Washington DC is what you make of it. It can be done extremely inexpensive or extremely expensive. Well, I guess you can say that of any destination but based off of my experience, this one more than others.

Washington DC has many things in its favor for making it a budget friendly travel option especially for large families. Let’s break it down into a few categories…. Travel, Lodging, Food and Experiences.

Travel

Getting to and from DC is pretty simple no matter where you are in the United States. You pretty much can find a direct flight and they are usually around that $200 range round trip per person. That may seem like a lot but once you are there, saving money is easy. You also have the option to drive or take a train.  

Once in DC, the city has fantastic options for getting around. I highly recommend using the Metro and/or the Circulator Bus. You can purchase a pass for your length of stay per person and compared to gas and paying to park they are extremely affordable. You can ride the Red Circulator Bus around the National Mall for $1 per person.

Lodging

This is a huge cost for most families. But, the amount of hotels, vacation rentals and being in the city vs out of the city can really affect the cost. To save money, vacation rentals are a great option as well as staying just outside of DC in Alexandria, VA. There are some great hotels in Alexandria that are right of the metro line.

Food

DC is home to amazing restaurants. Food options range from food trucks to high-end restaurants. When trying to save money just going one street over off the National Mall or even eating breakfast at the hotel/vacation rental can save you money. Once thing that a lot of visitors don’t realize is a lot of the places in the city close at 5pm/6pm (depending on the time of year), so another great way to save some money is to eat dinner at the vacation rental if you are staying at one.

Experiences

This is a big one! Did you know that 99% of the things to do in Washington DC are FREE! Yes, absolutely FREE! From the many museums to the monuments to the White House and Capital there is so much to do based on your interests that do not cost anything. The biggest catch is quite a few of them have to be booked in advanced and some (like the White House and Capital) the date and time are picked for you, but honestly you can spend a week or more in DC and not spend a dime on a single experience and not see everything.

Ready to travel to DC?

Are you ready to travel to DC? If you are, let Simply Perfect Travel help you save all the money possible and make this not only and educational trip to remember but a budget friendly one as well. We will help you put together an itinerary of things to do/see. Help you get set up for the tickets that must be reserved. And even help you find the right lodging and restaurants to meet your families need.

Return to Previous Page