Best self-guided walking tour of Georgetown, D.C.
by Irene Daria
This walk takes you to the best of contemporary and historic Georgetown. Stroll along the lively riverfront, follow the scenic C&O Canal with its historic locks, wander through peaceful cobblestone alleys, admire historic homes, and pause at irresistible bakeries, boutiques, and restaurants. You’ll end with a true sense of the neighborhood and plenty of ideas for where to explore or linger. We recommend starting at the river but, since the walk is a loop, you can start at any place that is convenient for you. A map with a key is at the bottom of this post. If you want to see the map as you read through the following, click here for a printable PDF of the map and key.
1. Georgetown Waterfront Park
Our walk starts at the Potomac River because that is where, and why, Georgetown began. It was originally tobacco port and its deep-water access quickly turned it into a bustling commercial hub — warehouses, wharves and taverns lined the waterfront.
When you ask your Uber driver to bring you to Georgetown Waterfront Park you will most likely get dropped off at the entrance to Washington Harbour, a modern shopping and dining complex anchored by four wedding-venue style restaurants. On weekends, you will see many brides and grooms here! With the river ahead of you, turn right, and you will reach the actual 10-acre park. Stroll along the waterfront and enjoy views of people kayaking, crewing, or taking sightseeing cruises. In addition to the waterfront promenade, there are walkways, benches, and large open lawn areas. If you would like to read some interesting history about Georgetown as you are starting this tour, click here.
When you are done at the park…
Head towards 31st Street, which marks the eastern edge of the park. If you exit from Washington Harbour, turn left and then turn right onto 31st Street to head inland. Thirty-first Street is a lovely street that will bring you to Stop #3 (The Canal Towpath) before you reach Stop #2 (Baked & Wired). The towpath and bakery are just steps apart. Turn right onto the towpath. Walk one block and then turn right onto Thomas Jefferson Street.
2. Baked & Wired (1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW)
This is a nice little bakery where you can pick up coffee, tea, or one of their popular cupcakes. (Try the red velvet.)
Exit the bakery, turn left, and then turn left again onto the towpath.
3. C&O Canal Towpath (Lock 4)
Once used by mules to tow boats, the towpath features colorful brick homes and five historic locks. The canal currently has no water in it because the locks are undergoing a $12.7 million restoration. The project began in March 2024 and is expected to last through Winter 2026. Even without water, the towpath—especially the one-block long stretch at scenic Lock 4—is very pretty. Here is a link to what Lock 4 looked like in 1910.
With Thomas Jefferson Street to your back, cross 31st Street and turn left, walking towards (and past) the Rosewood Hotel. (Wolfgang Puck’s Cut restaurant is in the front corner of the hotel, facing the canal.) Walk past the hotel and make an immediate right into the alley behind it. Walk through the block-long alley to Wisconsin Ave. Walk across Wisconsin and continue on to the start of Grace Street.
4. Grace Street
This short, historic street is lined with fun, small cafes and bakeries on your left. Look for a pretty brick plaza tucked into the large brick building on your right.
Georgetown is full of tucked-away plazas like this one along Grace Street.
Continue 0.1 mi | 2 min west on Grace St, to…
4A. Cecil Place
This is a tiny street that leads down to the river and is lined with row homes. Take a peek down it, then…
Follow Grace Street as it turns to the right. In front of you will be a really nice…
4B. Scenic canal walk and sitting area
Walk towards the canal. In front of you, you will see another pretty plaza/sitting area.
Turn left, and walk the equivalent of a few blocks with the canal on your right. You’ll come to cement stairs that bring you to a pedestrian bridge that will take you across the canal.
Walk over the pedestrian bridge and walk one block to M Street. Turn left. Cady’s Alley is half a block ahead on your left.
5. Cady’s Alley
If you were walking on M Street, you would probably walk right by the nondescript entrance to Cady’s Alley. Don’t! It’s a charming cobblestone street anchoring some lovely upscale shops. Enter where the sign says, “Cady’s Alley” and walk down the outdoor stairs to the plaza. Ahead of you, you will see charming Kafé Leopold. Walk through the café’s outdoor sitting area and turn right onto Cady’s Alley. You will discover a peaceful oasis just one block away from frenetic, heavily trafficked, boutique-lined M Street.
Walk to the end of Cady’s Alley. On your left, you will see a tiny little sitting area with three blue Adirondack chairs overlooking the towpath. Turn right onto 34th St. and walk one short block to M St. On the corner of 34th and M St. you will find the Forrest-Marbury House.
