Looking for things to do alone in Washington DC? Solo travel in Washington DC is amazing because there are so many activities!
Washington DC is one of the most well-known cities in the United States. That's because of all the famous sights. For example, you can find the White House in the city.
Besides all the famous sights, Washington DC has more to offer! There are many beautiful places in the city and great activities.
Furthermore, solo travel in Washington DC is also great! That's because there are countless things to do when you're alone in the city.
There are many activities during which you can meet new people, get to know the city or have a great time alone! Whatever you're looking for during your solo travels in Washington DC, it's there.
Below are the 20 best things to do alone in Washington DC.
Table of Contents
1. Do a Free Walking Tour: One of the Best Things to Do Alone in Washington DC to Get to Know the City
When you are alone in the city of Washington DC you should definitely do a free walking tour. This is one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC.
One of the best of these is the one by DC by Foot. Their National Mall Tour is very interesting.
Together with a group and a good guide you'll explore the sights of the National Mall. You'll walk by the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, and more sights. Along the way, you get very interesting information.
Furthermore, you can ask the guide everything you want!
What's great as well is that it is a great place to make new friends from the group of people that also does the walk! That's why this is amazing for solo travel in Washington DC.
2. Explore the City by Yourself with a Self-Guided Walking Tour
Another one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC is a self-guided tour. For this, it's only you and the city, nothing else, which is a great experience!
This is the perfect way to discover the city on your own!
You can listen to an audio guide that allows you to learn a lot about the places you are walking along.
What's great is that you can decide your own pace. So it's great for solo travel in Washington DC.
DC Walkabout is where you find a few audio guides that are great for exploring the city alone!
3. Tour the White House
When you are in Washington DC, it is great to see the White House. The outside is great to see, but the inside is even better.
You can do a self-guided tour of the building where you can completely focus on the White House, which is awesome! This is one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC for sure.
Be sure to send a request before visiting, otherwise, you cannot do the tour.
4. See the National Mall During a Tour by Electric Vehicle
Of course, you could walk at the National Mall and explore the sights. But you can also do a National Mall group tour by electric vehicle! It's incredible for solo travel in Washington DC!
This is a great way to see many of the most famous sights!
Furthermore, it is great that you are doing this tour with other people, whom you can talk with during the tour! This makes it one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC.
5. Go Ping-Ponging at Spin: A Great Thing to Do Alone in Washington DC To Make New Friends
If you love ping pong, this next solo travel activity is for you!
At Spin, you can ping pong with strangers and make new friends.
You can watch very good ping pong players play a game here, which is great to see. But you can also play yourself! This is a great way to make new friends when you are in Washington DC.
One of the best things at Spin is Players' Night. This takes place every Friday night. During this event, you can play against a pro in a variety of games!
Furthermore, you can have a drink afterward here.
You can find a lot of different plants at the United States Botanic Garden.
There is a section with rare and endangered plants. Furthermore, you find here a section with plants that grow in the desert. Also, there is a place with beautiful orchids!
6. Come to Yourself at the United States Botanic Garden and Do a Tour
Are you in Washington DC and want to come to yourself? Then go to the United States Botanic Garden!
This is a beautiful place with lots of great nature. This makes it perfect for a relaxing stroll!
You can visit the United States Botanic Garden every day of the year. This makes it possible to do this one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC. always when you are in the city!
What's great is the history of the garden goes back to the year 1820, which makes it a very historic place.
7. Join a Book Club
Another great activity to do in Washington DC. when you are doing a solo trip is joining a book club!
At the DC Public Library, you can attend The Audacious Books Read Along. This is an event that happens every fourth Tuesday of the month.
At the meetings of the book club, you are discussing a book together with strangers. This is a very fun activity to make some new friends and also it is very motivating if you want to read more! That's why it's perfect for solo travel in Washington DC.
There is a reading list with the books to read for every month of the year.
8. Have Dinner at a Communal Table: Amazing Thing to Do Alone in Washington DC to Meet New People
One of the best things to do alone in Washington DC. is having dinner at a communal table. It is the perfect way to meet new people!
It is great to have dinner together with others and there are several places for this in Washington DC!
One of the best places for this is Via Umbria. Here you can attend "Dinner at the Chef's Table" every Friday and Saturday.
During this event, you can try out delicious Italian food while sitting with others.
9. Go to the National Museum of Natural History and Attend a Lecture
The National Museum of Natural History is one of the best museums in Washington DC. The museum is amazing for solo travel in Washington DC.
It is a museum without an admission fee, which always makes it a great place to visit.
Here, you find a collection of plants, rocks, fossils, and much more. In fact, you find here the largest collection of natural history in the world, which is incredible!
