National Mall Walking Itinerary, Washington DC

Posted by: Liisa Nygård

This post will take you on a National Mall walking itinerary to see the famous Washington DC museums and monuments. So leave your car and explore the amazing Washington DC National Mall by foot. We will guide you!

The National Mall is a 2,5 mile long green area between Capitol Hill in the east and the Lincoln Memorial in the west.

The needle-like Washington Monument stands at the very center, north of it the White House and south of it the Tidal Basin.

This is Lincoln Memorial at the far end of the National Mall:

Lincoln Memorial is where the National Mall ends

In addition the long, green area contains world-famous memorials of American history and US government buildings. And not to forget, a huge amount of world-class museums.

Looking forward to see it all – for free!

E Pluribus Unum on the National Mall walking itinerary

So, now park somewhere off the Mall and take our itinerary. Take good shoes , walk and visit as many attractions as you like, and as I said, all National Mall attractions are free!

First we will put things on the map:

National Mall Walking Itinerary on the Map

Our National Mall walking itinerary on the map

Above you will see Washington DC and its National Mall on a Google map. To see the location in the US, zoom out the map, and to see the details, zoom in.

Our self-guided walking tour is the blue dots. The dots help you walk between the sights and find them all, and this post will explain them in words and photos.

We will start from the Capitol Hill at the east end and then head west along the mall:

The US Capitol

Side view of the US Capitol, Washington DC

The US Capitol centers the green Capitol Hill and the massive building is something you absolutely must visit. The entrance is behind the building.

Behind the Capitol building is also the Library of Congress and next to it the Supreme Court.

The sights of Capitol Hill almost deserve a full day, for which reason we have put them in a separate post.

National Mall walking itinerary: the US Capitol

Read the details about Capitol Hill, US Capitol and Library of Congress in our post Washington DC: Capitol Hill Walk.

The post will take you through the massive Capitol halls full of statues, columns and historic treasures and then through an underground walkway to the Congress Library that. too, is full of art and treasures of all kind:

Library of Congress and Supreme Court in Washington DC

Now, for the rest of the National Mall continue reading this post.

First one of the many National Mall museums, the Museum of the American Indian:

Museum of the American Indian

Curved wall of the National Museum of the American Indian

The National Museum of the American Indian is what you will first see in the eastern part of the National Mall. The nature-inspired limestone building has flowing water around it.

In the Museum you will learn about native Americans, their values, culture and how their lives have changed during centuries. We got to know a lot about different Indian tribes, how they moved across the country and how important nature still is to the Indians.

The museum cafe serves meals based on traditional Indian food heritage. Recommend!

National Mall around the Museum of the American Indian

Another attraction nearby is the US Botanic Garden. If botanic gardens interest you, read more about this lovely garden in the blog post Washington DC: Capitol Hill Walk.

In the greenhouse of the US Botanic Garden

Then, back to the National Mall:

Sculpture Garden and National Archives

The US National Archives from Sculpture Garden

After the museum and the greenhouse walk further and see the many famous buildings on both sides, one of them the Greek-style US National Archives main building. In the US National Archives you can see things like the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.

In winter time the park also contains a skating rink.

National Mall walking itinerary: Sculpture Garden

These pictures are from the National Mall Sculpture Garden. It’s a part of the National Gallery and belongs their exhibition on modern art.

National Gallery of Art

The National Mall and the National Gallery of Art

The huge National Gallery of Art is in two buildings, the old West Building and the East Building built in the 1970s. The West Building has European and American paintings, sculptures and objects and the East Building shows modern art.

On the days I was visiting Washington DC there were many school groups visiting from all parts of the country. They went to the National Gallery and the Museum of Natural History.

There are many museums on both sides of the National Mall. You would need a week to see them all. Just start with the ones you like most.

The Museums of National Mall

National Museum of Natural History
Hirshorn Museum
National Air and Space Museum
Arts and Industries Building
African Art Museum
Smithsonian Castle
Freer Gallery of Art
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
American History Museum

I only spent two days on the National Mall and decided to walk into the American History Museum.

National Museum of American History

Washington DC: National Museum of American History

Since I’m from Europe I wanted to learn about American history and that’s what I really did in this museum.

There was an interesting exhibition of former American presidents and another one telling about the First Ladies. Then there was a room showing American food habits from 1950 to 2000. After seeing that I understand how much all immigrants from different parts of the world have affected American food culture. And so have the new technologies and the wish to eat and drink on the move.

After learning so much I wanted to buy something home so I went to the museum store. The store was full of American Christmas decoration with flags and other items, all in US national colors red, blue and white. And it was first the beginning of November!

The museum shop of American History Museum

Washington Monument

Washington Monument, National Mall walking itinerary

This is the Washington Monument, something you can see from all over the city. Washington Monument was built to honor George Washington and completed in 1884. It was and still is the highest freestanding stone monument in the world.

They began with white marble from Maryland and different marble was added as the work proceeded. All this made that the color changes in the middle.

There are 50 flags around the monument, one for each state.

You can take an elevator ride to the top, it’s free. But to do that you have to get a ticket at the ticket kiosk which is a small house to the east of the monument. In November there was no waiting time, but it probably will be in the summer.

The White House

The White House on the National Mall of, Washington DC

A short way north of the National Mall stands the massive White House building from where the US president rules the country.

If you want to see the interior you will have to book your visit in advance. We didn’t go in but it was equally great to see the famous building at a distance.

World War II Memorial

National World War II Memorial, Washington DC

West of the Washington Monument stands the next US national monument, the National World War II Memorial. The memorial has 4 048 gold stars on the wall each of which represents 100 soldiers that died in the war.

There is a granite pillar for each state and words by presidents are written in stone walls around the fountain.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day parade on the National Mall walking itinerary

The day I was visiting there was a Veterans Day event. There was a parade and veterans from all over US came to Washington DC with the help of non-profit organizations. The Amercians take so much better care of their veterans than we do in Europe.

The Reflecting Pool

Washington Monument from the Reflecting Pool

There are many reflecting pools in Washington DC but the one between the National World War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial is the largest. This is the view you can see in all postcards. Just amazing!

Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall of Washington DC

And last but not least on the National Mall is the Lincoln Memorial that celebrates Abraham Lincoln. It is the symbol of freedom and equality. Inside is a Lincoln statue and Lincoln’s most famous speeches are written on a stone wall.

And the basement has a small museum where you can learn about the Memorial’s history. Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech in this place?

Tidal Basin

Tidal Basin, Naitonal Mall walking itinerary

South of the Lincoln Memorial is a little lake, called the Tidal Basin. The basin is lined by cherry trees that originally were a present from the Japanese. And you can rent a paddle boat here in the summer. In winter there are no paddle boats but there are bike rentals.

If you have time, rent a bike, make a bike tour around the Tidal Basin. By bike you can also see the monuments on the other side of the Basin.

I will end my National Mall walking itinerary here., we have now seen the Mall from east to west. We have seen a lot today but maybe you can return to the National Mall another day and discover more on this green stretch full of important national monuments and museums.