6. Forrest-Marbury House (3350 M St NW)
The Forrest-Marbury House is one of Georgetown’s most historically significant residences: the very roots of Washington, D.C., were planted in this house. In 1791, a Revolutionary War hero hosted a dinner here for George Washington and for landowners who were being asked to sell their land so that the city of Washington, D.C. could be created. The landowners said yes, and America’s capital was born. In 1800, William Marbury bought the building. Marbury is the man whose landmark case, Marbury v. Madison, resulted in the Supreme Court being allowed to rule on whether the actions of the legislative and executive branches of government are constitutional. This authority serves as a critical component of our country’s system of checks and balances, ensuring that no branch of government oversteps its designated powers.
Continue 0.2 mi | 4 min west to Prospect St, then right to Halcyon House.
7. Halcyon House (3400 Prospect St NW)
Perched on a rise overlooking the Potomac, Halcyon House is one of Georgetown’s grandest mansions. Built in 1787 by Benjamin Stoddert, the first U.S. Secretary of the Navy, the home became a gathering place for early American statesmen. Its neoclassical architecture and expansive gardens reflected the ambition of the new republic. Over the centuries, Halcyon passed through the hands of colorful owners—among them Albert Gallatin, the longest-serving U.S. Treasury Secretary under Jefferson and Madison. By the 20th century, Halcyon gained a reputation for being both glamorous and a little mysterious; tales of hauntings swirled while prominent Washingtonians hosted glittering soirées within its walls. Today, Halcyon House isn’t a private residence—it’s the headquarters of the nonprofit organization Halcyon, which supports social entrepreneurs. It hosst programs, fellowships, and incubators for people who are starting businesses or nonprofits that tackle big social and environmental challenges.
Continue 0.1 mi | 2 min west to Prospect House.
8. Prospect House (3508 Prospect St NW)
Built around 1788 by Revolutionary War hero James Lingan, Prospect House is one of Georgetown’s earliest estates. With sweeping views of the Potomac, it soon became a hub of social and political life. The home welcomed many dignitaries, including President John Adams. During the Civil War, the property was pressed into Union service because of its strategic views of the river. In the late 1940s, it was bought by the Secretary of Defense under President Harry Truman. President Truman used this house for entertaining visiting heads of state because he was living at Blair House while the White House was being renovated. Over the years, Prospect House remained a gathering place for Washington’s elite.
Continue along Prospect Street until you reach the next corner, which is 36th Street. On your left, you will see the…
8A. Exorcist Stairs (Prospect St at 36 St.)
These are the stairs where the priest fell to his death in The Exorcist. Today students, locals, and firemen walk—or run—up and down them for exercise. When we visited, firemen were doing just that!
Keep going along Prospect Street and the third house after the stairs is the…
8B. Transformer House
In January 2021, Newton Howard, a cognitive science professor at Georgetown University, installed two 2-ton sculptures depicting the characters Optimus Prime and Bumblebee from Transformers outside his $4 million rowhouse. He said the statues symbolized the potential for cooperation between humans and artificial intelligence or robots. Some neighbors and the Old Georgetown Board (OGB), which has jurisdiction over the exterior architecture and aesthetics of the historic district, hated the statues and said they detracted from the neighborhood's historic Victorian character. The Board unanimously ordered Howard to remove the statues. Howard ignored the order, citing the right of free speech and the fact that children love them and even leave flowers for them. Not only did he ignore the ruling, but according to DCist, he replaced the Optimus Prime statue with an even bigger one, and put the smaller one on the roof. The legal battle continues.
Cross the street to where 36th Street begins and walk along it to see…
9. 36th Street NW
You’ll see lots of rowhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries. Rowhouses are attached homes that were built in rapidly expanding cities to maximize the use of space. This street was home to the working class of Georgetown. It is especially charming at night, but the rowhouses look like they could use some TLC during the day.
36th Street ends at P. Street. Turn left onto P Street, then left again onto 37th Street.
10. Georgetown University
On your right is the Georgetown campus, Copley Lawn, and Healey Hall, the magnificent Gothic Revival building that serves as a symbol of the university and is its main administrative hub.
Walk 2 blocks to N Street. Turn left and walk to the corner of N and 36 Street. Here you will see…
11. Holy Trinity Church (Corner of 36 and O Streets)
John and Jackie Kennedy attended mass here and, as you will soon see, lived just a few blocks away.
With the church to your left, walk along N Street towards…
12. Cox’s Row (3327–3339 N St NW)
Built in 1807 by Colonel John Cox, a wealthy merchant, Revolutionary War veteran, and close associate of George Washington, these five brick homes are some of the finest examples of Federal-style rowhouses in the city. Cox, who later served as the mayor of Georgetown, intended these homes as both a showcase of prosperity and a statement of refinement in the young capital. Their symmetry, Flemish bond brickwork, and elegant doorways reflect the fashionable Federal style of the early 19th century.
