Washington, D.C.

1. ~8:30a●Breakfast before the Mall

   Coffee and a bite near the Mall — an early start beats the heat and the school groups to the monuments.

2. 9:00a◆The Lincoln Memorial & Reflecting Pool

   Lincoln brooding in his marble chair, the Reflecting Pool stretching to the Washington Monument, and the spot where King delivered 'I Have a Dream.' Quietest first thing.

3. ~10:30a→The war memorials & the Tidal Basin

   The Vietnam wall, the Korean War figures, the WWII Memorial, and on to the Jefferson Memorial around the Tidal Basin — peak magic in cherry-blossom season.

4. ~12:30p●Lunch at the museums

   A bite in a Smithsonian café, or stalls near the Mall — refuel before the afternoon's galleries.

5. ~2:00p◆A Smithsonian or the Capitol

   The free Smithsonians — Air and Space, Natural History, American History, the Native American or African American museums — or a booked tour of the U.S. Capitol.

6. 7:30p✦minibar by José Andrés ⭐⭐ (or Rose's Luxury)Anchor table

   D.C.'s standout table — José Andrés's two-star minibar, a playful avant-garde tasting at a chef's counter. The marquee meal; book well ahead (Rose's Luxury is the no-reservations cult favourite alternative).

The Mall is vast — wear comfortable shoes and pick two or three Smithsonians rather than all of them (they're free, so no guilt in being selective). Cherry-blossom season (late March–early April) is glorious but crowded.

1. ~9:00a◆The White House & Lafayette Square

   The view from Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square — and, if you arranged it months ahead through your embassy or representative, a rare interior tour.

2. ~10:30a◆The National Archives & a gallery

   The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights in person at the Archives, then the National Gallery of Art's superb (free) collection.

3. ~1:00p●An Old Ebbitt or museum lunch

   Oysters and a burger at the Old Ebbitt Grill, D.C.'s oldest saloon and a power-lunch institution near the White House.

4. ~3:00p→Georgetown & the C&O Canal

   The cobbled historic quarter — the towpath along the old canal, the Federal townhouses, and the shops and cafés of M Street and Wisconsin.

5. ~6:30p✦A rooftop or a Wharf evening

   The Hay-Adams rooftop for the White House at dusk, or down to The Wharf for waterfront bars and live music.

White House tours require months-ahead arrangement; otherwise the exterior and the surrounding history fill the morning. Georgetown is the city's prettiest quarter for an afternoon stroll and shopping.

1. ~9:00a◆Arlington National Cemetery

   Across the river — the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier's changing of the guard, JFK's eternal flame, and the rows of white headstones; sobering and essential.

2. ~11:30a→Embassy Row & Dupont Circle

   The grand mansions and flags of Massachusetts Avenue's embassies, ending at Dupont Circle — the bookstores, cafés, and the Phillips Collection (America's first museum of modern art).

3. ~1:00p●An international lunch

   D.C. eats globally — Ethiopian in the U Street corridor, or a half-smoke (the city's chili-topped sausage) at Ben's Chili Bowl, a civil-rights-era landmark.

4. ~3:00p✦The U Street & a museum

   The historic 'Black Broadway' of jazz heritage, or the National Portrait Gallery's presidents and the moving Planet Word language museum.

5. ~7:30p✦Jazz at a historic club

   A set at a U Street jazz club in the neighbourhood Duke Ellington called home — the city's deep musical roots.

Arlington is moving and best in the morning quiet — time the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The U Street corridor is the city's historic Black cultural heart and its best food-and-music strip.