Washington, DC: A guide to short-term rentals

Whether you’re coming to delve into American history or feel the might of the city’s current political power, Washington DC is a visitor’s paradise, with restaurants and cultural attractions galore. A short-term rental is the best way to explore all that the city has to offer.

Kasa's short-term rentals in Washington, DC

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

Discover Washington, DC

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

The capital of the United States is more than a center of national and global power, housing the American federal government (and all those who seek to influence it). Washington DC is home to some of the most iconic monuments, extraordinary museums, and finest restaurants in the world.

The city sits on the east bank of the Potomac River, facing Virginia, and the rest of the city is surrounded by Maryland. To the chagrin of some residents, DC (short for District of Columbia) is not itself a state. It’s a federal territory, established in 1790 expressly to serve as the seat of the federal government. The site was chosen because of its centrality along the Eastern Seaboard, where the original American states were concentrated.

Sitting right on the border between the country’s North and South, the city was named after George Washington, the Revolutionary War general and America’s first president, although Washington’s presidency was primarily based in New York City, the nation’s first capital after the conclusion of the American Revolution. Congress held its first session in the District (a favorite local shorthand for the city) in 1800, and 12 years later the newly-constructed city was burned to the ground by the British during the War of 1812. During the Civil War, the city’s population expanded, and DC became a destination for enslaved people who were able to escape or freed.

As the United States and its government increased in size, so did the city. Today, DC proper is home to some 700,000 residents. But the DC metro area, encompassing parts of Virginia and Maryland, has a population of over 5 million. The city has multiple faces: it’s home to vast federal agencies and their workers; it’s a protest center, routinely descended on by groups with a range of objectives; it’s a tourist destination, hosting tens of millions of visitors per year; it’s a cache of an extraordinary number of historical artifacts; and it’s a hip, bustling metropolis with great food and scenic neighborhoods. And there are great short-term rental options near it all.