Vocab lesson: Federal is a type of symmetrical architecture that was used in the United States after the American Revolution. The homes are typically made of brick, and the front door is typically topped with a decorative fanlight window. (Those are semi-circular windows with wooden pieces in them that make them look like an open fan.)
Click here for a brief description of Federal architecture. Click here for a more detailed explanation.
Continue along N Street and, near the end of the block, you will reach…
13. John F. Kennedy Residence (3307 N St NW)
John F. Kennedy bought this house in 1957 as a gift for his wife, Jackie, after she gave birth to their daughter, Caroline. Kennedy was a senator at the time and he planned much of his presidential campaign inside this house John Jr. was born while the family lived here. JFK announced his campaign from the front steps and, after he was elected in November 1960, he would use the steps to announce cabinet appointments to throngs of reporters and photographers.
The family lived here for three years until John and Jackie walked out the front door for his inauguration on January 20, 1961. (Photo via dmarlin.com)
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Click here for a walking tour that takes you to all of JFK’s homes in Georgetown. There were many and he sure did love N Street! Click here for some wonderful photos of John and Jackie in front of 3307 and at some of their other Georgetown residences.
Walk to the corner and turn left onto 33rd St. Walk one block north to O Street. Turn right onto O Street and walk to…
14. St. John’s Episcopal Church (3240 O St NW)
Built in 1796–1809; parishioners included Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key (who wrote the Star Spangled Banner) and Dolley Madison.
Continue on O Street for 2 min to Wisconsin Ave, then turn right to…
15. Martin’s Tavern (1264 Wisconsin Ave NW)
This is the historic tavern where JFK proposed to Jackie. Don’t be shy about walking in to see Booth #3 (where the proposal happened) even if you are not eating here. The tavern welcomes visitors and even has a brochure printed to give you all the info on who sat where.
Booth 1: Every Sunday after mass at Holy Trinity, JFK sat at the tiny rumble seat (Booth 1) immediately to the right of the entrance and read the paper. After he was elected president, he wrote the first draft of his inauguration speech on a yellow legal pad at this booth.
Booth 2. Richard Nixon frequently dined here during the 1940s and 1950s, while serving as a representative, senator, and vice president.
Booth 3: The Proposal Booth. JFK and Jackie frequently dined at Booth 3, and he proposed to her there on June 24, 1953.
Booth 6: Harry Truman, then a senator from Missouri. ate here frequently with his wife and daughter while their daughter was a student at George Washington University.
Booth 24: According to his biographer, Lyndon B. Johnson dined here often when he was a congressman. He would sit with his mentor and discuss which bills they wanted to pass or defeat.
Table 12 is where George Bush, his wife, Laura, and their twin daughters sat while they were in town visiting President George W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush.
Exit Martin’s Tavern, turn left and walk up Wisconsin Avenue to…
16. Boulangerie Christophe (1422 Wisconsin Ave NW)
This is a lovely bakery with a covered outdoor sitting area in the back. The sourdough breads, french pastries, and the sandwiches all look great. And the crepes come highly recommended.
Cross Wisconsin Avenue and walk east on O Street to 31 St and turn left. 31st Street is very pretty and begins a slight uphill climb to the really ritzy part of town. Walk along it until you reach…
17. Tudor Place (1644 31st St NW)
This is one of Georgetown’s grandest estates. In 1794, a merchant named Francis Lowndes started a house here but never finished it. Then, in 1805, a young couple swept in with deep pockets and even deeper connections: Thomas Peter and his wife Martha Parke Custis Peter. Martha wasn’t just anybody — she was the granddaughter of Martha Washington. Thanks to family wealth (and, rumor has it, a generous inheritance from George Washington himself), they bought the 8½ acres for $8,000 — quite a sum at the time.
They hired Dr. William Thornton, the first architect of the U.S. Capitol, to finish the job. And what a job he did. Notice that dramatic temple-like portico with its domed ceiling — it’s designed to impress. Imagine arriving here in the early 1800s: a carriage rolling up the drive, marble steps gleaming, the house looming like a Roman temple in the middle of Georgetown Heights.
Inside, Tudor Place became the heart of the Peter family for six generations. Over the years, the estate hosted lavish parties, political gatherings, and some arguments. During the Civil War, Martha’s daughter Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon lived here. She had Southern sympathies, which put her in a tight spot in Union-occupied D.C. At one point, Union troops threatened to seize the house for a hospital, but she managed to hold onto it — though she did rent out rooms when money got tight. She famously turned down Julia Grant, the First Lady, saying, essentially, “No thanks, Mrs. Grant, not in my house.”
