Day 2 is way too much depending on how long you want to spend at each place

I figured day 2 had more sights but they were all close and quick hits with memorials and what not!

Does the morning checking out national mall/monuments and memorials then the afternoon checking out the capital buildings sound doable or should I shift any of it to day 3

Unless you’re really moving day 2 is too much

Do an early morning in DuPont grabbing coffee and checking out books. Then go check out the mall or closer to Georgetown.

100% recommend visiting the mall and monuments w a capital bikeshare bicycle rental. Every time I have fam in from out of town we rent bikes and it’s fantastic.

I would drop Dupont/waterfront from Day 3 and spread Day 2 over both 2 and 3. Dupont Circle and the waterfront are okay for going out for dinner but not worth a full day unless you have some particular connection to them.

People fail to realize- how long the blocks are in DC. Day 2 is impossible to fit all of that into one day. Maybe take a tour bus.

You can easily spend 30 minutes at each memorial/monument. The mall is about 2 miles long so plan time walking the whole thing.

The White House/archives are both a little ways off the actual mall. The archives almost always has a huge line of people there so plan to spend time to be able to see all the documents.

Capitol/Supreme Court/LOC are each quite a bit too depending if you want to do tours or just see the outside.

I would try to do some of it the morning of day three if possible

For day 4, plan your cemetery trip in advance if there are specific sites you want to see. I worked there for 2.5 years and you can do a lot of walking and not see a whole bunch.

Changing of the guard is on the hour (or every 30m from 1 Apr to 30 Sep) and best to do at this time of year in the mid-afternoon. Ed: since your flight is in the afternoon, mid or late morning is equally good.

Get the ANC Explorer app on your phone or visit the website - https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/.

You can walk one of the pre-built tours, customize them, or walk your own path. The south and east of the cemetery are newer sections, whereas the north and west are older (as a general rule of thumb). If I were to recommend something so that you see some decently cool stuff there in a compact time, you can check out the area between the confederate section in section 16, east to Memorial Amphitheater where the Mast of the Maine and Audie Murphy's grave are before going in to see the changing of the guard. Then, head north along Crook Walk and just east to the JFK and RFK, then back west past Tanner Amphitheater and the Civil War Unknown to section 1 in the NW near the gate to Fort Myer.

If you get a little more time, I'd check out General Hill in section 30 by Taft's grave (just NW of the Welcome Center). And, while you're on Crook's Walk, you can go visit the Arlington House, if it's open. I am not sure, since it's run by the National Park Service rather than the Army, and I've never been. Or you can check out the Notable Graves and devise your own points of interest.

If all that walking (and the hills) aren't appealing, there are tram tours at cost, but they come with a guided tour and a few stops.

Also, obligatory comment that I no longer work there because the organization's leadership is incredibly toxic and tries to cover up anything that could lead to bad publicity. But enjoy your visit.