through the grounds. Budget at least two to three hours here if you want to see both the core memorials and the farther sites properly; rushing Arlington tends to be the single most common regret visitors report from a day like this.

Two guided options worth knowing about: an Arlington cemetery walking tour led by a historian that adds context to the graves and monuments as you go, or, for a group, a private tour for up to ten guests that keeps the pace flexible instead of fixed.

For more on what is walkable versus what needs the tram, see the Arlington National Cemetery visitor guide and the broader Arlington monuments and memorials overview; the things to do in Arlington page rounds out what else sits near the cemetery if you have extra time before moving on.

Midday: getting to Old Town Alexandria

From the cemetery’s Metro station, continue on the Blue Line a handful of stops toward Alexandria, or connect to one of the Metrobus routes that link Arlington to the Old Town area directly. Either route takes well under 30 minutes and drops you within walking distance of King Street, Alexandria’s main spine running down to the Potomac waterfront. There is no need for a taxi or rideshare for this leg; it is a straightforward, well-signed public-transit hop that plenty of commuters make daily.

Afternoon and evening: Old Town Alexandria

Old Town Alexandria is compact, flat, and built for walking — once you arrive, the day’s transit planning is essentially done. Spend the afternoon browsing King Street’s shops and galleries, walk down to the waterfront park along the Potomac, and stop for an early dinner at one of the many restaurants along the main strip; remember that a tip of roughly 18 to 20 percent is expected here, unlike in most of Europe, and that the bill’s sales tax is added at the till rather than included in the menu price.

As evening sets in, Alexandria’s 18th- and 19th-century streets lean into their reputation for ghost stories. A 2.5-hour haunted bar tour through Old Town mixes local history with the neighborhood’s darker legends, or for something on the water, a Phantoms of the Potomac ghost tour covers similar ground along the riverfront after dark.

For more detail on the neighborhood’s after-hours side, see the Alexandria ghost tours roundup and the general things to do in Alexandria page. When you are ready to head back into the District, retrace the same Metro or bus route in reverse.

What this 4-day plan leaves out on purpose

This itinerary is deliberately scoped. It does not cover Mount Vernon in any depth — George Washington’s estate is a separate, paid, ticketed site that deserves its own half-day rather than a rushed add-on to an already full day 4, and it is better placed on a 5-day itinerary or longer. It also skips the Maryland suburbs, Baltimore, Annapolis, and the Civil War sites in Pennsylvania and West Virginia entirely; those regions need their own dedicated day trips, not a squeeze into a four-day trip already anchored around the District, Arlington, and Alexandria.

If four days ever feels tight for what is described above, the three days in Washington DC itinerary shows how the Mall-Capitol-Smithsonian-Georgetown core alone fills three full days on its own, which is exactly why day 4 here is framed as an addition rather than a compression. And for a general list of first-timer missteps that apply to any version of this trip — overestimating what fits in a day, misjudging tipping norms, assuming displayed prices include tax — the Washington DC travel mistakes to avoid page is worth a read before you lock in your dates.

Practical notes for day 4

Leg	Mode	Approximate time
Downtown DC to Arlington National Cemetery	Metro (Blue Line)	10-20 minutes
Within the cemetery core	On foot	Included in visit
Cemetery core to JFK gravesite / Arlington House	Walk or paid shuttle tram	15-25 minutes each way
Arlington to Old Town Alexandria	Metro (Blue Line) or Metrobus	Under 30 minutes
Within Old Town Alexandria	On foot	Compact, fully walkable

A SmarTrip card (physical or on a phone) covers every transit leg of this day; fares are distance-based and calculated when you tap out, so there is no need to buy separate tickets for the Metro and bus portions of the route.

Arlington and Alexandria day 4 FAQ

Do I need a car for this 4-day itinerary?

No. The Metro’s Blue Line runs straight to Arlington National Cemetery’s own station, and Alexandria is reachable afterward by bus or by riding the Blue or Yellow Line to King Street. A car is never necessary and mostly a liability downtown, where parking is scarce and expensive.

Can I see all of Arlington National Cemetery on foot in a few hours?

You can walk the core of the cemetery, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, easily on foot from the visitor entrance. Reaching farther sections such as JFK’s gravesite or Arlington House takes a genuine uphill walk, so many visitors use the paid shuttle tram instead to save time and energy.

What time is the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

The ceremony runs on a fixed schedule that varies by season, roughly every 30 to 60 minutes depending on the time of year. Check the current schedule before you go so day 4’s timing lines up, since the ceremony will not wait.

How do you get from Arlington Cemetery to Old Town Alexandria without a car?

From the cemetery’s Metro station, ride the Blue Line a few stops to Braddock Road or King Street-Old Town, or take one of the connecting Metrobus routes. Either option takes well under 30 minutes and drops you within walking distance of Alexandria’s waterfront.

Should I visit Mount Vernon on this same day?

This itinerary keeps day 4 focused on Arlington and Alexandria, which is already a full day of walking and transit connections. Mount Vernon is a separate, paid estate best added on a 5-day or longer trip rather than squeezed into an already dense afternoon.

Is Old Town Alexandria walkable once you arrive?

Yes. Alexandria’s historic waterfront district is compact and flat, built for walking, with King Street as its main spine running from the Metro down to the Potomac. You will not need any further transit once you arrive from Arlington.

Do the first three days of this itinerary cover the National Mall in full?

Days 1 through 3 cover the Mall’s monuments and memorials, the Capitol, the free Smithsonian museums and Georgetown at a comfortable pace. This page summarizes that core briefly and spends its detail on day 4, since the Mall itself is covered step by step elsewhere.