The gardens themselves were part of the magic. From formal parterres to a boxwood ellipse and even a lily pond, the grounds were as much a stage for showing off wealth and taste as the mansion itself. Today, they are lovely to walk through and there are many benches and tables throughout where you can sit and linger.
The estate stayed in the Peter family until the 1980s. The last private owner, Armistead Peter III, left it to a foundation, and in 1988 Tudor Place opened to the public. Today it’s a National Historic Landmark and museum. Make sure to walk to the back and check out the storage room, smokehouse and the historic car in the garage. It’s really a lovely spot.
Continue on 31st Street to R Street. Directly ahead of you will be the entrance to…
18. Dumbarton Oaks & Gardens (1703 32nd St NW)
The story begins in 1801, when a wealthy Georgetown merchant named William Hammond Dorsey built a grand Federal-style house up here on the heights. Back then, this was practically countryside — a peaceful perch overlooking the young capital. Over the years, the estate passed through several owners, but it didn’t really become Dumbarton Oaks as we know it until the 20th century.
Enter Robert Woods Bliss and his wife, Mildred Barnes Bliss, in 1920. Robert was a career diplomat, and Mildred was an heiress with exquisite taste and a passion for art; together, they were the ultimate Georgetown power couple. They transformed the property into their personal paradise. How? By hiring Beatrix Farrand, one of America’s first and most celebrated female landscape architects.
Farrand designed the gardens as a series of “outdoor rooms.” As you walk through them, each section feels like stepping into a different world — formal terraces, winding brick paths, a lovers’ lane shaded by trees, and a few fountains. The gardens are just as much about surprise as beauty; you never quite know what vista or hidden corner you’ll stumble upon next.
Inside the house, the Blisses collected world-class art — especially Byzantine treasures. Their collection grew so important that it became the foundation of the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, which scholars still use today.
But the real historical claim to fame came in 1944, when Dumbarton Oaks hosted an international conference that drafted the "Dumbarton Oaks Proposals" which laid the groundwork for the creation of the United Nations. Imagine diplomats from around the world strolling these gardens, debating the shape of the post–World War II order. The estate went from genteel retreat to global stage almost overnight.
Eventually, the Blisses gave Dumbarton Oaks to Harvard University, which continues to maintain it as a research center and museum. Today, the gardens are open to the public — and they are, without question, some of the most enchanting green spaces in all of Washington, D.C. The gardens are especially magnificent when the wisteria is in bloom.
After you exit, turn left onto R Street and walk until you reach the cemetery. You will pass a few pretty parks along the way.
19. Oak Hill Cemetery (2801 R St NW)
Oak Hill was founded in 1849, as part of America’s “rural cemetery movement.” Before this, burial grounds were usually crowded churchyards. The new idea was to create sprawling, landscaped cemeteries outside city centers — part park, part memorial, a place for both mourning and Sunday strolls.
The land for Oak Hill was donated by William Wilson Corcoran, the wealthy banker and philanthropist who built the country’s first art museum. Corcoran was one of the country’s first collectors of American art. He was passionate about sharing his collection and, in the mid-1850s, opened a gallery in his home for public viewing several times a week. He soon built his namesake museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, with the mission of “encouraging American genius.” Corcoran hired architect James Renwick Jr. — the same man who designed the Smithsonian Castle — to create Oak Hill’s striking Gothic Revival chapel. Completed in 1850, the little stone chapel looks like it’s been plucked straight out of medieval Europe and dropped onto this hillside.
The cemetery consists of 22 acres of rolling hills, ancient oaks, winding lanes, and elaborate Victorian monuments. Some are towering obelisks, others are modest headstones, but together they tell the story of 19th- and 20th-century Washington. Imagine it: families picnicking here on Sundays, mourning veils fluttering in the breeze, carriages winding slowly up the paths. This was as much a social space as a sacred one.
Take a peek inside if you wish, and then continue on until R Street ends and you will turn right onto 28 St. Turn left on Q Street to see…
20. Dumbarton House (2715 Q St NW)
The house was built around 1800, when Georgetown was still a bustling port town, full of merchants and sailors hauling goods up the Potomac. The first known resident was Joseph Nourse, the very first Register of the U.S. Treasury. Imagine him here in the early 1800s, balancing the young nation’s books by candlelight.
