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National Mall Tour

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National Mall

We offer four different National Mall tours from a moonlight stroll to a 3 hour National Mall and Tidal Basin tour to see them all!

This highly engaging National Mall tour will take you through the heart of the Mall, entertaining you and your family with stories, hidden secrets, and historical information.  

Free Tours by Foot - Washington DCExcellentFree Tours by Foot - Washington DC4.9 Based on 413 reviews fromSee all reviews review us onVikas C.Vikas C. ★★★★★ The National Mall tour was an enlightening journey through America's rich history and cultural heritage, Each iconic landmark revealing significance and beauty. Our tour guide was amesing with knowledge of those places, every step offered a profound connection to the heart of the nation. Nice Tour.Sanjay P.Sanjay P. ★★★★★ The National Mall Tour is a captivating journey through America's history and culture, with iconic landmarks and memorials. A must-visit experience that beautifully encapsulates the nation's spirit in the heart of Washington, D.C.nikesh S.nikesh S. ★★★★★ The National Mall & Memorials & Tidal Basin Walking Tour is an enriching expedition that seamlessly weaves through the storied landmarks of Washington, D.C. From the majestic monuments to the serene Tidal Basin, every step resonates with the capital's history and natural beauty, creating an unforgettable and insightful experience.Karmen A.Karmen A. ★★★★★ I took 2 tours from this company: tour of the National Mall and tour of the Capitol. I loved our guides on both tours Becca and Rebecca! Both were knowledgeable and fun. I highly recommend both tours.Clayton D.Clayton D. ★★★★★ Becca was awesome and knowledgeable. It was a great fun and learning experience doing the National Mall walking tourRegina L.Regina L. ★★★★★ UPDATED DECEMBER 2021 - THE BEST. After visiting for Easter weekend 2019, I was eager to return for more tours during my Christmas 2021 trip. This tour company is truly THE BEST. I was lucky enough to join 2 tours with Becca - the Arlington National Cemetery Tour and the National Mall and Tidal Basin Tour, as well as 2 tours with Eli - the Downtown Holiday Lights and History Tour and the Ghosts of Georgetown Tour. While the Downtown Holiday Lights and History Tour was a bit lighter on history, the 3 other tours were deep dives. Becca and Eli are both fantastic storytellers. Becca told me that she is a historian and contributes to tour development, and boy, do her knowledge and enthusiasm show. I wish I could have taken even more tours with them for the 5 days that I was in DC, but several of their group tours were cancelled due to the holidays, which is understandable. They try to promptly communicate tour changes. If you're in DC and like history and culture, sign up with them. They're great storytellers who have put a huge amount of effort into creating highly informative and entertaining tours.APRIL 2019 - While visiting Washington, DC, I went on 2 Free Tours by Foot this Saturday - the Historic Georgetown tour with Erin and the Lincoln Assassination tour with Boglarka. Erin is a school teacher and tour guide. Boglarka is a full-time tour guide. Both women were excellent tour guides. They were much more energetic, more insightful, and funnier than a more expensive tour guide I used Friday night.On Friday night, I arrived in DC too late to join a group tour, so I went on a small private tour that included car service. This private tour was fine and very convenient, but nothing special, especially for the price. On Saturday, my schedule allowed me to fit in 2 Free Tours by Foot, and those are the tours I loved and will remember for years to come.I will seek out Free Tours by Foot the next time I'm in DC or in any of the other cities they cover. The tour guides are excellent. You get a little exercise by walking. And you pay what you feel is fair. The tour guides don't pressure you to over-pay. But they're so good, you'll want to thank them and pay for their time. Book early and go!! Highly recommend!!!Laura C.Laura C. ★★★★★ We had a great time on the "National Mall" DC by foot tour on Sat 18th Dec. Expertly led by our tour guide Eli who was very knowledgeable, engaging and undeterred by the changeable weather. Also very well organised with meeting instructions sent in advance. Highly recommend for those who like exploring on foot!Amelia V.Amelia V. ★★★★★ My daughter and I loved our tour from Stephen of the National Mall. We learned so many fascinating details—we felt lucky to have him as a guide.Galit M.Galit M. ★★★★★ We took 2 tours.The first one was with Becca- a 3 hour tour of all the major monuments of the National Mall. We had a great time on this tour! We really enjoyed Becca's explanations about each monument. She was very informative and thanks to her we decided to take another tour.We wanted to do a walking tour in George town but there wasn't one onthe only date we could have it. I emailed the company and they pretty quickly organized a tour for us (they open a tour if they can to a minimum of 3 people and we were 3) so eventually we were 4 people in the tour. Our tour guide Ingeborg was very knowledgeable and had a lot of interesting stories and anecdotes both as a professional tour guide and as a native resident of the place who grew up there. She answered patiently and thoroughly all of our questions. We really enjoyed both of the tours and learned a lot.js_loader

The memorials tell about the lives of men and women from America's past and present and our guides will share with you stories - from founding father George Washington to Rosie the Riveter during WWII.

Join DC by Foot as we tell the story of America's journey from a collection of colonial New World outposts to world power. 

Our guide will share with you the history, symbolism, and a few hidden stories of these must-see sites.

By sunlight or by moonlight, make our National Mall Tour the first thing you do on your visit to the nation's capital.

TOUR OPTIONS:

  • We also run this tour earlier in the morning to beat the heat June-August.
  • The Memorials & Moonlight covers the best memorials to see at night! (WWII, MLK, Korean, Lincoln)
  • Our 3 hour version covers National Mall & Tidal Basin (WWII, Vietnam, Korean, Lincoln, MLK, FDR & Jefferson)
  • Or check out the Kid-Focused Scavenger Hunt on the National Mall!
  • We also have a self guided audio tour if you want to explore on your own time.

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Check out our DC Tourism Guide, with budget advice, travel guides, and information about local Washington DC attractions.


SIGHTS WE COVER ON THE NATIONAL MALL TOURS:


Reservations: REQUIRED. Click here to reserve.

Where: All versions of the National Mall tour meet at the same location! We meet at the corner of 17th and Constitution Ave NW by the Lock Keeper's House. (map)

Purchase a guaranteed parking spot in advance near the tour’s starting point with SpotHero

What Should I Bring?

  • Cash or Venmo to pay your guide (where other tours charge $20-30 a person, this tour is name your own price so you can choose what you thought the tour was worth)
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • A water bottle
  • Camera
  • Appropriate clothing / umbrella - tours are rain or shine!

What's Included

  • Professional Historian/Tour Guide
  • Recommendations for the best food, music and museums
  • Advice on must-do experiences

National Mall with Kids | Scavenger Hunt at the Memorials

We think our tours are great for all ages and our guides are engaging for even the youngest visitors, but if you want a tour geared specifically to your kids, we've created a highlight tour with scavenger hunts at each memorial.

ADD ON TO PUBLIC TOUR:

When you book the National Mall tour, the Scavenger Hunt .pdf will be included in your booking.

You'll get the email with the printable .pdf (or just use it on your mobile device). The guide will be able to help, but please bring your own pencil if you print it off! 

PRIVATE TOUR:

You can also book our guided version of the Kid's Scavenger Hunt on the National Mall as a PRIVATE TOUR to take the tour at a leisurely pace and customize it to your family.

Private National Mall tours start at $225. Rates depend on group size and date of visit.

And much, much more

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