This post compares the various Washington, DC bus tour options available to you.
We included hop-on-hop-off tours, more premium shuttle bus services, and even a free, self-guided option. Let's get rolling!
- Hop-On-Hop-Off
- Guided Sightseeing Bus Tours
- Arlington Cemetery Trolley
- Night Bus Tours
- Mt. Vernon, Gettysburg, and Other Day Trips
- Self-Guided Bus Tour
- Pros and Cons of Bus Tours
Disclosure: While we think you should take our free walking tours, we understand they may not be best for everyone. Therefore, we have compared available DC bus Tours.
While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the full text.
HOP-ON-HOP-OFF DC BUS TOURS
There are a lot of great services in Washington DC which offer commentary and transportation to all of the most popular and historic sites in the area.
These bus tours allow you to jump off at any stop and get a closer look at any landmark you want to see.
These services typically provide both reliable transportation and either live or pre-recorded commentary (in up to 11 languages).
Prices start at about $40-$50 for an adult ticket and $25-35 for children.
Each ticket is available for either 1 or 2 days, and the 2-day tickets often include additional attractions or activities.
Old Town Trolley
These open-air but covered historic trolley cars take you around the city with a driver/guide narrating the entire way.
They provide plastic window coverings for less-than-ideal weather, and some of the newer trolleys are raised so you’re sitting above the cars.
From this vantage point, it’s a lot easier to see all of the notable sites around Washington, DC!
Hotel Shuttle Service is provided at select hotels and times.
Tours are only in English however, they offer a foreign language app where visitors can listen to narration in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese.
While the main tour will take you around the National Mall to see all the memorials and downtown DC, they also offer a tour that is essentially a shuttle providing transport to and from Arlington National Cemetery.
If you opt for their gold pass this includes the tour of Arlington National Cemetery, whereas the silver pass is their standard DC tour.
For more on how to visit Arlington National Cemetery once you’re there, check our Guide to ANC.
They also offer a 2.5-hour Memorials by Moonlight tour that begins at Union Station.
1-Day Ticket Prices
$49/Adults | $33/Children (note prices are more expensive if you book last minute!)
- Includes 24-hour access to the blue loop.
- Free for kids 3 and under with a parental figure.
2-Day Ticket Prices
As of Summer 2023, Old Town Trolley is not offering 2 Day Passes.
1-Day Ticket + Arlington National Cemetery
$60/Adults | $40/Children
- Includes 24-hour access to the blue loop.
- Includes Arlington National Cemetery tour.
- Free for kids 3 and under with a parental figure.
You can also upgrade to include the tram tour of Arlington National Cemetery and can also add on a cruise during the summer months.
Hours
- 9 am - 5 pm from Thursday - Sunday
- Buses run every 30 minutes
- Arlington National Cemetery shuttle:
- 9 am - 4 pm (Oct-Mar)
- 9 am - 6 pm (Apr-Sept)
Reviews
This tour company has earned a 4 ½ out of 5 stars rating on TripAdvisor and Get Your Guide. (read the reviews)
Thousands of passengers have had an excellent trip while on the Old Town Trolley, and that’s definitely a good sign.
Although some guests have left negative feedback, a few of their complaints indicate a common problem that anyone should be concerned about.
A majority of reviewers have said that their guides provided a wealth of valuable information and made the journey very enjoyable.
Big Bus Tours
Big Bus, which operates double-decker, open-top brown buses, is a company you may have seen in other cities throughout the world.
This tour has three different loops around the city depending on which areas you want to see.
There are many connection points that will allow you to hop on and hop off any of the lines!
The red loop is their official tour of the National Mall, including stops at all the major Smithsonian museums, monuments, and memorials.
This loop features pre-recorded commentary in 9 different languages.
The black loop is an evening tour, featuring the monuments illuminated at night.
