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Georgetown Walking Tour: A Self-Guided Route Through D.C.
Georgetown was a busy tobacco port before Washington, D.C. existed, and you can still read that history in its brick sidewalks, Federal-style rowhouses, and hidden gardens. The best way to see it is slowly, on foot, with no tour group to keep up with.
This self-guided route covers about 3 miles and takes 2.5 to 4 hours, depending on how long you linger in the gardens and cafes. It runs from the Potomac waterfront up to the hilltop estates, then finishes at the Q Street Bridge, a short walk from Dupont Circle.
Getting there: Georgetown has no Metro stop. The easiest options are a 15 to 20 minute walk from Foggy Bottom-GWU station, a Metrobus along M Street or Wisconsin Avenue, or a rideshare to the waterfront. If you are staying with us in Dupont Circle, you can walk over in about 20 minutes.
The route
1. Georgetown Waterfront Park
Start at the river. Georgetown Waterfront Park stretches along the Potomac with views of Key Bridge, Roosevelt Island, and the Kennedy Center. Walk the stone labyrinth near the foot of 33rd Street, then head north up Thomas Jefferson Street.
2. The C&O Canal
A few blocks up, you will cross the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which once carried coal and grain 184.5 miles from Cumberland, Maryland. The Georgetown locks have been under a multi-year restoration, so check the NPS construction updates for towpath detours. If the canal boat is running, Georgetown Heritage offers narrated rides on a replica 19th-century packet boat.
3. The Old Stone House
Continue to M Street. Built in 1765, the Old Stone House at 3051 M Street is the oldest structure still standing on its original foundation in Washington. Step inside to see how a working family lived in colonial Georgetown, then rest in the English garden out back.
4. The Exorcist Steps
Walk west on M Street to 36th Street, where a steep stone staircase climbs to Prospect Street. These 75 steps became famous in the 1973 film The Exorcist, and D.C. made them an official landmark in 2015. Climbing them is the best leg workout in the neighborhood.
5. Georgetown University
At the top, head a few blocks west to the gates of Georgetown University, founded in 1789 and the oldest Catholic university in the country. The spired Healy Hall anchors the front lawn and is worth a photo from 37th and O Streets.
6. N Street and Cox’s Row
Turn back east along N Street, one of the prettiest residential blocks in D.C. Cox’s Row, the five Federal houses at 3327 to 3339 N Street, date to about 1817. A block further, 3307 N Street is where John and Jacqueline Kennedy lived before moving to the White House. These are private homes, so admire them from the sidewalk.
7. Tudor Place
Head uphill to 31st and Q Streets. Tudor Place was built by Martha Washington’s granddaughter and stayed in the same family for six generations. The house holds the largest collection of George Washington items outside Mount Vernon, and its 5.5 acres of gardens are a quiet escape. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
8. Dumbarton Oaks
Two blocks up at 32nd and R Streets, Dumbarton Oaks is the showpiece of the walk: 16 acres of terraced gardens designed by Beatrix Farrand, plus a free museum of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art. Through October 31, the gardens are open Tuesday to Sunday, 2 to 6 p.m., with tickets sold online in advance. From November 1, winter hours run 2 to 5 p.m. and entry is free.
9. Oak Hill Cemetery
Walk east along R Street to the gates of Oak Hill Cemetery at 30th Street. Founded in 1848, it tumbles down a hillside toward Rock Creek and is home to a Gothic Revival chapel by James Renwick, architect of the Smithsonian Castle. Admission is free. Please note the house rules: no food, drinks, or dogs, and photos of the landscape only.
10. Mount Zion United Methodist Church
Finish your history lesson at Mount Zion United Methodist Church, 1334 29th Street. Founded in 1816, it is the oldest Black congregation in Washington. Its members helped freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad, hiding them in a burial vault at the nearby Mount Zion Cemetery on Q Street. The church anchors the historic Herring Hill community and Georgetown’s African American Heritage Trail.
From here, walk east on Q Street and cross the Dumbarton Bridge, guarded by four bronze buffalo. You will be in Dupont Circle in about 15 minutes.
Where to eat and grab coffee along the way
- Baked & Wired, 1052 Thomas Jefferson Street. Just off the canal between stops 2 and 3, this bakery has been a Georgetown favorite for 25 years. Grab a coffee and a cupcake before the climb.
- Martin’s Tavern, 1264 Wisconsin Avenue. A short detour from N Street, this is where John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier in Booth 3 in 1953. Every president from Truman to George W. Bush has eaten here. A perfect lunch stop at the midpoint of the walk.
- Call Your Mother, 3428 O Street. Near the university, this tiny deli serves some of the city’s most talked-about bagels. Open daily 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., so plan it for a morning start.
Tips for the walk
- Wear real shoes. Georgetown’s brick sidewalks are uneven, and the route climbs steadily from the river to R Street.
- Time it around the gardens. Dumbarton Oaks gardens open at 2 p.m., so a late-morning start puts you there at the right moment. Buy tickets online before you go.
- Go on a weekday if you can. Tudor Place and Dumbarton Oaks are closed Mondays, and M Street is far calmer Tuesday through Friday.
- Visit in late October or early November. The hillside gardens and Oak Hill Cemetery turn gold and red, and the summer crowds are gone.
- Pack light for Oak Hill. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the cemetery, so finish your coffee before you arrive.
A local note
Most visitors see Georgetown from a restaurant patio on M Street and call it a day. The real neighborhood starts two blocks uphill, where the traffic noise fades and the only sound is someone’s garden gate. Take the long way. Walk the side streets between the stops. That is where Georgetown feels most like itself.
Make Dupont Circle your home base
This walk ends a 15 minute stroll from our Dupont Circle homes, so you can finish the day with your feet up in a space that feels like your own. Home Sweet City has been hosting guests in D.C.’s best neighborhoods since 2009.
