Washington, D.C.

Eyewitness Travel Guides

by Alice L. Powers (Contributor)

DK Eyewitness Travel's full-color guidebooks to hundreds of destinations around the world truly show you what others only tell you. They have become renowned for their visual excellence, which includes unparalleled photography, 3-D mapping, and specially commissioned cutaway illustrations.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are the only guides that work equally well for inspiration, as a planning tool, a practical resource while traveling, and a keepsake following any trip.

Each guide is packed with the up-to-date, reliable destination information every traveler needs, including extensive hotel and restaurant listings, themed itineraries, lush photography, and numerous maps.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, History, The World, Dc Comics, Childrens

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politics aside, is there a better place to wander in the USA than Washington, DC? So many beautiful boulevards and buildings; so many museums at little or no cost; and almost any type of food that you can get in the USA (as well as many other cuisines) is available here.

I was excited about looking at this new edition. It has a handy size and weight that almost can fit in a large pocket or purse. As is the case for most DK publications, there are many beautiful photos and in addition there is a handy laminated map included which shows the streets, subways and distances to other places of interest in the outer realms.

The book is organized by several topics:
Geographical area
and then "must see" items

A lot of the book is usable in planning a trip because it prioritizes the sights, lists what can be done in a day or two and distinguishes many items by season.

Many "museums" are provided with floor maps that could be very helpful.

There may not be enough information on some of the sights. For instance, I was disappointed in the short description of the National Museum of the American Indian....a museum that I found outstanding in its presentations.

It is a pricey, thin book but it could be the one of choice to tote with if you have already decided what to see and just want to have something at hand to lay out the alternatives and distances to what you want to do next.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm already a fan of Dorling Kindersley books. The 'Washington D.C.' guide was first published in G.B. in 2000 and has had revisions almost every year since. For the prospective tourist, this has everything that is required. Focus is on downtown, set out in five sections, The Mall, Capitol Hill, Penn Quarter, The White House and Foggy Bottom and Georgetown. All the main tourist sites are covered, many with the typical D.K. exploded diagrams.
If you need greater detail and information for the surrounding districts, maybe the 'Lonely Planet Guide' is for you. Other than that, there is not much to choose between these guides. Both provide good practical information, travelers requirements and surrounding places of interest.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book with loads of info.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel series have many advantages. These colourful pocket sized guides are easy to take along. I know this will fit into the zip pocket of my camera bag. The fold out maps are most useful, this one has a good system map of the metro which is essential. All DK guides feature the exploded diagrams of museums and art galleries, providing they are rated among the top ten lists.
I would always recommend doing your travel homework with other detailed guides before you travel and if you are like me and travel as light as possible, these guides are strong contenders to accompany you on your visit.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid DK travel guide. Removing one star as they ditched the glossy pages for the 2019 editions of their guides. As usual, don't pay too much attention to the restaurant recommendations as those can vary widely from year to year. But the core tourist destinations all look to be solid. DC has lots of options and this guide has helped me plan a future family trip. I like how the book breaks the region into neighborhoods with a neat 20-25 minute walking trail guide for each. Bonus - includes pullout map inside the back cover. Wish I knew before purchasing separate pocket maps from amazon.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Among typical travel books, this one could be considered “lite.” It is a visually appealing book with lots of photos and beautiful drawn maps, along with a good deal of history of the city sprinkled in. However, there are more robust books that would be more helpful in planning restaurants, hotels, and activities.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for first-time visitors. I appreciated how the information was organized into categories (i.e. "Washington for Art Lovers", "The Potomac", "Black History", "Gardens & Greenscapes" etc) and provides you with a list of sites and local history that may interest you on each topic.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful book. I used this book as my main source for info on an 8 day trip to DC and it helped me decide my itinerary and priorities. Well organized and handy. Recommend.

[Eve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't buy the 2019 version. The quality is terrible.

[Charmaine Peck]

Yet another travel book... have to get one every place I visit. Of course DK Eyewitness books have great illustrations as well.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Información completa y con datos muy interesantes sobre la construcción de la ciudad.

[Barbpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful

[Ola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for traveling to Washington DC.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful, brief information and visuals for the major sites in and near the National Mall.

[Nabarun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good guide for DC travel. If you are looking for a 3-day or 5-day detailed itinerary, you won't find it here. But it's a good book for people who want to know more about the history of DC areas and what museums and memorials are around the place, which places to eat and drink and where to stay.

