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Washington National Cathedral

Photo: Peter Swanson / CC BY-SA 4.0

🎡 Attractions

Washington National Cathedral

Washington, DC · Georgetown & Northwest

About

Perched on Mount Saint Alban above Northwest Washington, this is the sixth-largest cathedral on earth and a full-bore feat of 14th-century English Gothic, built stone on stone over 83 years with no steel holding it up. Inside, 215 stained-glass windows pour color down the nave, including the Space Window with a sliver of moon rock set in the glass, and outside the towers hide more than a hundred carved grotesques, among them a Darth Vader sculpted from a kid's design contest. Worship and quiet prayer are always free; daytime sightseeing runs a timed ticket, and it is well worth climbing toward the tower gallery for the long view back over the city.

Highlights

14th-century English Gothic, no steel frame215 stained-glass windows including the moon-rock Space WindowDarth Vader grotesque hidden in the towersTower gallery views over Washington

Getting there

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Washington D.C. Attractions23 places

Washington D.C. Attractions

No city packs more world-class attractions into a walk than Washington, and most of it is free. The Smithsonians line the National Mall like a museum mile, from the moon lander hanging in Air and Space to the Hope Diamond and the Wright Flyer. Between them stand the monuments and memorials: Lincoln gazing down the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument over the Tidal Basin cherry trees, the marble halls of the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Bring good shoes and a full day, and you still will not see it all.