Washington DC · United States · As a family
Washington DC with kids is a joy — and we did not see it coming. A leafy capital with a park on every corner, free museums that are genuinely hands-on, delicious restaurants and wonderful hotels. It is the city that won our hearts: it jumps straight onto your wish list, all designed tailor made for your family.
The destination
Nobody puts Washington at the top of the list when they think of taking the kids to the United States — and that is exactly why it surprises. The American capital is green, flat, organized and generous: almost everything that matters is free, and what is not is worth every cent.
The Smithsonian museums are the heart of the trip: real aircraft hanging from the ceiling, mammoths and dinosaurs, a climate table that answers to touch, a three-storey golden tree made of ordinary people's stories. These are not museums of glass cases: they are hands-on museums where nobody asks for a phone — and where the grown-ups have as much fun as the kids.
Around them, the city that won our hearts: the Georgetown boardwalk along the Potomac, sunset at The Wharf, delicious restaurants and hotels that welcome families with a smile. It is flat and walkable, but the distances are long — our tip is to rent a bike or a scooter and let the city stretch out.
The National Mall · The capital's park
First chapter
A three-kilometre lawn between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument obelisk in the middle and the museums lined up on both sides. It all looks very close on the map — and makes for good long walks. Our tip: start on foot, then rent a scooter or an e-bike to enjoy the ride without wearing anyone out.
The memorials are part of the programme, and children understand each one in their own way: the fountains of the Second World War, the steel statues of the Korean War, the giant Lincoln gazing at the reflecting pool. All open, all free, at any hour — but early in the morning or late in the afternoon the light is different, and so is the heat.
The white dome that closes the Mall is postcard number one — and inside, with a booking, there are free guided tours of the rotunda and the halls of Congress. Outside, the grounds and the Botanic Garden next door are the perfect pause between one museum and the next.
The 169-metre obelisk is the reference point for the whole city — you can ride the lift to the top, with a free timed ticket, and see the entire Mall from above. At its feet, the lawn is where the kids run while the grown-ups breathe.
The marble temple at the end of the Mall holds the six-metre seated Lincoln, and the steps in front are the best place in town to watch the day end over the reflecting pool. It was here that Martin Luther King said "I have a dream" — a story the kids take home.
Between the obelisk and the reflecting pool, an oval plaza of fountains and pillars — one for every American state. It is the memorial where children stop the longest: for the fountains, the space and the stories each arch tells. In summer it is also the coolest spot on the Mall.
Nineteen steel soldiers advancing in silence through the shrubs, and a black granite wall with the names of those who never came back: the two memorials beside the Lincoln are the most moving on the Mall. Worth explaining beforehand — then let the silence do the rest.
For two weeks between late March and early April, the more than three thousand cherry trees around the basin bloom at once and the capital turns pink. A paddle boat with the Jefferson Memorial behind is the photo of the trip — and the most sought-after time of the year.
The museums · Free and genuinely hands-on
Second chapter
The Smithsonian gathers seventeen museums and galleries in Washington — and all of them are free. Real aircraft hanging from the ceiling, space capsules, the mammoth and the dinosaurs in the lobby, the Hope Diamond, the tree of human evolution. These are not glass-case museums: they are hands-on museums, where the climate table answers to touch and there is a workshop for writing your own wish.
What held the kids' attention was not what sat behind the glass — it was what they could touch, press and test. And nobody asked for a phone. Free does not mean no booking, though: the most popular ones require timed passes, which vanish days ahead. That is the part we leave ready before you board.
Real aircraft hanging from the ceiling, capsules, rockets, flight simulators. Admission is free, but the timed pass disappears days ahead — we book everything for you. For those who want more, the annex near Dulles airport holds an entire space shuttle.
This is the museum that delights everyone from 4 to 80. Start with the giant skeleton in the lobby and the dinosaurs, pass through the live butterflies and leave the minerals hall — with the blue Hope Diamond — for the end. No ticket, no time slot: just walk in.
The newest and perhaps the most beautiful of all, in a former bank across from the White House: a three-storey golden tree in the middle of the building, technology everywhere and the stories of ordinary people who changed their own path. Free, with a booked ticket — walk in even without knowing what it is.
They walk in as spies: they receive a secret identity at the door and complete missions across the whole building, among real gadgets and Cold War stories. It is paid, and worth every cent. Book the time slot — it fills up, especially at weekends.
It was not the display case. The museums here are genuinely interactive: the climate table that answers to touch, the tree of human evolution, the workshop for writing your own wish. The American History Museum and the National Gallery have wings designed for children — and nobody asked for a phone.
The National Zoo is Smithsonian too — and free too, with a booked entry pass. The giant pandas returned in 2025 and are the stars of the Asia Trail; the zoo sits in Rock Creek Park, the park that cuts through the city, and fills a whole morning.
