Six Days: Washington, D.C. and Civil War Country

Why this trip needs a rental car

Every itinerary on this site up to now keeps you off four wheels, because the capital region is a walking-and-Metro city and a car downtown is mostly a headache of traffic and expensive parking. This one is different by design. Once you leave the federal core for Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry, WMATA simply does not go there, and there is no practical train connection either — no Amtrak or MARC route that gets you close enough to skip a car.

Two frequent mix-ups are worth clearing up before you pack: Gettysburg sits in Pennsylvania, not Virginia, and Harpers Ferry sits in West Virginia, not Virginia — both towns are closely tied to Virginia’s Civil War story, but neither is actually in the state. Plan on renting a car starting day four and keeping it through day six.

A few practical notes on the rental itself: pick it up after you are truly done with downtown DC, since a parked car earns you nothing but a daily garage fee while you’re still walking the Mall. Return the tank full unless you’ve prepaid for fuel, and expect the drive to Gettysburg or Harpers Ferry to run through a mix of interstate and two-lane country roads rather than a straight highway shot — give yourself more time than a map estimate suggests, especially if you’re arriving after dark. If you’d rather sanity-check the whole car-free-then-car-needed structure against other multi-day options before committing, How Many Days in Washington, D.C.? and Washington, D.C. Day Trips both cover how this pairing compares to staying purely in the capital region.

Day 1: The National Mall on foot

Start at the eastern end of the National Mall and walk it west — the full stretch from Capitol Hill to the Lincoln Memorial runs about two miles, so this is not a half-day errand. Book the free, advance-reservation tour of the U.S. Capitol through the Capitol Visitor Center; note that the building tour and the House/Senate gallery pass are two separate things obtained two separate ways, so don’t expect the tour to include watching a session.

Spend the afternoon in the Smithsonian museums nearest the Capitol — Natural History and American History are both free walk-ins with no pass required. For orientation before you dive into detail, our National Mall Walking Guide: How to Walk It Right breaks the two miles into manageable legs.

Wear real walking shoes — this is the day the two-mile Mall distance actually adds up, especially once you factor in the width of each individual museum floor. If your feet are done by mid-afternoon, it’s fine to save the second Smithsonian for tomorrow morning rather than force a third stop; nothing else on this itinerary depends on a strict museum order.

Day 2: Memorials, the White House, and the Tidal Basin

Devote today to the outdoor memorials — Lincoln, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the MLK Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the WWII Memorial are free and open 24 hours, though rangers are only posted during the day. Loop past the Tidal Basin for the cherry trees or just the waterside walk depending on season.

Fit in a look at the White House exterior and its free Visitor Center — remember that an actual interior tour needs a request through a Member of Congress submitted weeks to months ahead, so it is not something to plan into this trip on short notice. See Visiting the White House: How It Actually Works if you want to arrange one for a future visit.

If evening plans still have room, a night tour of the monuments with LED bracelets turns the same landmarks you walked past in daylight into a completely different outing after dark, and it pairs naturally with a day built around the memorials. Either way, this is also the day to settle where you’re staying for the car-free stretch — see Where to Stay in Washington, D.C. if you haven’t booked yet, since a hotel near a Metro line matters more here than proximity to any single monument.

Day 3: Timed-entry museums and Capitol Hill detail

Two Smithsonian sites need a free timed-entry pass reserved online: the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Air and Space Museum. Grab same-day passes early in the morning if you didn’t reserve a month out, and know that leaving either building generally forfeits your slot for re-entry.

Round out the day with the Library of Congress and Supreme Court, both an easy walk from the Capitol — our Library of Congress and Supreme Court: Visiting Beyond the Capitol covers hours and access. In the evening, consider an illuminated night tour of the monuments to see the Mall from a completely different angle before you leave the car-free days behind, or a semi-private walking tour tracing Lincoln and the Civil War in the capital itself, which sets up the themes you’ll spend days five and six exploring on the actual battlefields.

If you have any appetite left after a full day of museums, Eating Well Near the National Mall Without Losing an Afternoon has quick, no-reservation options that won’t eat into tomorrow’s early car pickup, and How Much to Tip in Washington, D.C. is worth a skim before your first restaurant sit-down of the trip.

Day 4: Georgetown, then pick up the car

Ease into the morning in Georgetown — the C&O Canal towpath and the Potomac waterfront make a pleasant last car-free stretch. In the afternoon, pick up your rental car; downtown DC locations are common, or you can grab one nearer your hotel to skip city traffic on the way out. Use the afternoon to reposition toward Gettysburg or Frederick so day five starts fresh rather than starting with a long drive. If you’d rather compare this pairing against other battlefield options first, Gettysburg vs. Antietam: Which Battlefield Should You Visit? lays out the trade-offs.

