Alexandria: A guide to short-term rentals

A bustling suburb of Washington DC, Alexandria is a gem along the Potomac, with a historic downtown and excellent food. A short-term rental is the best way to explore all that the city has to offer.

Kasa's short-term rentals in Alexandria

With short-term rentals in the city’s most exciting neighborhoods, Kasa offers comfortable and convenient accommodations no matter what brings you to Alexandria or where you need to go.

Discover Alexandria

After booking your short-term rental in Alexandria, here's everything you need to know for your trip.

Alexandria is a city of over 150,000 located along the Potomac River about seven miles south of the center of Washington DC. Part of the DC metro area, the city is largely populated by federal workers from the civil service, branches of the military, and government contractors, particularly in defense. Alexandria is known for its Old Town neighborhood, the city’s historic center, which has a cluster of restaurants, antique stores, and boutiques, as well as entertainment, that draw locals and visitors alike.

The area that now includes Alexandria was inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. In 1608, the English explorer John Smith visited the area and encountered multiple tribes and settlements. In 1791, Alexandria was part of the area set aside for the creation of a new U.S. capital, but it was later returned to Virginia after ongoing conflict with the rest of DC and Alexandria’s geographic separation from DC’s city center. During the War of 1812, the British captured Alexandria without resistance and raided the city’s stores of goods as part of their larger attack on the U.S. capital.

In the 1820s and 1830s, Alexandria was the site of one of the country’s largest markets for the selling of enslaved people, and when the area was occupied by the Union during the Civil War the site became a jail. The Civil War’s first casualities for both the North and South were in Alexandria, and after slavery was abolished formerly enslaved people surged into Alexandria in large numbers.

In the twentieth century, Alexandria became an industrial hub and a protest center during the Civil Rights movement. In the mid-twentieth century, Alexandria was the home of Vice President Gerald Ford, since there was not yet an official Vice Presidential residence. After Nixon resigned, Ford remained in his Alexandria home for a week and a half, so the city was home to the sitting president. Today, Alexandria is a bustling suburb with its own identity and attractions, and there are great short-term rental options near it all.