Recommend hotels in D.C. Do I need to rent a car?

I'd stay in the Bethesda area (cheaper than Downtown, and right on the Metro)

DO NOT drive in DC if you don't have to. It's a terrible experience. You'll be able to walk/Metro everywhere you want to go, and even take the bus if you want/need to.

You would only need a car if you plan to go outside of DC like to Mt Vernon or Monticello. But plenty of things to see around DC especially the Mall area. The Metro subway system gets you about anywhere; you can even take it from Reagan National- just outside the door- or Baltimore airport- shuttle bus will take you to the metro station. As to where to stay, hotels are $$$$$ expensive right in DC. For a few minutes' ride, look at hotels in Crystal City- between Reagan and the Pentagon. Number of hotels (actually it is in Arlington VA) and good quality ones. The Crystal City Mall is a block or so away from the hotels, one sits next to it. Movie theater and food there, plus a metro subway station. Double Tree hotel there is really nice, and it is a Double Tree Suites with two rooms- bedroom and living room area for extra room. Other hotels also nearby are decent and $100 or more a night cheaper than right in DC.

Check out the Embassy Suites hotel in the Crystal City section of Arlington, just across the river from DC. A short walk from the hotel will take you to a Metro subway station, which will take you quickly and safely to the various tourist attractions, eliminating the need for a rental car. If you're flying into town, National Airport is very close to the hotel, and I believe the hotel has a free shuttle bus there.

In the evening, Crystal City is safe to wander around, and has a number of good restaurants. The Pentagon City Shopping Mall--one of the largest in the area--is a ten minute walk from the hotel.

VeggieTart and Don W are regulars here on this Q&A board, and can be trusted for their informative answers. So either one of their answers here right now qualifies as best answer.

But allow me to tell you why you really don't want a car in DC.

Being the nation's capital, they often have either parades or protests in the city. This will mean that they will close major streets and roads and try their best to reroute the traffic. Guess what? You're from out of town and suddenly a temporary road block is set-up and pointing a single arrow to "somewhere else", instead of the street you wanted to go down. You're going to get lost. Very lost.

Another interesting thing about DC is how they try to control the commuter traffic. Some roads have electronic signs that make them only "One Way" during the morning and evening rush hours. So, in the mornings, it's one way into the city. Then in the late afternoon, it's one way out of the city. More confusion.

Washington DC has limited parking spaces for automobiles. And, when you can find a space, it's going to be expensive. When I have to travel into DC for business, I almost always park my car near one of the Metro (subway) stations and then take the Metro (subway) into DC.

Just about everything you want to see as a tourist in DC can be accessed from the Metro-subway.

Also, for just one day, you can buy an all day rider ticket on one of those tourmobile buses (there are a couple of different companies that run them). That ticket will allow you to hop on and off those buses, all day long, and stop at all of the major places.

Trust me, you do NOT want to rent a car when there is public transit readily available (not to mention almost no parking near the Mall).

And why take cabs when there is Metro? It's a lot cheaper than a cab and will get you to anywhere on the National Mall. The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Korean Veterans Memorial are all near each other, and walkable from a Metro station. Many of the museums around the Mall are walkable to each other and near a Metro station. Okay, it has its issues, but it gets me almost everywhere I need to go.

Check out www.wmata.com to plan your trip.

Oh my no with your itin you can walk, take Metro or cab, renting a car would be worthless in DC. If you fly into Reagan National you can even take Metro from the airport.