My opinion on visitors riding a bike in the city is the same as visitors driving in the city: don't do it unless you've done it before. I agree with AGLAIA761 very much when they say that riding a bike around the mall makes sense- from the Lincoln to the Capitol and back is fine, sure. But trying to navigate Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan and Chinatown on a bike if you've never ridden in the city before? Bad idea. Many city drivers pay little attention to bikers, even if there happens to be a bike lane on the road. The danger of riding on the streets forces many inexperienced riders up onto the sidewalk, creating a serious hazard to pedestrians- not to mention that the Capital Bikeshare rides are thick, unwieldly bikes and end up crowding the already populated sidewalks. Not to mention that you're probably more likely to pass out if you're huffing up Wisconsin Ave to the Cathedral in the middle of a DC July, the Metro (while yes, often arrives at completely arbitrary times), when combined with the Circulator bus service, will transport visitors within 5-15 minutes walking distance of basically every major attraction in the city. Unless you're adventurous enough to explore the Metrobus lines, I'd advise you to stick with the trains. Buy a Smartrip and bring a water bottle, and enjoy not having sweat stains all over your clothes while perusing the National Archives.

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