The yellow loop goes to Georgetown and even further Northwest to the National Zoo and National Cathedral. (this route is currently suspended, but we offer Georgetown walking tours! )
Commentary is only available in English. Click on the map for a larger view
There are a few different ticket options for the Big Bus Tours.
Passes come in 1, 2, or 3 days versions. All passes include discounts on ARTECHOUSE tickets and bike rentals.
Ticket Prices
Discover Tour: $54/Adults | $45/Children
- 1-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour.
- 50% off 2-Hour Bike Rental.
- Included in Go DC tourist discount pass.
- Free for kids 4 and under with a parental figure.
Essential Tour: $63/Adults | $54/Children
- 2-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour.
- $5 off ARTECHOUSE tickets.
- 50% off 2-Hour Bike Rental.
- Free for kids 4 and under with a parental figure.
Explore Tour: $72/Adults | $63/Children
- 3-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour.
- $5 off ARTECHOUSE tickets.
- 50% off 2-Hour Bike Rental.
- Free for kids 4 and under with a parental figure.
Night Tour: $58/Adults | $50/Children (Fri-Sun in Summer Only)
Purchase tickets or learn more.
Hours
- 9 am - 5 pm daily
- Buses run every 1 hour.
Reviews
With a 3 ½ out of 5 stars rating on TripAdvisor, it’s fair to say that Big Bus Tours is a bit of a mixed bag for most customers.
This rating, while lower than the previously mentioned competitor, is aligned with what most hop-on-hop-off tours receive worldwide.
GUIDED SIGHTSEEING BUS TOURS OF DC
Hop-on-hop-off bus tours are not for everyone, especially if you don't like waiting for buses or you only have a short amount of time in DC.
This section compares the various tours available in DC, from a small group (less than 11 passengers) to bus shuttle tours (up to 25-33 passengers) and coach buses (up to 55 passengers).
Sometimes, the tours are what is referred to as driver-guide, where your driver doubles as your tour guide, which means that you will explore each attraction on your own while the driver remains with the bus.
Other tours offer both a driver and a guide, where the guide will get off the bus with you at each stop and conduct a guided walking tour.
Many of the options here include hotel pick-up and you will have the same bus and the same driver (and maybe tour guide) for the entire tour.
One of the biggest advantages of these types of tours is that they are usually more in-depth than traditional hop-on-hop-off tours.
They could be of great value if you are short on time, as it will take you much longer to see the same number of sights with the hop-on-hop-off buses.
This may not be the best option for those who do like to take their time at an attraction.
DC by Foot's Private Guided Bus Tour
We can combine our highly rated tour guides with a vehicle size of your choosing to create a custom private tour.
Family of 4 in a luxury SUV to a corporate group of 50 on a coach, we work with great drivers and bus companies to offer hotel pick up and drop off and develop a custom itinerary for you.
You'll get a driver to stay with the vehicle and your items and a guide who will hop off with you at locations.
Since its a private tour, you can choose what to see and how long to spend at each sites.
Rates start at $700 for a small vehicle, driver and guide.
USA GUIDED TOURS
This company provides a variety of high-quality bus tours that will take you around Washington, D.C. in shuttle buses (up to 33 passengers).
All of their tours include both a driver as well as a tour guide, and your tour guide will get off the bus and give you walking tours of each stop, while your bus and driver wait for you.
In a sense, these are premium tours. Having both a driver and a tour guide means more cost to the company, and this is reflected in their prices.
For some, this enhancement is well worth the premium paid, especially considering the reviews.
With the exception of their night tour, most of their tours are 5 hours or longer.
TIP: They also offer tours in New York City and you are entitled to a discount if you book tours in both cities.
Reviews of USA Guided Tours DC
When we said these tours were high quality, we weren’t lying: this company has a 4 ½ out of 5 stars rating on TripAdvisor and Get Your Guide.
Having the tour guide to guide you through the memorials is by far the biggest hit.
Tickets
This is their base tour. It begins at 10 am daily and lasts for 4 hours.