"Education is the key that opens the doors of opportunity." We read that line with the kids on a wall at the Milken Center and brought it home. Travel is that too.
From Brazil to the American capital, everything designed tailor made
On the Potomac · Georgetown & The Wharf
Third chapter
Georgetown is older than the capital itself: brick streets climbing the hill, colonial houses, shops and cafés — and, down below, the boardwalk along the Potomac, with kayaks on the water, fountains for the kids and tables with a view. A wonderfully easy vibe, and that is where we ate very well.
Across town, The Wharf is Washington's new waterfront: a pier with a floating stage, a food hall, ice-cream parlours and Pearl Street strung with fairy lights. It is the best late afternoon in the city — they run along the pier, and dinner is relaxed while the kids enjoy all that space.
A boardwalk along the Potomac, the Key Bridge in the background, the fountain where the kids get soaked in summer and restaurant tables facing the river. It is the one place in Washington where nobody is in a hurry — arrive late in the afternoon and stay for dinner.
Up the hill, the city turns into a village: brick streets, colourful houses with little stoops, the university at the top and M Street with its shops, cafés and the queue for the famous cupcake. Walk slowly — this is the neighbourhood where the trip slows down.
From the Georgetown pier, kayaks and paddleboards to go upriver with the city as a backdrop — the Kennedy Center on one side, the bridge on the other. Half an hour on the water changes the trip: it is the most surprising outing for anyone who thinks Washington is all museums.
The new waterfront on the Potomac: a floating stage, a food hall, the oldest fish market in the country and a wide pier where the kids run free. Dinner is relaxed because there is room to spare — and the sunset behind the boats is free of charge.
The pedestrian lane strung with fairy lights, swinging chairs and fire pits is the backdrop for the family photo of the trip — and the natural path from dinner to ice cream. Free little boats leave the pier for the opposite bank, an outing worth it in itself.
Back on the Mall, the red sandstone castle of 1855 is the Smithsonian's headquarters — and the gardens around it, with fountains and flower beds, are the pause between two museums. An ice cream on the lawn and the energy is back for the next wing.
The table & the pace · How the city welcomes a family
Fourth chapter
We ate very well in Washington — and not only in Georgetown. The city has a serious restaurant scene, from food markets to starred tables, and most welcome children naturally: high chairs, kids' menus, a table on the pavement. The hotels are wonderful, with genuinely large properties, pools and rooms that fit a family.
The secret to the pace is simple: museum in the morning, park in the afternoon, river at the end of the day. Washington is flat and walkable, but the distances deceive — which is why bikes and scooters pay off so much. And since everything stays open late and almost nothing has a queue, the week leaves room for the unexpected, which is where the best memories tend to be born.
Georgetown and The Wharf for tables with a view; Union Market and the food halls for the lunch that pleases everyone; 14th Street and Penn Quarter for the grown-ups' dinner, with the babysitter at the hotel. We map out the family's food itinerary — with the reservations made.
Wonderfully leafy: Rock Creek Park cuts across the whole city, the Botanic Garden sits at the foot of the Capitol, and every neighbourhood has its square with a playground. It is the natural antidote for the afternoon after the museum — and the reason Washington tires you out less than it seems.
The city is flat and the bike lanes cut across the entire Mall. Shared bikes and scooters wait on every corner, the metro is clean and simple, and a private driver solves museum days with a small child. We define the way to get around for each day — before you arrive.
Day by day
A five-day skeleton to give rule and compass — in Washington, every day agrees to be swapped for another. Length, pace and experiences are always adjusted to your family.
Arrival, private transfer and check-in without a queue. Late in the afternoon, the first outing: the Georgetown boardwalk along the Potomac, the kids at the fountain, dinner overlooking the river. The trip starts slowly, on purpose.
Early morning at the Capitol and the Botanic Garden, the Air and Space with the pass booked at the right time, and an afternoon by scooter through the memorials: the World War II fountains, Korea, the Lincoln. The day ends on the steps, with the sunset over the reflecting pool.
Morning at the Natural History — mammoth, dinosaurs, butterflies, the Hope Diamond. After lunch, the Milken Center across from the White House, with its three-storey tree. Late afternoon at The Wharf: pier, ice cream, Pearl Street lit up and a relaxed dinner.
A morning on a mission at the Spy Museum, secret identity issued at the door. In the afternoon, the zoo and the pandas in Rock Creek Park — or, if it rains, the American History Museum and its children's wings. The evening belongs to the grown-ups: a table booked in Penn Quarter.
The morning that was still missing: kayaking the Potomac, the carousel on the Mall, the museum that became a favourite and asked for an encore. Then the transfer — to the airport, or to the train that drops the family in New York in three hours, if the trip has a second chapter.
