The Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C., to See the Cherry Blossoms, Tour the National Mall, and More

Washington, D.C., is always buzzing with activity — and we don't just mean politics. Whether you're a history enthusiast, an art aficionado, a foodie, or a fan of the outdoors, you'll find something to enjoy in our nation's capital at any time of the year.

While there's no bad time to visit, some periods are busier than others, and knowing which months offer the lightest crowds can help you make the most of your trip. To get you started, here's a rough breakdown of the city's tourist seasons.

• High Season: Mid-March to July
• Shoulder Season: September to December
• Low Seasons: January to mid-March, plus the month of August

Use this guide to plan your trip to D.C. for activities such as museum-hopping, boat tours, and seeing the spectacular cherry blossoms.

Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C., for Smaller Crowds

January, February, and the first half of March are the best times to visit Washington, D.C. to avoid thee crowds. They're typically quiet months, though there are exceptions to this rule. If you visit during one of the season's federal holidays, like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day, or during a special event like a presidential inauguration, you can expect much larger crowds than you'd typically see in the winter.

Susan Sullivan Lagon, hotel historian at The Jefferson, a Travel + Leisure reader favorite, says, "The Smithsonian and most other museums are open, and locals like to visit around the holidays when fewer tourists are in town." In addition to museums, the capital's historic landmarks tend to be less crowded at this time of year, too.

If visiting during the colder months is not an option, consider planning your trip for a weekday. At almost any time of year, a midweek trip should be less crowded and less expensive than a weekend visit.

Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C., for Good Weather

Compared to much of the East Coast, Washington, D.C., has fairly mild winters. There's little snow, and, in most years, freezing temperatures are uncommon. For travelers from cold climates, a winter visit to D.C. can seem downright pleasant.

The best weather for sightseeing, though, comes in the spring and fall. According to Brian Salley, the chief concierge of the Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C., the best months to go to Washington, D.C. are April, May, and the period between late September and early November.

Keep in mind that if you come in early September, you'll likely get the hot and humid summer weather many Washingtonians try to avoid. However, the best thing about visiting D.C. is that even if the weather doesn't cooperate, you can always go into a gallery, museum, or hip shop to cool off, warm up, or wait out a storm.

Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C., for Lower Prices

While D.C. is not a cheap place to visit or travel to (in 2023, Dulles International Airport was ranked the most expensive for domestic travel), flight and hotel prices do vary throughout the year. The cheapest months to go to Washington D.C. are January, February, and early March, when there are fewer tourists.

If you can travel during the week, you'll save even more; weekdays tend to have more affordable hotel rates than weekends, which may leave room in your budget for a stay at one of the city's top hotels.

Thankfully, D.C. has accommodation and dining options for any budget. You can also search for more wallet-friendly lodging in Maryland and Virginia. Many border towns in these states are served by the Metro, which is the most convenient and inexpensive way to commute to D.C. 

Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C., to See the Cherry Blossoms

In 1912, Japan gifted the U.S. sakura trees as a symbol of friendship. They were planted at the Tidal Basin in D.C., and the yearly celebration of their spectacular blooming is now known as the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place over several weeks each spring.

"Mother Nature can be notoriously fickle, and it's impossible to time precisely when 'peak bloom' occurs around the Tidal Basin," says Lagon. "The window is between mid-March and mid-April." To help you pin down exactly when to visit D.C. for cherry blossoms, though, there are some useful resources. The National Park Service has a convenient "Bloom Watch" page on its website that tracks and forecasts the peak, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival also monitors blooming progress as well as listing related events.  

Whenever peak bloom does occur, you can count on massive crowds ringing the Tidal Basin in the hopes of getting a good view. To avoid them, Lagon recommends heading to Dumbarton Oaks Gardens in Georgetown, the Hains Point loop near the Wharf, or Stanton Park on Capitol Hill, all places with stunning cherry blossom trees.

Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C., to Tour the National Mall

The National Mall stretches two miles from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol. Together with the Memorial Parks, it makes up a green space called "America's Front Yard" that encompasses more than 100 historic landmarks and monuments. The area is open to visitors 24/7, though if you'd like to visit the inside of Washington Monument, you'll have to do it between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Be sure to check out the monument's maintenance schedule, as the site (typically open seven days a week) closes for upkeep one day of each month.

"The best time to visit the National Mall is during the spring and fall seasons," says Adrian Renart, sales manager at The St. Regis Washington, D.C. That's when conditions will be best for strolling the Mall's significant outdoor expanse. Renart adds that there's another good time, too — if you can take the heat. "While it can become quite hot and humid, midweek during the summer months tends to have the fewest crowds." 

Best Times to Visit Washington, D.C.’s Museums

One of the highlights of any trip to the capital is exploring its many cultural institutions. The Smithsonian's D.C. museums are open every day of the year except December 25. The National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Air and Space Museum are so popular that you'll need to book timed entry passes in advance.

While you can get into the museums year-round, some seasons will be better than others. For instance, Renart says January and February are among the best times to visit "if you'd like to have fewer people blocking your view of Leonardo DaVinci's "Ginevra de' Benci" at the National Gallery of Art." August can be another good month for museum-hopping since it falls between summer field trip season and the cooler fall months that many grown-up visitors prefer.

Worst Times to Visit Washington, D.C.

It's common for locals to recommend that visitors avoid the city in August, as it's very hot and humid (many Washingtonians escape to the beach or mountains then). "Congress is out of session, and a few businesses shut down for a week or two when business is slow," Renart says. An August visit can save you money, but if you plan one, be sure to build in lots of air-conditioned indoor activities and frequent water breaks.

Renart adds that you may also want to avoid times when citywide conventions or special events (such as marches, memorials, or protests) are going on. Happenings like these fill the streets, hotels, and restaurants of downtown D.C., making reservations more difficult to find.