Best Day Trips from Washington DC

Washington DC's mid-Atlantic location and excellent Amtrak rail connections make it an ideal base for day trips to some of the East Coast's most historically significant and scenically beautiful destinations. Colonial Williamsburg and the historic triangle of Jamestown and Yorktown are just three hours by car, while the wine country of the Virginia Piedmont and the Shenandoah Valley are accessible in under two hours. The historic coastal city of Annapolis is just 45 minutes east, and the battlefields of Gettysburg, the natural beauty of Harper's Ferry, and the Chesapeake Bay watermen communities are all within reach for rewarding day excursions from the capital.