Georgetown

Washington's oldest neighbourhood, a colonial river port founded in 1751 that predates the capital itself. Federal-style row houses, brick sidewalks and tree-lined streets make it the most European-feeling part of the city, and M Street and Wisconsin Avenue are its main shopping and restaurant strips, with the C&O Canal towpath and the Georgetown Waterfront Park along the Potomac below. Georgetown University's Gothic Healy Hall crowns the western end. Film fans look for the Exorcist Steps at 36th and Prospect Street; JFK lived on N Street before moving to the White House.

Practical: No metro station, so Georgetown is best reached by car (garages along M Street and K Street, expensive) or the DC Circulator bus. Good for an evening stroll and dinner after a museum day. Allow one to two hours.