comScore

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

#11 in Best Things To Do in Washington, D.C.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum picture in Washington, D.C.
Mr.TinDC / Flickr

Key Info

Price & Hours

  • Free; $1 per ticket transaction fee to reserve tickets online
  • 10 a.m.-5:20, 5:30 or 6:30 p.m. daily

Details

  • Museums Type
  • 2 hours to Half Day Time to Spend

Local Experts Scorecard
Based on 9 interviews

  • Must-see
  • Recommended
  • If You Have Time

Read about how we rank Things to Do.

You need to be in the right frame of mind to visit this sobering museum that focuses on the atrocities of the Holocaust during World War II. Upon entering the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, you'll be given an identification card with the name and personal information of an actual person who experienced the Holocaust; as you move through the exhibits – Hitler's rise to power, anti-Semitic propaganda, the horrors of the Final Solution – you'll be given updates on your person's well-being.

Past travelers felt moved by this powerful museum but cautioned that its graphic collection is not ideal for younger children. Many were especially impressed with its informative, thorough and respectful displays, adding that you can easily spend a few hours perusing its halls. Tickets are not needed to visit the museum's permanent exhibit between September and February but are required in the spring and summer and often run out, so consider reserving yours in advance online. Other exhibits and facilities like the Hall of Remembrance, the Survivors and Victims Resource Center, a library, restrooms and a gift shop can be visited year-round without a ticket.

There are no entrance fees for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, but a $1 transaction charge applies for tickets reserved on the museum's website. The property is open daily (except Yom Kippur and Christmas Day) from 10 a.m. to 5:20 p.m., with extended hours in the spring. It is located just south of the National Mall by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and the Washington Monument; the museum can be reached by taking the DC Circulator's National Mall bus to stop No. 6 or the Metro to Smithsonian station.

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Hotels Nearby

  • Thing to Do
  • Hotel
Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.

Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. ...

  • 0.6 Miles Away
  • 5.0-star Hotel Class
Hilton Washington DC National Mall

Hilton Washington DC National Mall ...

  • 0.4 Miles Away
  • 3.5-star Hotel Class
Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC

Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC ...

  • 0.3 Miles Away
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#1 Lincoln Memorial Although the Lincoln Memorial is just one of the District's many monuments, the larger-than-life Honest Abe is also among travelers' favorites. History buffs might enjoy the man of few ... Read more » Kevin Voelker Photography / Getty Images

#2 The White House and the Washington Monument Even if you're only in town for a short trip, visiting the Washington Monument and the White House – two marbleized symbols of the free world – is a must for ... Read more » www.stefanbock.de / Getty Images

#3 National World War II Memorial A popular memorial, the National World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004 to the 400,000-plus Americans who died during the war. A circle of 56 pilings (representing the ... Read more » OGphoto / Getty Images

#4 U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress Arguably the most magnificent building in Washington, the U.S. Capitol is where visitors go to witness politics in action. Inside, members of both houses of Congress debate and create ... Read more » Henryk Sadura / Getty Images

#5 Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials One of the most moving war memorials, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – or "the Wall," as it's commonly referred to – is a long black granite wall with the names of ... Read more » Peter Gridley / Getty Images

#6 National Gallery of Art If you're any kind of art connoisseur, you should make a stop at the National Gallery of Art. Composed of the East Building, which houses the gallery's more ... Read more » James P. Blair / Getty Images

#7 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Attracting millions of people each year, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum contains a trove of celebrated aircraft, including Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of ... Read more » PictureNet / Getty Images

#8 The Tidal Basin If you've never been to D.C. before, plan to spend some time along the Tidal Basin, a 2-mile-long pond that was once attached to the Potomac River and ... Read more » SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images

#9 National Archives Museum A treasure trove of the United States' founding documents, the National Archives Museum is high on travelers' to-do lists and almost always has long entrance lines. But once you do ... Read more » uschools / Getty Images

#10 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History With more than 126 million artifacts on display, this robust Smithsonian museum on the National Mall attracts millions of visitors each year. Some of the museum's highlights include tarantula ... Read more » Alex Proimos / Flickr

#11 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum You need to be in the right frame of mind to visit this sobering museum that focuses on the atrocities of the Holocaust during World War II. Upon entering the ... Read more » Mr.TinDC / Flickr

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#14 Washington National Cathedral Construction first began on this massive cathedral – the sixth largest in the world –  in 1907, but it wasn't actually completed until 1990. Designed in the Gothic style, the Washington ... Read more » Westend61 / Getty Images

# Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Located beside the Tidal Basin, this 30-foot-high granite memorial pays homage to civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Everything from its address at 1964 Independence Ave. (a reference ... Read more » Anthony Quintano / Flickr

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# Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture Designed to replicate the three-tiered crowns found in Yoruban art from West Africa, with bronze-colored latticework accents that honor the United States' slave roots, the Smithsonian National Museum of African ... Read more » Open minded in Alabama / Flickr

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National Archives Museum picture in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History picture in Washington, D.C.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum picture in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute picture in Washington, D.C.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial picture in Washington, D.C.
Newseum picture in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture picture in Washington, D.C.
Lincoln Memorial picture in Washington, D.C.
The White House and Washington Monument picture in Washington, D.C.
National World War II Memorial picture in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress picture in Washington, D.C.
Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials picture in Washington, D.C.
National Gallery of Art picture in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum picture in Washington, D.C.
The Tidal Basin picture in Washington, D.C.
National Archives Museum picture in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History picture in Washington, D.C.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum picture in Washington, D.C.
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The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts picture in Washington, D.C.
Washington National Cathedral picture in Washington, D.C.
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Newseum picture in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture picture in Washington, D.C.
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