WASHINGTON, D.C.
The best way to spend a day in D.C.
The 15 best tours in Washington, with what each one covers, what it costs and how long to set aside. A shortlist for planning real days on and off the National Mall.
DC Memorials night tour from US Navy Memorial Plaza with a glass-roof upgrade, photo stops, and guided stories of floodlit monuments.
Most Popular“Awesome tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable. The tour bus was clean and the driver was safe.”
A 3-hour National Mall night coach tour with 10+ photo stops, professional guide commentary, and optional museum upgrades for later visits.
“Sally was excellent and very informative! Highly recommend! So much to see and learn in three hours. Also the tour moves quick.”
Ride an open-air trolley by moonlight for a guided loop of DC’s top monuments, with live narration and timed stops for photos.
“quality of the guide beauty of the night me perspective ease of travel experience comfort of trolley friendliness of service”
Hop-on hop-off open-top bus in Washington DC with 18 stops, audio-guided sights, and optional Arlington and sunset add-ons from $49.
“Pre-recorded spiel so often what it mentions is either somewhere ahead of you or somewhere behind you. Worse, it does not tell you what you got aboard to hear. Three times it played music and described what a great musical history the city has, while a dozen other sites slide past with no other info…”
A 6-hour Washington DC guided tour with bus-and-walk routing, seasonal Potomac cruise, and an optional glass-top upgrade from $89.
“This tour is a fantastic way to experience the awesome monuments and buildings that make DC such a unique venue to visit, in a limited amount of time. Our tour guide Nick’s knowledge of American history is amazing, he is a walking encyclopedia of facts, and he shares them mixed with delightful stories and humor…”
Small-group electric cart tour of DC’s National Mall and Capitol Hill with expert narration, photo stops, and easy pacing.
“Our family received a great introduction to Washington DC with the open air, little red vehicle. Our guide was so knowledgeable and professional. This was much better than the big On-Off buses!”
See Washington DC’s National Mall lit up on an open-air electric cart. Night narration, great photos, and stops at major memorials.
“Seeing the city at night was beautiful!! Our guide Rich was very informative and his knowledge of the city was greatly appreciated.”
A 15-stop hop-on hop-off trolley through Washington, DC’s biggest landmarks, with English narration or a seven-language app.
“Very informative and definitely a great way to travel and see all the sites without being on foot the entire time”
Arlington National Cemetery walking tour with the Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns, plus JFK and other key memorials.
“Derrick was an exceptional tour guide. His deep knowledge of Arlington history (and history in general) provided our entire group with a memorable experience. Wonderful tour. Highly recommend. Thanks Derrick!”
Washington DC at night: a 3-hour bus tour with 10+ lit monument photo stops, guided narration, and optional museum upgrades.
“The tour guide was very kind. There was some confusion when she said it was a walking tour. It sounded like she was saying the bus would take us to a single stop and we would walk. Getting some passengers a little worried we had paid a lot for something we could do on our…”
Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off in Washington DC covers the National Mall and top memorials with unlimited hops, audio commentary, and app tracking.
“It hit all the places we wanted to see on the upper deck, the weather was perfect, we had a lot of fun”
Guided Segway tour in Washington DC: 30-minute training, headset commentary, and fast stops at White House, memorials, and landmarks.
“The event was well organised and very helpful in understanding whats going on in central Washington. Our two guides who accompanied the group of around 15 were wonderful, very helpful and knowledgable. They explain many details to us and their approach was very friendly. Unfortunately I had a couple of mishaps with the handling of…”
Small-group tour inside the US Capitol plus Library of Congress or Supreme Court, with reserved entry and guided history for $67.
“A really great tour, from beginning to end we saw and learned so much about the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Our tour guide Skye was so knowledgeable, friendly and experienced.”
See 10 Washington DC monuments by night on a small-group tour with a guided van ride, photo stops, and story-filled stops across the Mall.
“Great guided tour of DC at night. I was so impressed with Dean’s knowledge. He was a great guide. There was some walking but not heavy.”
Washington DC monuments lit at night on a 150-minute trolley tour with guided stops at MLK/FDR and Lincoln areas. $48.
“Excellent tour around Washington´s monuments. Our guide was very nice, polite and informative. We spend two and a half hours which really passed quite quickly due to this highly interesting tour.”
Every corner of the capital, and every way to see it.