[Jbussen · Rating 1 out of 5]

After my trip to DC I have to wonder about the use of travel books at all. I borrowed 3 and they were all equally useless.

[Ellista Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for students to learn about Washington D.C., America's capital. Great for students who love reading about facts and looking through pictures. Informs students about D.C.'s important buildings and cultural sights. This book has a high amount of more complicated vocabulary but can still be read by students who will be assisted through their reading by numerous pictures.
ATOS: 10.0
Lex: 1610L
Trait: orginazation

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Metro map on the back inside cover to all the great pictures this guide is a winner! It's small enough to go in a purse and it has quite enough information in it. I loved that it told you which Metro exit to get off on for each attraction. The organization was good and I had no problem finding places at all.

This little gem covers the main points of each attraction, has a plethora of maps that are easy to follow, and is quite simple to just pull out and use. Of course one must mention the pictures as they enhance the experience by leaps and bounds. Bravo! I brought this guide and the The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. (Unofficial Guides) and this one I used almost constantly while that one stayed at the hotel although there were useful parts to it.

The only thing I was not overly impressed with was the restaurants so I turned to my fellow yelpers for help on that.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in the Washington suburbs, go into D.C. several times a month, and still, at times, feel I need guidance. This Eyewitness Guide offers a good overview in photos and brief text entries of the city. Particular attention is lavished on the Smithsonian museums and national Mall, which, of course, is number one on most tourist itineraries. There's a section of three guided walks as well as a section devoted to sights outside the city proper. Unlike some Eyewitness Guides, this one is pocket- or purse-friendly: it's fairly lightweight. The introductory section on history is quite brief -- a true American history buff will want something more substantial. However, for most visitors, this should prove to be an adequate resource.

[Anna Catherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed this from the library to hopefully help with trip plans, and then I actually ended up liking it so much I read the whole thing cover-to-cover. I'm not usually a big fan of DK-style books in general, but this one really worked for me. With a plethora of maps, many helpful tidbits (foodtruckfiesta.com looks like an exceptionally great resource) and almost everything you could possibly need to know (including some things which are painfully obvious for US readers, like "drive on the right side of the road"), this tour guide has it all. Very useful for trip planning, and I'm seriously considering buying a copy to carry around DC.

[Nao]

i love this series of guidebooks. i also love knopf map guides, which usually have like 95% of all streets shown so that you can literally follow the maps and never get lost, and they fold up in a really manageable way.

people always underestimate guidebooks. they want to be spontaneous, carry as little stuff as possible, and they figure that the investment will not pay off. but the people that read the guidebooks tend to be in charge of the trips, cut out much unnecessary going backward and forward, and can discover things that they might not have come across in moments of spontaneity.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great travel book by DK. I love the pictures, they are vivid and clear. The artist renderings of the buildings by street are also a great way to see where you are and where you are going. The restaurant choices are excellent, never had a bad meal when choosing out of the book. I will definitely look for the books for future travels.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting little book. Contained a large quantity of information, despite being such a small book. Great for travelers who may not have a lot of time and/or want to make the most of whatever section of the city they have time to visit. Nice map included. Great source, but not the best. Probably average.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice color photographs that made us familiar with places before we arrived. Not my favorite for planning, but nice for layouts and pictures of attractions. This is another one I like better after the trip.

[Jennifer Fetterly]

Used on recent trip to Washington D.C. Small and discreet, nice to not have to lug around a phone book size guide book. Found Laminated cover and map handy in torrential downpours to cover head. Metro map helpful. Only complaint-not enough restaurant listings.

[João Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was fortunate enough to have locals in Washington and unfortunate to be there for so little days, but this guide, as all DK - American Express Guides, are great companions for the trip and previous preparation

[Andrea Mudd · Rating 3 out of 5]

We really enjoyed reading the history of D.C. To prepare us for our visit. The maps were just Okay. Other reviewers had raved about them but we found the free map that we got from our hotel to be more helpful.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just right for a short trip to DC. It included everything that we wanted to do and then some. These "Top 10" books work great if you're on a tight schedule and want to hit the highlights.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I much prefer "Lonely Planet" guides, but as an available taster & introduction for my first trip to Washington DC, it's more than adequate. The cut away diagrams are a nice touch, but I miss the extra detail to be found in the LP guides.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of a series of guidebooks that is set up to cover cities through the world with the idea of the 10 best of everything. Size of the book is small with colored illustrations, maps, and covers landmarks, museums, restaurants, monuments, etc.