Washington DC travel guide

Capital of the most powerful nation in the world, Washington, DC draws in visitors with its impressive monuments, extraordinary museums and open-plan European feel.

Washington, DC's elegant National Mall and its stately buildings were once a marshy swamp but now its green parks, wide tree-lined streets and neighbourhoods make it a chic place to live. For many, the power and politics give it a heady mix and now DC has come of age with a truly excellent restaurant, bar, club and cultural scene, the city is a magnet for those who want to be where it is all happening.

Washington, DC craves the international spotlight and for the time being the arrival of the Obamas at the White House is putting the city on the map. The most tragic of events in the nation's capital occurred on 11 September 2001, when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon. Since that time, barricades, blocked-off streets, police and security checks have given parts of the city a different facade.