We are visiting Washington DC in August for 4-5 days and I’m looking for some advice on the best area to stay in. We’ll be looking to visit museums and the zoo, we need to be somewhere with good public transport links but not stupidly expensive. We wil not have a car so we need to use whatever public transport there is, plus we’re happy to be walking around a lot.
Ideally somewhere also with a few bars and restaurants for the evenings.
Anyone got suggestions?
The Tabard Inn is a great place and meets your criteria, they’re are a bunch of threads on visiting DC with good info.
The only reasonably decent public transportation around here, is the Metro. I suggest you use a map of where it goes to choose your hotel area, and then use something like Google Maps street views, to see how the neighborhood you’ve selected looks.
For cheap and acceptable (but that’s it) accomodations, two blocks from a Metro station and with lots of places to eat (including perhaps the best Peruvian rotisserie chicken in the metro area) within walking distance, try the Highlander Motel in Arlington.
I agree with Igor. Without a car, Metro is the only way to go if you’re not staying in a downtown hotel so you’ll want a hotel along one of the lines. Check out Crystal City for example.
I would also suggest dropping the Zoo plan unless you just have to see a panda. It’s a good walk from the metro and my family was very disappointed the last time we were there. There’s plenty of better stuff to see in DC and plenty of better Zoos around the country.
And August … It’s going to be sticky and hot. Walking can be uncomfortable.
I’ve heard that there’s a new Trump hotel in the district that’s fairly nice and close to the Metro.
I was also going to suggest the Arlington/Rosslyn area in Virginia (although it’s been many years since I was there). It’s a short metro ride to the Mall in DC.
It actually has received terrible reviews for food and the rooms, for a while they had employees dressed as guests hanging out in the lobby so it wouldn’t look empty. Now it’s just a way to pay Trump bribes.
Alexandria, VA is also a viable choice. Less expensive hotels and bisected by a metro line. The King Street/Old Town area has a ton of bars, restaurants and live music. Try to find something a mile or 2 outside of Old Town to save some money.
So staying at his hotel is considered bribing the Potus?
Have you considered Airbnb for accomodations?
Metro will take you every where you want to go, within a few blocks walk from a station. For one-offs getting around you can easily use an Uber.
Neighborhoods in-town that you might look at: Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan. They will put you in areas with a good selection of restaurants for the evenings.
Clarendon bars will also be within walking distance. I suggest Spider Kelly’s.
Try a different month! 
The DC area is a great place to live, and a great place to visit. But the city is a steambath in August.
But if seeing our city at some other time of year is not an option, I second everyone else: find a hotel close to the Metro.
I don’t have a specific place to recommend, but I’d look at places in Bethesda.
While the zoo isn’t the best in the nation, it’s still the National Zoo and I rather like it.
I tell this to everyone who asks this question.
DC is full of hotel rooms and if there isn’t anything big going on (rally, conventions) half of them are empty, and Congress is out of session in August. Go to Priceline and bid $100/night for a 4* hotel in Dupont Circle. Eight times out of ten you’ll get the Omni Shoreham, a very nice hotel overlooking Rock Creek Park and literally across the street from the Zoo Metro station. It is one stop from the Dupont Circle stop (you’re going to want some sort of pass) which has every variety of cuisine imaginable and bars out the wazoo. Sign up for the Omni loyalty club and you’ll get free wireless and express check-in.
If you don’t get the Omni, hey, still a 4* in Dupont Circle. I checked Biddingfortravel.com and people are getting it for $90-$95, but I’d go $100 to be safe. That’s probably less than what you’ll get in Crystal City, which is a depressing wasteland of 80’s glass buildings and chain restaurants.
Dupont Circle is about 5 stops from the Smithsonian station with an easy change of lines or three stops and a short walk to the Mall.
If you won’t have a car, how are you getting here? If flying, which airport?
Suggestions for staying in Arlington or Alexandria are good. If you stay along the Metro Orange or Silver Lines, it’s a straight shot to the Mall and most Smithsonian museums.
Open to debate. It’s a pretty good zoo. I wouldn’t travel to DC just to go there but if you’re here anyway and like zoos, it’s worth a couple of hours. The zoo is actually part of the Smithsonian too, and free. It’s only a half mile from either the Red Line Cleveland Park (downhill) or Woodley Park/Zoo (uphill) stops.
[hijack]
Although it’s a hijack I will try to keep this factual. He reaps a direct profit from every visit. If a foreign government wants to throw a little cash his way all they have to do is rent out a whole floor. The marginal cost of renting a hotel room is pretty low, so plenty of profit once they clear their fixed costs. You can rent the Franklin Suite this summer for about $5,800 a night. I couldn’t find a quote for the Ivanka Suite.[/hijack]
How much to rent Ivanka?
Blue Line is good as well. Stay off the Yellow and Green (especially Green) if the Nationals have a home game unless you’re going to the game.
GAAAH!! I hate afternoon home games, stupid Nats fans clogging up the Metro!
Go O’s!
As the planner of this trip, the plan is to fly into Boston, spend 4 days, fly or Amtrak down to Philly for a night, and then Amtrak into Washington.