Things to do in Georgetown

Georgetown sits on the Potomac waterfront about 3 miles west of the National Mall, a 20-30 minute walk or a short bus ride since no Metro station reaches it directly. Unlike the Mall's free museums and memorials, this is Washington's oldest commercial neighbourhood, built around Federal and Georgian rowhouses dating to the 1700s, when the port predated the city itself.

M Street and Wisconsin Avenue carry the shopping and restaurants, the C&O Canal towpath and the Potomac boardwalk carry the walking, and Georgetown University adds a student pulse absent elsewhere in the capital region.

There is no ticket, no timed pass and no reservation required for any of it: budget $15-30 a head for a casual lunch before sales tax and tip are added at the till.