Last updated August 20, 2026

The Friendship Archway, a Chinese-style paifang gate spanning H Street NW in Washington's Chinatown

Photo by Omar David Sandoval Sida (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0

Washington, D.C.

Where to Stay in Penn Quarter, Washington, D.C.

Penn Quarter is D.C.'s downtown core — a grid of restored 19th-century commercial buildings, museums, theaters, and Capital One Arena, sitting a few blocks north of the National Mall. It overlaps with Chinatown, marked by the Friendship Archway spanning H Street, and it's one of the most convenient bases in the city: the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the International Spy Museum, and Ford's Theatre are all within walking distance, and the Mall's museums are a 10-15 minute walk south.

What it's actually like to stay here

Busy and businesslike by day with office workers and museum-goers, and livelier at night around Capital One Arena on game nights and the restaurants along 7th and 8th Streets — a downtown grid rather than a quiet residential neighborhood.

Stay here if

Good for first-time visitors who want the shortest walk to the National Mall's museums and monuments, families who'll appreciate having several free Smithsonian museums within a few blocks, and budget travelers who can find lower-priced rooms here than in Georgetown or Dupont Circle.

Stay elsewhere if

Consider another area if you want a quieter, more residential feel at night, or if a Capital One Arena event has you wanting to avoid event-night crowds and noise near the arena itself.

Walkability
Very walkable — it's a compact street grid with wide sidewalks, and most of what you'd want (museums, restaurants, the Mall) is within a 15-minute walk of any hotel here.
Noise at night
Quiet after office hours on most blocks, but streets near Capital One Arena get loud and crowded during games and concerts, and 7th Street's restaurant strip stays lively into the evening.

Best Hotels in Penn Quarter, Washington, D.C.

Riggs Washington DC

★★★★★
  • 🏛️ Best for architecture & design

Our take A bold, design-forward reuse of a historic bank building that stands out from the standard convention-hotel look elsewhere in Penn Quarter, without losing the comfort you'd expect at this price point.

Highlights

  • Ornate former Riggs National Bank building, with soaring ceilings and details no new-build could match
  • Silver Lyan, the cocktail bar in the old bank vault, makes a distinctive evening out
  • Central Penn Quarter, walkable to the National Portrait Gallery, Capital One Arena, and National Mall

What to know

  • A boutique-scale design hotel, not a resort — don't expect a large spa or pool
  • Weekday rates run noticeably higher than weekends, reflecting the downtown business-travel crowd
Check availability on Booking.com

Waldorf Astoria Washington DC

★★★★★
  • ✨ Best luxury

Our take A grand, full-service hotel right on Pennsylvania Avenue in Penn Quarter, with an easy walk to the White House, the National Mall, and downtown's main sights.

Highlights

  • On Pennsylvania Avenue, with the White House, National Mall, and CityCenterDC an easy walk away
  • A full-service spa and fitness center, uncommon among Penn Quarter's boutique hotels
  • Peacock Alley, the on-site restaurant, covers breakfast or dinner without leaving the building

What to know

  • This is a full-price luxury property — rates run well above Penn Quarter's mid-range hotels
  • Its grand scale feels more traditional than nearby boutique hotels, which suits some travelers more than others
Check availability on Booking.com

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC

★★★★★
  • 📍 Best location

Our take Penn Quarter's convention hotels are mostly modern boxes; this one is an 1839 federal building, 12 minutes' walk from the National Mall.

Highlights

  • The restored 1839 General Post Office building, with unusually high ceilings and tall arched windows
  • A block from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery
  • Dirty Habit, the on-site restaurant and bar, is a draw in its own right

What to know

  • Rooms facing F Street can pick up some street noise; ask for a courtyard-facing room if you're a light sleeper
  • It's an older building, so room layouts and sizes vary more than in a purpose-built hotel
Check availability on Booking.com

Motto by Hilton Washington DC City Center

★★★
  • 💰 Best value

Our take A design-led room in the corner of Penn Quarter where Chinatown starts — worth booking if you want downtown DC on foot and don't need space to spread out in the evening.

Highlights

  • A few minutes' walk from the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station
  • Efficient, well-thought-out room layouts that make good use of a small footprint
  • Noticeably lower rates than Penn Quarter's full-service hotels, without giving up a central location

What to know

  • Rooms are genuinely compact — fine if you're out all day, tight if you want space
  • It sits right in the Chinatown/Capital One Arena stretch, which gets busy and loud on game nights
Check availability on Booking.com

Transportation & practical information

The Gallery Place-Chinatown and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metro stations sit right in the neighborhood, on the Red, Yellow, and Green Lines, making this one of the best-connected areas in the city.

Skip the rental car. Parking downtown is expensive and limited, traffic can be heavy, and the Metro, bus network, and walking cover the central neighborhoods well — Georgetown, which has no Metro stop, is still an easy bus ride or a 20-minute walk from Dupont Circle.

Related areas

The marble Dupont Circle Fountain at the center of the traffic circle, with the surrounding park in view

Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0

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Best for: First-time visitors, Couples, Architecture lovers

Healy Hall, Georgetown University's Flemish Romanesque clock tower and main building, on a clear day

Photo by Warren LeMay (Wikimedia Commons), Public domain (CC0)

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The brick Victorian facade of Eastern Market, the historic public market building on Capitol Hill

Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0

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