Experience the sights and sounds of Washington, DC in one day on this guided walking and riding sightseeing tour around the nation’s capital. Visit the city’s historic, iconic landmarks and monuments, like the White House, the United States Capitol, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. See and learn about the memorials of famous American leaders who helped shape the United States, like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King, Jr., to name a few. Includes a seasonal Potomac River cruise.

Hop off for guided walks around the US Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial
Learn about the sights you see from your knowledgeable guide
Travel aboard state-of-the-art luxury 30-passenger coach

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

This tour’s river cruise and guided walking portions provide extra photo ops and insight.

What's Included

Transport by luxury bus - closed-top or glass-top/open-top bus
English-Speaking Live Tour Guide (on and off the bus)
On-board narration
Boat Cruise on the Potomac River (seasonal: April 1 to October 15)

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA
U.S. Navy Memorial

Start time

10:00 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet the guide and the rest of the tour group at a central meeting point.

From the comfort of an air-conditioned coach, drive past the White House, the many Smithsonian museums, the National Mall and much more. Enjoy an entertaining and educational narrative from the expert local guide, with frequent photo-op stops of the historic and iconic landmark locations.

Also, experience guided walks around the United States Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Along the way, learn about the history of these famous monuments and examine them up close.

This tour also features a scenic, seasonal boat cruise along the Potomac River (March 15 to October 16). We'll spend some time at beautiful Georgetown Waterfront Park for a lunch break, and after this, we re-board the bus to visit the Iwo Jima Memorial - with spectacular views of Arlington Cemetery and the Washington, D.C. landscape.

The tour concludes back at the original departure point.

United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center

Starts/Ends

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

Guided Walking Tour of the U.S. Capitol Building (outside only)

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Small carry-on bags are allowed, however it is recommended that you ravel lightly. Due to security concerns, the tour operator reserves the right to search any bags or purses you bring on board. Many of the attractions in Washington DC are equipped with metal detectors at the entrances. Traveling without bags or purses is recommended
Due to time restrictions, you cannot go inside any of the monuments, however you can spend about 15-20 minutes at each stop to enjoy up-close views
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
No food allowed on buses (snacks are fine!)
The boat cruise is seasonal from March 15 to October 15
Most travellers can participate
Convertible buses switch from open-tops to glass-tops between Oct 15 - Mar 15 due to colder temperatures
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

Be prepared for walking on the tour as many of the monuments requires getting off the coach and getting there by foot.

Reviews

4.5

1,564 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,564 reviews

DC in a day

Sheila_T, Mar 2023

Brittany was our host and had great knowledge and energy. This was a nice way to see the top highlights of DC in a day.

Dion was amazing❣️

Sheila_L, Mar 2023

We learned so much from the guide! Dion was like a walking encyclopedia! I would highly recommend this particular Guide for this tour to anyone who wants to learn more about the citiy’s treasures.

Great tour!!!

Cynthia_W, Mar 2023

I wanted to bring my daughter to Washington DC before she graduates high school next year. She is out on spring break this week so my husband and I thought this would be a great time. We got lost and was about 15 minutes late, they may accommodations to connect us with the rest of the group. The guide was very nice and full of information about every stop we made. I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone who was to visit DC and learn about the history of the monuments you will see.

Educational and enjoyable

Anna_G, Mar 2023

The tour guide Terry was very knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. Our driver was very courteous, friendly and punctual. Amazing experience. Will use company again and tour another city.

Informative Tour

Chastity_J, Mar 2023

John (Tour Guide) was professional and provided an excellent experience from beginning to end. He had a great depth of knowledge about all of the historical landmarks. Rafael (the driver) was also great at getting us around the city safely. Would highly recommend the tour.

The bus tour was great and the tour was very knowledgeable and did a great job.

Debbie_G, Mar 2023

The Martin Luther King Statue and the Abraham Lincoln Monument were two of the best displays. I was amazed at the size and likeness of each one.

Great way to start exploring Washington DC

Amanda_B, Mar 2023

My family and I took this tour on our first day in Washington DC. It was the best thing we did. We saw so much of the city and enjoyed the history with fun facts from Nick our tour guide. It gave us an idea of where things are located so we could make a decision on where we wanted to go the rest of the week. The tour bus driver and Maggie were also so kind and made us all feel welcome.

Awesome 6 hour trip!!

LUCIE_P, Mar 2023

Joey was our guide and she was extremely knowledgeable, and she took the time to go into details which we really enjoyed! our driver, Theo was great as well! They are a great team!

Worth the money.

KaushalKishore_A, Mar 2023

Well covered. Humorous knowledgeable. Handled the group well. Availability of translator would have made it more effective.

Awesome day.

Garzetta_B, Mar 2023

Nick and his stories were great . He was very knowledgeable and had us laughing and enjoying ourselves. We received an excellent history lesson.The driver very safe , attenative and pleasant. This was good experience . Every thing went so smoothly. Everyone was professional.I would take this tour again. I will also tell my friends.

A trip down history lane

Jose_A, Mar 2023

Tour guide was amazing very knowledgeable. Bus driver was kind and friendly. Only draw back was I wish we could have stayed at the stops a little longer to take it all in. Felt a little rushed only being able to stay 15-20 minutes when you have so much to read and appreciate.

Worth it!

Farah_E, Mar 2023

Joey was an awesome tour guide! She is very knowledgeable and had a lot of trivia too during the tour. We were able to go to a lot of places, it was very well worth it!!

Very informative & excellent overview of the memorials.

Carol_B, Feb 2023

Our guide not only told us a lot of great history of the sights but pointed out other landmarks which weren’t a part of our tour.

Cut trip from full day to half day without notice - no stop for lunch!

Linda_P, Feb 2023

We were never told the trip was being cut short. Left at 10:00 am and dropped off at Washington Monument at 1:45 without lunch and no restaurant in the area. This was supposed to be a full day tour (which we paid for) and lasting until approximately 4:00. No instruction was given about transportation back! Also, the tour guide did not use the microphone properly and the bus was so noisy we were unable to hear most of the narration:(

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hi Linda, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your experience. It sounds like you took a different tour (the 4 Hour "Highlights" Tour) than you had booked (the 6 Hour "Discover" Tour. I will follow up with Viator to ensure the disconnect between our reservation platforms is resolved. In the meantime, can you reach out to us either through Viator Customer Support so I can provide you a refund for the difference in cost between the tours?

Impressive tour

Jessica_H, Feb 2023

I have been to DC more times than I can count and I love history. However, I scheduled this tour for my boyfriend who is from Europe to learn more and see our American history in real life. I was extremely impressed with the tour and the guide was quick to answer questions and taught me quite a few things about our founding fathers that I did not know. Absolutely a must for anyone who is wanting to see all of the national mall and get great facts. Overall 10 for 10! Book it!

Response from Host, Feb 2023