National Mall: Washington DC

Visiting the National Mall is a must for first-time visitors to Washington. The Mall stretches two miles westward from the US Capitol steps; ten national museums line the Mall including the Museum of the American Indian, The National Gallery of Art, and the buildings of the Smithsonian. All of the memorials - the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall among others - will be familiar to you from pictures, of course. But there really is nothing like seeing them in person. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in particular is incredibly powerful.

Though it may seem overwhelming, the National Mall is walkable; if you're up to the challenge, you can hit a lot of the highlights in a day. Springtime is always a wonderful time to wander around and take in the sights, since the weather is slightly more cooperative than in the sweltering summer; people do tend to flock to the Mall in huge numbers when the Cherry Blossoms bloom in April, however.

Tours of the Mall, (walking, driving and even Segway!), are available year-round. © NileGuide