Worth getting out of bed for

Washington DC itinerary

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Viewpoint

Climb the clock tower of the Old Post Office (www.oldpostoffice.com), now a shopping and dining complex on Pennsylvania Avenue, for sweeping city views, rivalled only by those from the obelisk-esque Washington Monument (www.nps.gov/wamo), which looks straight down the Mall to the Capitol.

Arts and culture

This is where DC comes into its own: the Smithsonian (www.si.edu) is the largest free museum complex in the world, and includes a collection to suit every interest from art to aerospace. The National Gallery’s gorgeous East Wing is blossoming after a stunning renovation (www.nga.gov), and houses works by thousands of celebrated artists. Pack your gladrags for a visit to the Kennedy Center (www.kennedy-center.org), both a major player on the world’s cultural stage and a gob-smacking architectural feat. The riverside cultural complex plays host to some of the world’s best opera, music and dance.

Something for nothing

Remarkably for the city that puts the ‘capital’ in ‘capitalism’, every one of the Smithsonian Institute’s 19 museums is as free as sunshine (www.si.edu).

Shopping

Georgetown’s been around longer than DC itself, and has had plenty of time to develop a thriving shopping scene (www.georgetowndc.com/fashion), with dozens of enticing boutiques springing up between its humming bars and eateries. Sassanova (www.sassanova.com) on Wisconsin Avenue’s the place to go for cute shoes, and Pink November a block or two along the same street is an excellent option for boho-chic garb. Hot on Georgetown’s cubans, the U Street Corridor is building up a name for itself among dedicated boutique browsers – Meeps (www.meepsdc.com) has been fulfilling vintage fashion whims for nigh-on 20 years. On Sundays, don’t miss the flea market at Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market, where you’ll find enough knickknacks and objêts d’art to fill Aladdin’s cave.

Daytripper

Make the 45-minute drive from DC to Annapolis, the nautically minded capital of Maryland situated on seafood-rich Chesapeake Bay. After admiring the 18th-century houses lining its pretty streets, head to the Naval Academy, where you’ll find the Freedom 7 capsule that took Alan Shepard into space atmosphere, some stunning Tiffany stained-glass windows, and troupes of nattily uniformed undergrads. Enjoy a Chesapeake seafood lunch at the Treaty of Paris Restaurant in the Maryland Inn (+1 (410) 263 2641), or, if you don’t mind the inevitable (but worthwhile) wait for a table, try the blue crab at Cantlers Riverside Inn (www.cantlers.com). If you’re around on a Wednesday evening between May and September, head to the harbourside to watch the Wednesday night yacht race at 6.10pm – a tradition since the 1950s.

Perfect picnic

Pop into Eastern Market (www.easternmarket.net) on Capitol Hill to stock up on fresh farmers-market-type lunchables, then mosey over to the tidal basin close to the Jefferson Memorial, or one of the lawns on the Mall to eat your treats. If you’ve a car and a craving for countryside, head out into Virginia, past Arlington, to Great Falls (www.nps.gov/grfa) where the Potomac churns and eddies dramatically as it tumbles into Mather Gorge – there’s a pleasant shady picnic area on the bank.

Walks

Stroll around the National Mall (www.nps.gov/nama) – the great green lawn that stretches from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial – and you’ll have a hefty proportion of DC’s sights under your belt within half an hour. For an extended wander, take the Rock Creek trail from the Lincoln Memorial, and walk some of its 14 wooded miles to the Maryland border.

Children

The Smithsonian’s Air and Space museum (www.nasm.si.edu), with its dramatic foyer hung with historic planes, is a kids’ must-see. There can be fewer more appropriate activities for international children of mystery than a night spent code-cracking and unmasking moles (of the enemy agent, not garden variety) at one of the Spy Museum’s (www.spymuseum.org) regular slumber parties.

Activities

Almost everyone who visits takes a tour of DC, but far fewer have enjoyed the oddball pleasure of doing it by Segway. Hop on board one of Capital Segway’s quirky personal transporters for a three-hour scoot around the White House, FBI building, botanical gardens, and all the tick-box stop-offs (www.capitalsegway.com). If you prefer to do your sightseeing unmotorised, visit www.bikewashington.org to hire a cycle or arrange a guided tour. The Potomac Riverboat Company (www.potomacriverboatco.com) operates charters and water taxi sightseeing trips between Alexandria and Georgetown, and excursions to George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon. Outside the city in Virginia, Wolftrap (www.wolf-trap.org) is one of the US’s biggest concert venues, with a folk-flavoured calendar of musical spectacles.

And...

...the White House, or 'Executive Mansion' as it was first christened, is an instantly recognisable Washington icon, attracting millions of would-be president spotters each year. In these security-conscious days, however, anyone hoping to stride purposefully around the West Wing will go home disappointed – tours can only be booked by special arrangement with embassies or Congress.