The first-time list for Washington DC is short: Ford's Theatre, the International Spy Museum, Mount Vernon and a night walk past the memorials. On 8 November 2026 we measured the walk from Ford's Theatre to the Spy Museum, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial at 2.9 miles, 63 minutes on foot. Mount Vernon is 15.3 miles from Ford's Theatre, so it needs its own day.
What we measured on 8 November 2026
We routed pedestrian and car paths between the sights on 8 November 2026, using street addresses placed on a map. Driving times assume no traffic.
| Trip | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ford's Theatre to the Spy Museum, on foot | 1.09 miles | 24 minutes |
| Ford's Theatre to the Washington Monument, on foot | 0.81 miles | 17 minutes |
| Spy Museum to the Washington Monument, on foot | 0.82 miles | 18 minutes |
| Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, on foot | 1.0 mile | 21 minutes |
| Ford's Theatre to the Lincoln Memorial, on foot | 1.63 miles | 35 minutes |
| Ford's Theatre to Mount Vernon, by car | 15.3 miles | 35 minutes |
| Huntington Metro area to Mount Vernon, by car | 6.6 miles | 16 minutes |
- The Spy Museum is the farthest of the three downtown stops. Ride the Metro to L'Enfant Plaza instead of walking if you are short on time.
- Walk from the Monument to the Lincoln Memorial after dark. It is the one leg worth the 21 minutes.
- Mount Vernon is a half-day trip at least. Plan the whole day.
At the entry prices below, Ford's Theatre ($5) and Mount Vernon ($30) cost $35 per adult together.
Ford's Theatre
Address: 511 10th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Hours: Open every day of the year, with entries every half hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving Day and 25 December. The recreated theatre may be unavailable during performances or rehearsals, and the Ford's Theatre Society calendar shows what is open for each entry time
Price: No park entrance fee, but timed reservations are required. An online reservation costs $5.00 per ticket, up to six tickets, and the fee applies on fee-free days too. Free same-day tickets are at the box office while supplies last, and they can sell out
A ticket covers the museum, the theatre and the Petersen House. The park says to buy online at least one day ahead.
International Spy Museum
Address: 700 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20024
Hours: September to February: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March to June: Sunday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. July and August: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last ticket is sold one hour before closing. On Tuesday 10 November the museum closes at 3 p.m., with last entry at 2 p.m.
Price: The price changes by date and the museum's visit page lists no amount. Its ticket calendar at calendar.spymuseum.org shows each day's price
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is George Washington's estate, in Virginia.
Address: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Hours: Open every day of the year. On 8 November 2026 the page listed 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Price: Adults (12 and up) $30. Youth (6 to 11) $16. Children 5 and under free. Parking is free
The mansion needs its own timed tour ticket, sold online or at the gate. On busy days, including weekends, the first tour can start 2 hours or more after you arrive, so reserve online. Hours change by season, so check the day's hours on mountvernon.org before you go.
Washington National Cathedral
Address: 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Sightseeing hours vary with services and events, and prices vary by tour type. Check the day's hours and tour prices at cathedral.org before you go. Worship services and private prayer are always free.
The monuments at night
Hours: "The public may visit the sites of National Mall and Memorial Parks 24 hours per day." Rangers are on duty to answer questions from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily
Price: The National Park Service lists no fee for visiting the sites
That covers the open-air sites. Ford's Theatre and the Washington Monument have their own hours pages. The NPS hours page was last updated in January 2020.
Getting around
Getting there: Metrorail full fare: weekdays 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., $2.25 to $6.75. Weekday evenings after 9:30 p.m. and weekends, $2.25 to $2.50. Reduced fare is $1.10 to $3.35 on weekdays and $1.10 to $1.25 on evenings and weekends. A regular bus costs $2.25, and a rail-to-bus transfer within 2 hours is free with SmarTrip or contactless payment
Our car-free guide has the lines and the airport routes.
A sample day
Start at Ford's Theatre when the first entries open at 9 a.m. Walk 24 minutes to the Spy Museum (1.09 miles), then 18 minutes to the Washington Monument (0.82 miles), then 21 minutes to the Lincoln Memorial (1.0 mile). That is 63 minutes and 2.9 miles of walking, and the memorials stay open after dark. The Spy Museum's last ticket is at 5 p.m. on weekdays from September to February. Give Mount Vernon its own day.
Sources
Checked 8 Nov 2026: NPS Ford's Theatre hours and fees pages; NPS National Mall hours page; International Spy Museum visit page; WMATA basic fares page; Mount Vernon plan-your-visit page. Distances and times: pedestrian and car routing on OpenStreetMap data from routing.openstreetmap.de, addresses placed by the US Census geocoder and OpenStreetMap, 8 Nov 2026. Check the Washington Monument's hours, the Metro one-day pass price, the Spy Museum's ticket calendar and the Cathedral's site (cathedral.org) for your date.