Day 5: Gettysburg National Military Park

Gettysburg National Military Park itself is free to enter, and you can drive the battlefield roads or walk sections of it without paying anything. The museum, the film, and licensed battlefield guides, however, are paid add-ons run through the Gettysburg Foundation — decide in advance whether you want the guided narrative or prefer to explore the auto tour route on your own with a map. Spend the day working through Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Ridge, and the National Cemetery.

If you’d rather have a licensed guide walk you through the battlefield itself before the evening’s ghost tours, a guided battlefield tour covers the same ground as the self-guided auto route with the added context a Licensed Battlefield Guide brings — worth it if this is your first visit and you’d rather not second-guess which overlook matters.

In town that evening, the walking tour along Baltimore Street or a stop at the campus ghost tour at Gettysburg College makes a fitting close to a day steeped in the battle’s aftermath. Full logistics are in Gettysburg Day Trip from Washington DC, and if you’re curious how a single day here compares to spreading it out, Gettysburg in a Day: Is It Enough? is worth a read.

Day 6: Harpers Ferry and the drive home

Head south into West Virginia for the morning at Harpers Ferry, where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet below a National Historical Park layered with Civil War, industrial, and abolitionist history — John Brown’s raid happened here.

A guided walk such as the Civil War history tour of the town ties the sequence of events together well if you’d rather not piece it together from plaques alone; the combined tour that continues on to the Antietam battlefield is worth considering if you have a little extra time before returning the car. Drop the rental back in DC by evening. For more on this specific stop, see Harpers Ferry Day Trip from Washington, D.C., and if train travel appeals more than driving on a future trip, Harpers Ferry by Train from DC covers that alternative for next time.

Leave a buffer before your flight or check-out the next morning — the drive back into the city can run into evening rush traffic on I-270 or Route 340, and this is not the day to cut the return close if you also need to refuel and drop the car at a rental counter before it closes.

What this itinerary leaves out

This plan deliberately stops at Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry. Baltimore and Annapolis are covered by our five-day itinerary, and Shenandoah National Park plus the rest of historic Virginia belong to the seven-day grand tour, since fitting them here would either shortchange the DC core or turn two focused battlefield days into a rushed blur.

Six-day itinerary at a glance

Day	Location	Car needed?	Main focus
1	Washington, D.C.	No	National Mall, Capitol
2	Washington, D.C.	No	Memorials, White House, Tidal Basin
3	Washington, D.C.	No	Timed-entry museums, Capitol Hill
4	Washington, D.C.	Pick up rental	Georgetown, reposition
5	Gettysburg	Yes	Battlefield, museum, ghost tours
6	Harpers Ferry	Yes	Historical park, drive back

Six days in DC and Civil War country: your questions answered

Why can’t I take the train or Metro to Gettysburg or Harpers Ferry?

WMATA’s Metro and bus network stops at the edges of the DC region and does not reach either town, and there is no direct, practical Amtrak or MARC service either. A rental car is the realistic way to cover both in one trip.

Is Gettysburg in Virginia?

No — Gettysburg is in Pennsylvania. It’s a common mix-up given how closely the town is associated with the wider Civil War story that also touches Virginia.

Is Harpers Ferry in Virginia?

No — Harpers Ferry is in West Virginia, just across the river from Virginia and Maryland, which is part of why the confusion is so common.

When should I pick up the rental car?

Day four, in the afternoon, after you finish your last car-free morning in Georgetown. That leaves days five and six entirely free for driving to and around the battlefields.

Is the Gettysburg battlefield itself free to visit?

Yes, the park roads and grounds are free to drive and walk. Only the museum, the film, and licensed battlefield guides carry a fee.

Can I do Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry in the same day instead?

You could combine them with a very early start, but splitting them across two full days, as this itinerary does, gives each site the time its history deserves rather than rushing both.

Should I book the ghost tours in Gettysburg in advance?

Yes — evening tours in Gettysburg run on fixed schedules and can sell out, especially in peak season, so reserve before you arrive rather than hoping to walk up.

Does this itinerary cover Baltimore or Shenandoah?

No. Baltimore and Annapolis are covered in the five-day itinerary, and Shenandoah National Park and historic Virginia are covered in the seven-day grand tour.