Besides seeing the collection of the museum, you can also attend a lecture here. This is one of the best solo activities in Washington DC.
There are lectures here that focus on certain parts of natural history. This is very interesting to experience together with others. Furthermore, it allows you to learn a lot of new things!
10. Rent a Bike and Explore the City: A Fun Thing to Do Alone in Washington DC
There are many places in the city where you can rent a bike. This is a great way to explore the city on your own, which is awesome!
There are many biking trails in the city of Washington DC.
Some are more scenic than others. And some go by the famous sights of the city.
Also, the bike is a great way to move around in the city during your solo trip to Washington DC!
11. Do a Food Tour With a Local
Also one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC is to do a Washington DC food tour with a local.
During a tour, you can try out the best food at the Union Food Market. Union Food Market is a great place with a large variety of food!
Doing a food tour is great if you are traveling solo. That way you can find out new food you might like, and you can dine together with others!
12. Go On a Cycleboat Ride at Potomac Paddle Club
You find this next one of the best things to do for solo travel in Washington DC at Potomac Paddle Club.
This place is great if you want to do a Cycleboat Ride.
You can do a mixed tour where you can see some of the most famous sights of the city from the water.
Together with others, you cycle while sitting at a table to paddle the boat.
During the boat ride, you can have drinks as well, which is great!
The mixed tour is a great way to make some new friends!
13. Do a Stand-up Paddleboard Yoga class
This is definitely one of the most unique solo activities in Washington DC.
When you are in the city you can do a stand-up paddleboard yoga class. You need to have experience in paddleboarding before doing this class. The company Boating in DC offers the class.
During this class, you do yoga on a paddleboard on the water. This is both a very relaxing and challenging experience.
Furthermore, you are doing this class together with other people, which is very fun!
The class lasts 60 minutes in total.
14. Go for a Run
Another one of the best things to do in Washington DC is going for a run.
Ladies Run Washington DC is a group that organizes ladies runs throughout the years. These runs are great for both beginners and experts. Keep in mind that this is for ladies only.
These runs are lovely if you want to meet new friends! Furthermore, it is a great way to get active when you are in the city of Washington DC.
15. Attend a Lecture at the Library of Congress
This is one of the most interesting things to do alone in Washington DC. The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States. You can find this place on Capitol Hill.
What's amazing about this place is that it is one of the largest of its kind in the world!
You find here books and other material from all over the world. There are more than 38 million books at the library.
You should definitely go here to explore the library from the inside during your solo trip. It's one of the most fun things for solo travel in Washington DC for sure.
Besides that, there are many lectures at the Library of Congress.
These lectures are great to attend and are about a variety of topics.
Here you can learn a lot, which is great! Furthermore, it allows you to connect with others when you are in Washington DC.
16. Walk Through the United States National Arboretum
The U.S. National Arboretum is a very relaxing place that is great if you want to come to yourself.
This is a great place where you can see a lot of beautiful trees. There is a large variety of trees here, which is great!
Moreover, there are several gardens at the U.S. National Arboretum. These different gardens all contain different types of trees.
For example, there is a place with all kinds of Asian plants. And there is a section with flowering trees that are very pretty.
17. See the City From a Segway
Another great way to explore the city is while riding a segway. You can do so during a Washington DC segway tour, which is perfect for solo travel in Washington DC.
During the tour, you'll explore some of the most famous landmarks of the city.
You drive by the White House, the Capitol Building, and more.
What's great is that you are doing this tour together with other people. Thus it is a great way to make new friends, with whom you can explore the city!
18. Explore the Street Art of Washington DC
This is another one of the best things to do alone in Washington DC. You can explore the street art of the city during a tour. The name of this tour is "Explore the Street Art of DC / NoMa".
During this tour, you'll see great street art and murals in the neighborhood of NoMa.
There are lots of artworks, and you'll see both old and new works.
What's great is that you'll learn about the different artworks as well.
Another great thing about doing this street art tour is that it is together with other people. This makes it possible to meet new people!
19. Watch the Senate in Session: An Interesting Thing to Do Alone in Washington DC
A great solo activity that you can only do in Washington DC is watching the Senate in session. You can do so whenever the Senate is in session!
It is a great thing to experience alone. That's because you can focus on what the Senate says without thinking about anything else! This makes for a very unique experience!
20. Do a Pottery Class at the District Clay Center
Another activity for your solo trip to Washington DC is to take part in a pottery class. You can do that at the District Clay Center!
Their one shot class is a great way to get introduced to the world of pottery!
Together with others, you'll learn how you can make things from clay! This is very fun and a great way to make new friends!
Also, if you like pottery, you can take part in classes that take several weeks. This is great if you live in or close to Washington DC.
Save this post to Pinterest if you like it!
Blog comments (0)