The District of Columbia and Washington, DC are one and the same thing. It is not a state, but an administrative district created to avoid having the capital city of the United States in one specific state.

Washington, named after the first president, was the first American city to be planned for a specific purpose. It was designed in 1790 by Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant and allowed for vast growth. It is a beautiful city with green parks, white marble buildings and broad, tree-lined streets laid out according to a design breathtaking in its scope and imagination. Washington has surprisingly few skyscrapers, giving it an European air. The capital of the nation has a multitude of federal offices and national organisations. It is a cosmopolitan city with a cultural diversity rivaled only by New York City.

Visitors from all over the world are drawn to this city by its monuments, museums and the power of politics. Most of the tourist attractions are located in the northwest quarter of the city. The scenic parks and gardens, covered with gorgeous cherry blossoms in spring, add natural beauty to the manmade splendour of this fascinating city.

A visit to this sophisticated, world-class city with top-notch entertainment and fine restaurants is a must for everyone. Visit it at least once - and then plan to go back again and again!

Two discrete, fascinating cities coexist in the diamond shaped District of Columbia. Most of Washington’s tourism revolves around the official city, capital of the world’s most prosperous nation and home of the federal government. Political Washington is a town of press conferences, power lunches, presidential intrigues and powerful memorials. It holds court in the Capitol, the White House, lobbying firms, and lawyers’ offices, memorializing itself in the endless number of monuments scattered throughout the city. The carnival it creates is a roller coasting testament to the vibrant (and sometimes scandalous) nature of American democracy.

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The second Washington exists outside of the Federal Government and its tourist haven. This so-called second city consists of a variety of communities, some colorful and prosperous, others overcome by poverty and crime. Parts of the second city like Georgetown and Dupont Circle are remarkably cosmopolitan, offering world-class museums, stunning parks, and fabulous places to dine, shop, and dance until the wee hours. But beyond the gleaming Northwest quadrant, in areas where few visitors venture, lie extremely poor communities. The presence of these poverty-stricken areas, sometimes within a few blocks of the seats of government, surprises many tourists, directly confronting visitors with the troubling paradoxes of American democracy.

The strange and ambitious experiment of Washington, D.C.—a capital built from scratch by an infant nation—has captivated the imagination of visitors and residents alike for over 200 years. Political powerhouse, bloated metropolis, and vigorous urban center all rolled into one, D.C. is a highly schizophrenic, dynamic, and immensely fascinating city.