How far is Washington, D.C. from the ocean?
Washington, D.C. is close to the sea: the nearest coastline is 21 miles (34 km) away in a straight line. The nearest stretch of coast is in Virginia, United States.
To the coast
21 miles
34 km · straight line
Nearest land border
287 miles
with Canada
Setting
Near the coast
102nd farthest from the ocean of 182 cities
Washington, D.C.Nearest point on the coast
How far are you from the ocean?
Measure from where you are standing. On a phone this uses GPS, so the answer is for your exact spot, not the city centre.
Washington, D.C. at a glance
- Coordinates
- 38.8951° N, 77.0364° W
- Region
- District of Columbia, United States
- Distance to the coast
- 21 miles (34 km), in a straight line
- Nearest point on the coast
- 38.6192° N, 77.1915° W (Virginia, United States)
- Nearest land border
- 287 miles (462 km), with Canada
- Among United States's cities
- 29th farthest from the ocean of the 40 cities measured
Nearby cities and the coast
Questions
How far is Washington, D.C. from the ocean?
Washington, D.C. is close to the sea: the nearest coastline is 21 miles (34 km) away in a straight line. The nearest stretch of coast is in Virginia, United States.
Is that the driving distance?
No. 21 miles (34 km) is the straight-line distance from the city centre to the nearest point on the shore. The drive to a beach is longer, often much longer, and depends on the roads.
How far is Washington, D.C. from the nearest border?
Washington, D.C. is 287 miles (462 km) from the nearest land border, with Canada, in a straight line.
Where in Washington, D.C. is this measured from?
From the city's centre point (38.8951° N, 77.0364° W). A large city spreads out, so some neighbourhoods are closer to the ocean than this and some farther. For an exact figure from where you are, use your own location.
Measured by MapGO on October 8, 2026 with the same coastline data as the distance to coastline calculator. All distances are straight lines over the Earth's surface.