Washington · 14 shopping districts
Fourteen districts, Georgetown to Tysons.
From Georgetown's M Street and the designer houses of CityCenterDC to Eastern Market's Saturday stalls and the malls at Tysons, every Washington shopping district we cover, with what to buy, when to go and how to get there.
Editor's pick
Georgetown
DC's oldest shopping district, where M Street NW carries the national flagships and Wisconsin Avenue climbs past independent boutiques, legacy shops and Book Hill toward R Street. Cady's Alley, a block south of M, holds the city's cluster of furniture and design showrooms, so it works for a full day of fashion, home and browsing.
This week
CityCenterDC
A five-block development between New York Ave and H St NW where the European fashion houses, jewelers and leather-goods brands have their DC boutiques, most of them on pedestrian Palmer Alley. It is the place for designer shopping downtown, with gelato, Italian restaurants and a garage underneath for a long, polished afternoon.
This week
Eastern Market
Capitol Hill's rowhouse main streets, centered on the 1873 Eastern Market hall with its butchers, bakers and weekend farmers, crafts and flea stalls, and running down 7th St SE, Pennsylvania Ave SE and Barracks Row on 8th St SE. Best for a weekend morning of market food, independent bookstores, gifts and vintage-leaning boutiques, then lunch on 8th Street.
This week
The Wharf
A mile of new waterfront along the Washington Channel in Southwest, where a handful of shops on District Square and Water St sit among piers, restaurants and the Municipal Fish Market, open since 1805. Best for an afternoon that mixes a bookstore and local-maker shopping with crabs, oysters and a walk on the water.
This week
Penn Quarter
The downtown blocks around F Street and 7th Street NW, from the National Archives up to the Chinatown arch, where museum stores, a big Barnes & Noble, a pen shop and national chains sit between the Smithsonian art museums and Capital One Arena. Best for folding real shopping into a museum, game or theater day.
This week
Union Market
A former wholesale market district in Northeast DC, now built around the Union Market food hall at 5th and Neal and La Cosecha, the Latin American market hall, with independent shops, galleries and showrooms on 4th and 5th Streets NE. Best for a long weekend afternoon of eating, browsing small makers and buying specialty food, a short walk from NoMa.
This week
Navy Yard
The Capitol Riverfront neighborhood around Nationals Park, rebuilt from the old naval industrial yards, where the shopping is a small cluster in the Boilermaker Shops at The Yards plus food shops, a winery and a brewery near the river. Best paired with a ballgame or a walk along the Anacostia rather than as a shopping trip on its own.
This week
Dupont Circle
The blocks of Connecticut Avenue, P Street and R Street around the circle, where long-running bookstores, designer consignment, tea shops and small galleries share rowhouse storefronts, many of them up a flight of stairs. Best for book browsers, secondhand-designer hunters and gallery walkers, especially on Sunday market mornings and First Fridays.
This week
14th Street
The 14th Street NW strip through Logan Circle up to U Street, where home and furniture stores, national lifestyle brands and consignment sit between restaurants and bars, with vintage and record shops on U Street. Best for a weekend afternoon that mixes browsing home goods and clothes with brunch or dinner.
This week
Adams Morgan
The 18th Street NW and Columbia Road NW crossroads, where vintage clothing, record shops, a two-floor used bookstore and quirky gift shops sit among a dense run of restaurants and bars. Best for an afternoon of thrifting and record digging that rolls into dinner.
This week
Old Town
The brick-sidewalk King Street mile in Alexandria, Virginia, running from the Potomac waterfront up to the King St Metro, with the region's largest cluster of independent boutiques plus antiques, bookstores and a few national stores. Best for a full day of browsing that starts at the Torpedo Factory and works uphill.
This week
Friendship Hts
The Wisconsin Avenue corridor straddling the DC/Maryland line, where The Collection at Chevy Chase, Wisconsin Place, Chevy Chase Pavilion and the rebuilt Mazza site mix jewelers and design showrooms with Bloomingdale's and everyday big stores. It suits a practical, Metro-friendly shopping run: a Tiffany or Le Creuset stop, then groceries and wine on the way home.
This week
Bethesda Row
A walkable open-air retail district in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, owned by Federal Realty and centered on Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda Lane and Woodmont Avenue, with national lifestyle brands, a few long-running local shops and plenty of restaurants. Good for an easy suburban shopping afternoon that pairs Apple, Sephora and fashion labels with lunch and a walk on the Capital Crescent Trail.
This week
Tysons
Two malls facing each other across International Drive in Tysons, Virginia: Tysons Galleria holds the region's densest run of luxury houses and big home-furnishing showrooms, while Tysons Corner Center is the larger, busier mall with Apple, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and more than 200 shops. Best for a one-stop day of brand shopping, with Metro's Silver Line connected directly to Tysons Corner Center.
This week
Where they are
Ten in the middle, four worth the trip.
Tap a pin to see what's there.
Plan a walking route across districts, then send it to Google Maps.
Plan a visit
Guides that cross the city.
A Saturday at Eastern Market and Barracks Row
A Capitol Hill Saturday that starts in the 1873 market hall and the weekend farm and craft stands, then works through the bookstores and gift shops on 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue before ending on Barracks Row.
Read guide →Georgetown Shopping Walk
A full day on foot through DC's oldest shopping district: M Street's flagships, the design showrooms around Cady's Alley, then up Wisconsin Avenue past legacy shops and consignment to Book Hill.
Read guide →Old Town Alexandria: A King Street Walk
A downhill day on foot from the King St–Old Town Metro to the Potomac: antiques and toys at the top of King, Virginia makers and stationery in the middle, bookshops and boutiques on the side streets, and artists' studios at the water.
Read guide →Stay in the loop
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