This part-bus, part-walking tour includes guided stops at the U.S. Capitol Building, the White House, Washington Monument as well as the Lincoln and MLK Memorials and the Vietnam War and Korean War Veterans Memorials.
They also offer a combination of this tour with a tour of Arlington National Cemetery for an additional $25/adult.
- $59 - Adult | $49 - Child (3-12)
- Members of the Military receive $10 off.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
- More info and to book.
If you want to explore pretty much every notable monument and landmark in D.C. and take a 1-hour cruise on the Potomac River, then consider the Discover DC Tour.
This 6-hour tour will take you to all locations listed on their Highlights Tour plus: the World War II Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
There is a lunch break included on the tour as you are cruising on the Potomac, this is only offered March - September.
- $89 - Adult | $79 - Child (3-12)
- Members of the Military receive $10 off.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
- More info and to book.
On this convertible minibus - think open-top minivan - you get to experience a guided tour with panoramic views without the glare of a window in the photos!
A 6-hour guided bus tour takes you through the highlights of Washington DC including Georgetown, Embassy Row, and some of Northern Virginia.
- $99 - Adults & Children | $89 - Students & Seniors
- Time: 10 am - 4 pm
- Starting / Ending Location: Navy Memorial, Pennsylvania Ave NW
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance
- Purchase your Skyview Convertible Bus Tickets.
SIGNATURE TOURS
Similar to USA Guided Tours, this well-reviewed tour company offers a shuttle bus with both a driver and a tour guide.
With good reviews come higher prices. This company offers a 3-hour as well as a 6-hour version of a highlight tour.
They also offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before your tour.
Ticket Prices
3 Hour Morning Tour (daily at 10:30 am)
- $66 per person
- More info or to purchase
6-Hour Day Tour
- $94/adult
- $84/youth (3-11)
- More info or to purchase.
Reviews of Signature Tours
The tickets are one of the more expensive for this type of tour, but Signature Tours has one of the highest ratings of all the services on this list.
With 4.7 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor and Get Your Guide (read some of the reviews), you can feel fairly secure about a ticket purchase from this tour company.
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY TROLLEY
Arlington Cemetery Tours (operated by Historic Tours of America) is the only company permitted to offer vehicle tours of the cemetery.
They offer both open-air trams and enclosed vehicles for varying weather conditions.
Several tour companies listed above also offer combination tickets that include an ANC tour.
If you choose a bus tour ticket that doesn't include the cemetery, then consider taking our walking tour as well as reading our GPS-enabled audio tour.
Ticket Prices:
- $19.50 for Adults
- $10.75 for Children (4-12)
- More information or to purchase tickets.
Reviews of Arlington Cemetery Trolley
It looks like most of the guests who have taken this tour enjoyed themselves, as the company currently has a 4 out of 5 stars rating on TripAdvisor.
Fortunately, few of the complaints had anything in common, so it’s not likely that these issues are indicative of a larger problem.
We also offer walking tours of the cemetery that allow you to take in these hallowed grounds at a leisurely pace and understand the stories of those resting here. Our professional guides also make sure that you're in the best place at the right time for the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - something the trolley tours do not do!
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USA GUIDED TOURS
If you're hoping to experience both Mount Vernon, this company offers a combo tour that includes travel and entrance.
Clocking in at a total of 5 hours, the trip begins with a journey to George Washington's estate and finishes off with a guided walk-through of ANC.
Prices are a lot higher than a trolley ticket, but you'll also get a lot more bang for your buck.
- $84 for Adults
- $74 for Children (3-12)
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour
- Purchase tickets here.
USA Guided Tours currently has an overall rating of 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor. The majority of reviewers absolutely adored this trip to Mount Vernon and Arlington.
Some guests even indicated that their tour guides managed to keep younger visitors entertained throughout the excursion.
This combo package is especially popular among families and couples.