Gallery
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How we travel
Washington looks simple — free museums, one city — but it is made of choices that define a family trip: the hotel's neighbourhood, the timed passes, the order of the days, the way to get around. All of that is settled before you board.
In Washington, the hotel's neighbourhood sets the pace: the charm of Georgetown, the museums on foot from Downtown, or the new waterfront at The Wharf. We choose by the family's profile — rooms that fit everyone, a pool, a breakfast the kids will like — never by the ranking.
Free does not mean no booking: the Air and Space, the zoo, the Milken Center and the top of the Washington Monument require timed passes, and the Spy Museum sells out. When you board, everything is booked — on the right days and at the right times.
Museum in the morning, park in the afternoon, river at the end of the day: we group the days by area and by energy, with a plan B for rain and heat, so the trip delivers without becoming a marathon. And we leave room for chance — it is half the charm of travelling with kids.
A driver waiting at arrivals, car seats in the transfers, check-in arranged. The first and last moments of the trip are the ones that most reward care — and the ones a family with luggage and children feels the most.
Brazilians need a US tourist visa — children too — and the process takes time. We guide you step by step: forms, interview, deadlines, plus travel insurance and documents checked before departure.
From boarding in Brazil to the return, a team follows the entire trip. Any surprise — a flight, a booking, a fever in the middle of the night — is solved with a message, in your language.
Where to stay
Washington's hotels are wonderful — and welcome families well. We work with a tight selection of hotels we know and trust, organized here by the style of address. The final choice is always designed with you, occasion by occasion.
Human-scale hotels on brick streets, a few steps from the river and the tables with a view: mornings of coffee on the pavement, late afternoons on the boardwalk, the whole city a short drive away. For families who prefer a neighbourhood to an address — and unwind best near the water.
The grand dames of the capital's hotels and the classics two blocks from the White House: salons of another era, a pool, connecting rooms and the entire Mall on foot. For those who want to make the most of every museum hour — and return to the hotel for the afternoon nap.
New design hotels with the river in the window, the pier at the door, an ice-cream parlour and a food hall downstairs — and the Mall ten minutes away. For families who love late afternoons outdoors, room for the kids to run and dinner without needing a car.
Know before you go
Practical information for those starting to think about the trip.
Washington has four real seasons — and since almost everything happens inside museums, the trip works all year round. The question is which city you want to find.
Brazilians need a US tourist visa (B1/B2) — children included — and the wait for a consulate interview varies. It is the first item to sort out, months before the trip. We guide you through the whole process: forms, fee, appointment and what to bring on the day.
No vaccines are required for the United States. Your passport must be valid for the entire trip, and travel insurance — essential in a country where healthcare is private, all the more so with children — is already part of our design.
The time zone is one to two hours behind Brasília, depending on the season — jet lag is practically nil, and the first day already counts. The metro is clean and simple, and shared bikes and scooters unlock with your phone.
Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and cash hardly circulates. Tipping is part of the bill: 18–20% in restaurants is the house rule — we leave you with the complete map of customs before departure.
Timed passes are the bottleneck: the Air and Space, the zoo, the Milken Center and the Washington Monument lift are free, but release their slots days ahead and vanish fast. The Spy Museum is paid and fills up at weekends. Booking early is the difference between getting in and staying outside.
Spring sells out first: at cherry-blossom time the capital's hotels fill up months in advance, and family rooms are the first to go. For the late March of your dreams, the conversation starts the year before.
To add
Layers that fit naturally into a family week in Washington.
A guided tour of the rotunda, the crypt and the statuary hall — free, with a booking — shows the kids where the country's laws are voted. Next door, the Library of Congress has the most beautiful reading room in the Americas.
The Air and Space annex near Dulles airport holds the space shuttle Discovery, a Concorde and a Blackbird under the same hangar. Half a day with a private driver — and the favourite outing of anyone already in love with the museum on the Mall.
George Washington's estate on the Potomac, half an hour from the city: the house, the gardens, the animals and a museum designed for children. You can get there by boat from The Wharf — the river ride alone is worth the day.
Nationals baseball next to the Navy Yard, hockey and basketball in the centre of town: watching a game among the home crowd is one of the most American experiences there is — and the arenas here are built for families.
A cruise on the Potomac at dusk, with the monuments lit up, or the free little boats from The Wharf to the opposite bank. Washington also presents itself from the water — and the kids prefer that angle.
( Pairs with this trip )
Three hours by train separate the calm capital from the city that is a world: dinosaurs, the blue whale, musicals and Central Park.
The routes that become family history — sun, snow, cities and nature — organized by the children's ages.
After the capital, the turquoise sea: Cancún and the Riviera Maya for the family to slow down for good.
