What tour should I take in Washington DC?

Updated: 15 noviembre 2023

Figuring out what tour to take can be a hard choice! We offer a number of a tours, so we thought we'd put all the public tours we offer in one place to help you decide.

WHAT TOUR SHOULD I TAKE IN DC?


What tours are being offered as public tours right now?

Keep in mind that any tour we offer can also be booked as a private tour, but we also offer a lot more types of tours as private tours! You can read about Private DC Tours here.

Regularly Scheduled Public Tours

Seasonal:

Can't make any of the tours on our Public Tour Schedule and don't want to book a private tour? We also have a number of Audio Tours available and you can take any of our Virtual Tours via our YouTube Channel


What is the difference between the three National Mall tours?

National Mall: 2 hour tour that visits: White House, Washington Monument, WWII, Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln Memorials.

National Mall & Tidal Basin: 3 hour tour that visits WWII, Vietnam, Korean, Lincoln, MLK, FDR and Jefferson Memorial

Memorials & Moonlight: 2 hour tour that visits WWII, MLK, Korean and Lincoln Memorials.


Kid Friendly Tours

Many of our guides are former teachers, so we love kids on our tours! We don't put age limits on any of our tours (even our "adults only") but these tours are best for younger visitors:

  • National Mall Tours - we have a scavenger hunt .pdf that you can use for free to our National Mall tour! We have a 2 hour National Mall tour and a 3 hour tour that extends to visit the Tidal Basin.
  • Arlington National Cemetery 
  • Lincoln's Assassination
  • Capitol Hill
  • Ghosts of Georgetown
  • Holiday Lights (December Only)
  • Georgetown Glow (seasonal)

Our Historic Georgetown tour welcomes kids, but it's a lot of historic homes and political celebrities. It's not usually of interest to our younger visitors unless they love history! 

Adults Only Tours

We don't put an age limit on these tours, but they do cover sex, murder, affairs. You can decide who is old enough to handle it!

  • Embassy Row: True Crimes & Scandals
  • Capitol Hill Ghosts & Scandals 
  • White House at Night
  • Wicked Georgetown

Nighttime Tours

Washington DC is a 9 to 5 kind of city, so here are some tours you can take after hours.

  • Memorials & Moonlight
  • Lincoln Assassination 
  • Ghosts of Georgetown
  • Embassy Row: True Crimes & Scandals
  • White House Ghosts
  • Capitol Hill Ghosts and Scandals
  • White House at Night
  • Holiday Lights (December only)
  • Georgetown Glow (seasonal)

True Crime, Scandals & Ghost Tours

Love true crime or the scandalous side of history? What about ghosts?

  • Embassy Row: True Crimes & Scandals
  • White House Ghosts
  • Capitol Hill Ghosts & Scandals
  • White House at Night
  • Ghosts of Georgetown

Local Neighborhood Tours

  • Historic Georgetown
  • SE DC Anacostia Tours
  • U St NW History & Street Art
  • Embassy Row

Best Tours for First Time Visitors

We think all of our tours are great for first-time visitors. And what tour you would like really depends on... YOU! 

But these are the most popular tours for first-time visitors. 

  • National Mall Tours
  • Capitol Hill
  • Arlington National Cemetery
  • Lincoln's Assassination 
  • Embassy Row

Best Tours for Locals / Repeat Visitors

Same as above - we think all our tours are great for everyone! What you find interesting is will influence what tours you'll like best. But we have a number of tours that are more popular with locals:

  • Historic Georgetown
  • Embassy Row
  • White House at Night
  • Lincoln's Assassination
  • U Street NW History & Street Art


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About The Author

Canden Arciniega

Follow On Instagram | I'm a historian & tour guide in Washington DC with 4 published books about the city. I have written for HuffPost Travel and have been featured in the Washington Post, WTOP, and numerous other DC papers. I've also been interviewed by the BBC, NPR, Travel Channel and Discovery Family Channel. I am the producer of the podcast, Tour Guide Tell All. I am an authority on D.C. history, and have led tours in the city since 2011. I currently resides in DC, but have also lived in London and South Korea, and have traveled to over 28 countries and every US State but Hawaii. I homeschool my 2 children by exploring the plethora of museums in DC. Read More...
Updated: noviembre 15th, 2023
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