Best Day Trips from Washington DC 2026 — Shenandoah, Annapolis and Charlottesville Near Washington DC

Best Day Trips from Washington DC 2026

Washington DC sits at the nexus of the mid-Atlantic states, with the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia's Shenandoah just 90 minutes west and the Chesapeake Bay's colonial maritime towns 45 minutes east. Amtrak and MARC commuter rail extend the car-free options, and Virginia's Route 29 and Route 50 corridors open up wine country and presidential heritage sites. DC's strategic position between North and South also puts the Civil War's most significant battlefields within 2 hours. This guide covers the best day trips from Washington DC in 2026.

Top Day Trip Destinations from Washington DC

• Annapolis, Maryland (50km east, 45 minutes by car or MARC train to BWI then bus): the "sailing capital of the US" with a beautifully preserved colonial capital — the 1772 Maryland State House (America's oldest still in use as a legislature), the United States Naval Academy, the City Dock, and excellent Chesapeake Bay crab and oysters; Shenandoah National Park (120km west, 90 minutes by car): the Blue Ridge Mountains with the 170km Skyline Drive overlook road, hikes to Old Rag Mountain, Bearfence Mountain, and the Stony Man summit, and autumn foliage in October that rivals New England; entry $35 (AUD 54) per car; Monticello and Charlottesville (200km southwest, 2.5 hours by car or Amtrak to Charlottesville): Thomas Jefferson's extraordinary Palladian plantation house and UNESCO World Heritage Site ($35 / AUD 54), the University of Virginia's Rotunda (designed by Jefferson), and the Charlottesville wine country (Barboursville, King Family Vineyards) on the Monticello Wine Trail; Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (100km northwest, 1.5 hours by MARC Brunswick Line train): the dramatic river town at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where John Brown's 1859 raid helped spark the Civil War; the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park preserves the 19th-century townscape; MARC from Union Station; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (130km north, 2 hours by car): the Civil War's decisive July 1863 battle that turned the war; the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center (free), the Cyclorama painting, and the preserved battlefield with 1,300 monuments

Day Trip Logistics from Washington DC

• MARC commuter rail serves Annapolis (via BWI Airport transfer) and Harpers Ferry from Union Station; Amtrak trains from Union Station serve Charlottesville (for Monticello); a rental car from DCA, Dulles, or downtown DC is essential for Shenandoah and Gettysburg; the Virginia Wine Passport app is useful for planning wine country routes

This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.