Hartford to Washington DC drive: Best stops, distance & time

The best road trip stops on the Hartford to Washington DC drive are New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The distance from Hartford to Washington DC by car is 340 miles, with a 6h5m driving time.

Planning a Hartford to Washington DC road trip itinerary

The Hartford to Washington DC drive takes you from the capital of Connecticut to the national capital.

The grand Connecticut State Capitol Building is the obvious centerpiece of Hartford CT, but the city has a strong collection of cultural attractions. The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History tells the state’s story, and the Wadsworth Atheneum Art Museum is home to more than 50,000 works. There’s a good mix of European and American art, plus plenty of Egyptian bronzes.

The two highlights are right next to each other, however. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and Mark Twain House celebrate the works and lives of two great American authors.

The top accommodation options in Hartford are the proudly grand Delamar West Hartford and the heritage-laced Goodwin.

Washington DC has an enormous range of tours, experiences and attractions available. You could happily spend weeks in the Smithsonian Museums alone. Top choices, however, include the nighttime monuments and memorials tour, small group guided visits to the Capitol and National Library of Congress and Lincoln assassination tours that visit Fords Theatre.

Memorable Washington DC accommodation options include the Willard, where Martin Luther King Jr wrote his I Have A Dream speech. There’s also the Watergate Hotel, a luxurious conversion of the offices from the Watergate scandal.

Hartford CT to Washington DC distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Hartford CT to Washington DC is 340 miles. The driving time is heavily traffic-dependent, but it usually takes around six hours and five minutes. The quickest route is largely along the I-91 and I-95.

The best stops to add to a Hartford to Washington DC road trip itinerary are New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual legs of the journey:

• Hartford to New Haven drive.
• New Haven to New York City drive.
• New York City to Philadelphia drive.
• Philadelphia to Baltimore drive.
• Baltimore to Washington DC drive.

Best stops between Hartford and Washington DC: New York City

Highlights of New York City include the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History.

For great New York tours, try the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a night time city lights helicopter flight and a Greenwich village food tour.

More unusual options include catacombs tours, a round-Manhattan architecture cruise and a guided exploration of Grand Central Station’s secrets.

You seriously need to shop around to find affordable New York City accommodation. Start looking for deals here.

Hartford to Washington DC road trip attractions: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Historic Philadelphia has a series of absolutely stellar attractions. Independence Hall, the Eastern State Penitentiary and the National Constitution Center are all utterly engrossing.

Other key attractions in Philadelphia include the Museum of the American Revolution, the Independence Seaport Museum and the Penn Museum. For great Philadelphia tour options, try the Old City historic walking tour, a night tour exploring the city’s dark side or an It’s Always Sunny-themed tour of South Philadelphia.

If looking for Philadelphia accommodation, the Club Quarters Rittenhouse Square is often great value, while the Kimpton Hotel Monaco has style and personality.

Hartford to Washington DC drive: Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is a character-packed port city that has spruced itself up in recent years and has a wealth of attractions to explore. The National Aquarium and the Fort McHenry National Monument are arguably the biggest two sights, but there’s an excellent range of Baltimore experiences to tackle.

Top choices include historical sightseeing tours, sailing on Inner Harbor and ghost tours in the Fell’s Point neighbourhood.

For other options, try brewery-hopping tours, helicopter rides and Fell’s Point food tours.

Waterfront Baltimore accommodation options include the Canopy at Harbor Point and the Sagamore Pendry in Fell’s Point.

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