Over the years, Dumbarton House passed through a parade of distinguished owners, but perhaps its most dramatic moment came in August 1814, when the British burned Washington during the War of 1812. The president was out fighting and Dolley Madison was forced to flee the White House. The owner of Dumbarton House, Charles Carroll, came to save her but, first, she insisted on saving the famous painting Gilbert Stuart of George Washington. Here is an excerpt from the Dumbarton House website that tells the story:
“Dolley recalled the events in a letter to her sister Lucy Payne Washington Todd:
“Our kind friend, Mr. Carroll, has come to hasten my departure, and is in a very bad humour with me because I insist on waiting until the large picture of General Washington is secured, and it requires to be unscrewed from the wall. This process was found too tedious for these perilous moments; I have ordered the frame to be broken, and the canvas taken out. It is done! and the precious portrait placed in the hands of two gentlemen from New York, for safekeeping.
And now, dear sister, I must leave this house, or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take. When I shall again write to you, or where I shall be tomorrow, I cannot tell!“
– Dolley Madison Papers, Manuscript Division, The Library of Congress
With her sister Anna Payne Cutts’s family, and a carriage-full of official papers, red velvet curtains, and silver, Dolley set off down the only road, Pennsylvania Avenue. Fleeing citizens, many angry with what they called “Madison’s War,” jostled against them. Bridge Street (now M) took the carriage party over Rock Creek into Georgetown. From there, they turned right and climbed the hill. In those days, the Carroll mansion (now Dumbarton House) commanded a broad view of Washington, its forests and surrounding farm land.” From the house, they watched with horror as the British set fire to the capital and the White House, and the First Lady fled the city.
Note: Dumbarton House is currently closed for the foreseeable future for a major HVAC overhaul.
Retrace your steps on Q Street and then turn right on 29 St. to…
21. Mount Zion United Methodist Church (1334 29th St NW)
This is the oldest Black congregation in Washington, D.C.. The story begins in 1816, when a group of free and enslaved African Americans broke away from the mostly white Montgomery Street Methodist Church in Georgetown. They wanted a place to worship where they wouldn’t be pushed to the margins — literally. At Montgomery Street, Black worshippers were forced to sit in the gallery or in separate seating. So they founded their own congregation: Mount Zion.
At first, they met in a humble frame structure. But by 1876, the growing congregation completed the handsome red-brick Gothic Revival church we see today. During the Civil War, Mount Zion and its churchyard played a critical role in the Underground Railroad. Oral tradition tells us that the adjacent old burial ground was used as a hiding place for enslaved people seeking freedom. Beneath the cemetery, vaults and crypts offered cover during their journeys north.
Today, Mount Zion is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and remains an active church.
Continue heading south on 29 Street until you reach M Street.
21A. Pennsylvania Avenue.
On your left, you will see the start of Pennsylvania Avenue, home to many of DC’s most important buildings, including the White House and the Capitol Building. It features so prominently in our government that it is often referred to as “America’s Main Street.”
Turn right on M Street. This is Georgetown’s VERY busy shopping street with narrow sidewalks and lots of traffic. Pop in and out of any shops that interest you and eventually make your way to…
22. Old Stone House (3051 M St NW)
Lovely Old Stone House stands smack in the middle of M Street’s hustle and bustle. It is 1.) the oldest house in D.C. still standing on its original foundation and 2) the oldest unchanged building here. The only reason it is still standing is because of a rumor that was not true.
In the 1800s, people thought George Washington slept here while he was surveying the city. He didn’t. But once the rumor spread, nobody dared tear the house down. Over the years, this place has had many incarnations. It’s been a hat shop, tailor, clockmaker’s studio and even an auto dealership. Imagine cars parked in the colonial garden!
In 1953, the federal government purchased it and made it a national historic landmark. Today, it’s run by the National Park Service and preserved almost exactly as it was in the 18th century — original floors, original walls, original fireplaces.
22A. Optional stops: Near the Old Stone House, Osteria Mozza (2900 M St NW) is a really nice place to grab lunch or dinner. Levain Bakery is a must-visit if you don’t have a location near your home. It started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and now has locations throughout the country. Their chocolate-chocolate chip cookie is amazing and is #1 n the cookie category on our list of Good City Living food favorites.
Our tour is finished and rest of the day is yours. Wander back to any stops you might have noticed, but didn’t stop at, as we walked. (I, personally, would head back to Boulangerie Christophe the next time I do this walk. Definitely want to try their sourdough.) If you want to return to the canal area or to the waterfront park, the most direct route is walking south on 31 Street, which is just west of the Old Stone House.
22A. Georgetown Waterfront Park
This is where our walk began. I hope you enjoyed it!