DC and Day Trips in 5 Days on a Budget
Five days on a budget turns DC into a base for four back-to-back day trips, not just a longer version of a city break. Day one anchors on the free Mall core. Day two and three run entirely on WMATA Metro or a seasonal water taxi, crossing to Old Town Alexandria then south to Mount Vernon’s $30 estate, no car needed yet. Day four gets genuinely car-dependent: no train reaches Annapolis, so it’s a direct bus or a rideshare. Day five swaps back to rail, MARC or Amtrak into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Budget roughly $200-310 total across all five days for transport, food and tickets, hotel aside. Go on weekdays when you can, thinner Metro platforms, shorter Mount Vernon lines, and a half-price Aquarium ticket after 5pm on Fridays all favor an off-peak visit.
Book these before you go:
- A DC hotel near a Metro stop : pick one on the Blue or Yellow Line so the first three days start without a transfer
- A Mount Vernon estate and gardens tour : a fixed-fee alternative to driving or parking yourself on day three
- An Annapolis and Naval Academy tour : a set price up front on the one day this week a car actually helps
- A National Aquarium Baltimore timed ticket : lock in entry before you make the MARC or Amtrak trip out
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Rough daily cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DC core: Mall memorials, one free Smithsonian | Walkable, short Metro hop | $25-40 |
| 2 | Old Town Alexandria | Metro ~20-25 min, or seasonal water taxi ~30 min (Mar-Dec only) | $20-35 |
| 3 | Mount Vernon | Car or tour bus ~30-40 min, or seasonal riverboat ~1h | $45-65 (includes $30 admission) |
| 4 | Annapolis and the US Naval Academy | Direct bus ~1h10, or car/rideshare ~35-40 min | $40-70 (includes $12 tour) |
| 5 | Baltimore: Inner Harbor and National Aquarium | MARC or Amtrak ~35-45 min from Union Station | $70-100 (includes $49.95 admission) |
Day 1 Budget: Free Monuments and One Smithsonian
Start at the Lincoln Memorial and walk the Reflecting Pool to the WWII Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, all three free, unticketed, and open 24 hours. Pick exactly one Smithsonian for the afternoon rather than chasing several: the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History both take walk-ins with no pass needed. Skip the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Air and Space Museum’s Mall building, and the National Zoo unless you already booked a free timed pass on si.edu, since weekday walk-up access there is capped to a set hour. The Washington Monument is free to visit but needs a $1 recreation.gov ticket, book 30 days ahead for the view from the top. Lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, a half-smoke plus fries, runs $12-20. One trap to skip planning around: the DC Circulator, the old dollar shuttle bus, stopped running for good at the end of 2024, so it’s Metro or your own feet from here on.
Day 2 Budget: Old Town Alexandria on a Metro Fare
Take the Blue or Yellow Line to King St-Old Town, about 20-25 minutes from downtown, tapping in and out with a SmarTrip card or a contactless bank card. WMATA charges by distance with a $6.75 weekday max fare and a flat $2.25-2.50 fare on weekends and late nights. From the station, the King Street Trolley usually covers the walk down to the waterfront at no cost, though it’s worth checking current status on visitalexandriava.com before you go. March through December only, the Potomac water taxi from The Wharf is a pricier alternative at roughly $22 one way for a 30-minute crossing, and it doesn’t run in winter. Walk the cobblestone blocks, browse the free-to-enter Torpedo Factory Art Center working artist studios, and treat lunch as the day’s main spend at $12-20 in most casual spots. If two days is all you have, the 2-day version of this plan stops right here.
Day 3 Budget: Mount Vernon, the First Paid Stop
Mount Vernon sits about 16 miles south of downtown, and it’s George Washington’s actual working estate, farm and tomb, a paid historic-house museum rather than a free NPS monument like the ones bearing his name on the Mall. Admission runs $30 for adults 12 and up, $16 for ages 6-11, and free under 6, open 9am-5pm April through October and 9am-4pm the rest of the year. No Metro line reaches it, so budget for a car (about 30-40 minutes each way), a tour bus, or a seasonal Potomac riverboat cruise. Pack a lunch or eat on-site, since on-site dining sits toward the higher end of the casual $12-20 band. If Mount Vernon is as far as you want to go, the 3-day version of this plan ends here and skips Annapolis and Baltimore entirely.
Day 4 Budget: Annapolis and the US Naval Academy
Annapolis, Maryland’s state capital, sits about 33 miles east, roughly 33-40 minutes by car, and this is the one day this week where a budget plan gets genuinely awkward: no train reaches it at all. The cheapest car-free option is a once-daily direct bus, about $4-12 for roughly 1 hour 10 minutes; a rideshare covers the same distance faster but can run $60-135 one way. At the US Naval Academy, pedestrian public access is free, though every visitor 18 and older needs a REAL-ID-compliant photo ID or passport, no vehicle access allowed. Guided tours cost $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $10 for kids, running 9am-5pm March through December with shorter winter hours. Budget a casual $12-20 lunch near the Academy gates or on Main Street. Unlike the shorter plans, this is the day that turns a DC trip into a genuine multi-state one.
Day 5 Budget: Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and National Aquarium
Baltimore sits about 40 miles northeast, and it’s a genuinely bigger, different city than the small-town Virginia and Maryland stops earlier this week, not just another quaint add-on. MARC or Amtrak from Union Station cover the roughly 35-45 minute ride; MARC runs cheaper and slower on a more commuter-oriented schedule, while Amtrak costs more but runs faster and more often through the day. At the Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium charges $49.95 for adults and $39.95 for youth and seniors, with timed entry required, so book ahead rather than risk a sold-out slot. Show up after 5pm on a Friday and walk-up tickets run half price, the single best budget move on this whole trip. Budget a $12-20 casual lunch or step up to a $30-55 Inner Harbor seafood dinner before the train back. If you have a sixth day, the 6-day version keeps all five of these days and adds Great Falls or Harpers Ferry; a 7-day plan makes room for one longer trip like Gettysburg.
How Much Does a 5-Day DC Trip Cost on a Budget?
Plan on roughly $200-310 across all five days for transport, food and tickets, hotel not included. Days one and two stay cheapest: free memorials, one no-pass Smithsonian, and a Metro fare under $7 each way. Day three adds the $30 Mount Vernon ticket, day four the $12 Naval Academy tour plus bus or rideshare fare, and day five the $49.95 Aquarium admission, the single biggest ticket price on the trip.
Do You Need a Car for This Five-Day Plan?
Not for the first three days, all of them run on foot, WMATA Metro, or a seasonal water taxi. Day four changes that: no train serves Annapolis, so it’s a direct bus, a rideshare, or your own car. Day five swaps back to rail, MARC or Amtrak into Baltimore, so a car sits idle again if you rented one just for day four.
Is the Baltimore Aquarium Worth the $49.95 Ticket?
Yes, especially if you can time it for after 5pm on a Friday, when walk-up tickets drop to half price. Paired with a free stroll around the Inner Harbor waterfront, it’s the one day-trip ticket on this plan that costs more than Mount Vernon’s $30, but it’s also the only stop that turns the week into a genuine two-city trip rather than a DC-plus-suburbs one.
Check current Metro fares at wmata.com , Mount Vernon hours at mountvernon.org , Alexandria trolley status at visitalexandriava.com , Naval Academy tour times at usna.edu , and Aquarium tickets plus the Friday discount at aqua.org . For DC-wide planning, washington.org covers the rest. Tip 18-20% at sit-down restaurants across all five days, the standard US rate by cash or card alike.