DC DUCKS
Sadly, DC Duck Tours has closed!
NIGHT BUS TOURS OF DC
There is something truly beautiful about seeing the famous monuments and historic locations in Washington, DC all lit up at night.
We think our walking tours of DC are the best way to experience the National Mall and other neighborhoods, but sometimes you just want to sit.
Thankfully, there are a lot of night bus tours offered by the services listed above. For those that we have listed above, we won't repeat the company overviews.
Tours range from large group double-deck open-top buses to smaller, more intimate (and more expensive) shuttle buses.
USA GUIDED TOURS
USA Guided Tours is one of the better-reviewed bus tour companies in DC.
The DC at Dusk Tour has both a driver and a tour guide and your tour guide will join you for guided strolls through each stop, which is helpful as sometimes the sights cannot be fully experienced from the road.
This is a premium service with a maximum of 30 guests per tour and is thus reflected in the prices.
The tour stops at and includes guided walking tours at the following locations:
- US Capitol Building
- White House
- World War II Memorial
- Jefferson Memorial
- Martin Luther King Memorial
- Korean War Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Vietnam Memorial
You can meet your tour at the Naval Memorial conveniently located downtown on Pennsylvania Ave NW - there is a Metro station right there on the Green/Yellow lines.
- 3-hour tour departing at 7:30 pm.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
- Members of the Military save $9 on tickets.
- $58 for Adults (additional fee for hotel pick up)
- $48 for Children (additional fee for hotel pick up)
BIG BUS DC NIGHT TOUR
This two-hour tour begins just after the sun goes down, allowing you to see what the nation’s capital looks like after dark.
Unlike their other offerings, the Big Bus Night Tour includes a live guide that will explain the significance of every landmark on your journey.
The night tour is not a hop-on-hop-off tour like their day tours, rather you will see most of the sights listed on their page from the bus.
However, the tour does include 1 stop where your tour guide will accompany you to the Lincoln, Vietnam, and Korean War Memorials.
Reviews of Big Bus's night tour are better than the company as a whole.
This is probably due to the fact that passengers are guaranteed one bus for the entire evening and will not have to wait for the next bus, as they do with the daytime hop-on, hop-off tours.
2 Hour Tour
- $59 for Adults
- $50 for Children (3-12)
OLD TOWN TROLLEY MONUMENTS BY MOONLIGHT TOUR
In addition to their hop-on-hop-off National Mall and their Arlington National Cemetery trolley services, Old Town Trolley also offers a night tour.
Professional guides will lead you around the city and provide a plethora of information about the history of our nation.
This is not a hop-on-hop-off tour, rather you will make 3 stops with your tour guide, as opposed to Big Bus's 1 stop, including a stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Like Big Bus, Old Town Trolley's night tour gets good overall reviews. Complaints seem to be the chaotic boarding processes and plastic windows, but the vast majority rate this tour from very good to excellent.
2 ½ Hour Tour
- $58 for Adults (can be more expensive if you book last minute)
- $38 for Children
- Children under 4 ride for free
- Purchase your tickets here.
BI-PARTISAN TOURS
NOTE: This tour has currently halted operations and they are not offering bus tours as of August 2023.
Discover all of the most significant locations in DC during the evening! There are a few good points for this tour.
- First, it's a small group (up to 11 people) tour.
- Second, Bi-Partisan Tours is one of the highest-rated tour companies.
- Third, this night tour visits the Air Force Memorial, which most other companies don't do, and this stop is a real treat at night.
However, this is a driver-guide-only tour, so there is no tour guide to accompany you through the memorials which can be a negative if you have any questions while at the sites since many sites cannot be seen from the coach.
With that said, none of the reviewers seem to have any issues with this aspect and the guided bus portion seems to make up for it.
They do offer hotel pick-up and drop-off.
As the tour is a small group, they do allow flexibility with the itinerary and are sometimes are able to incorporate a specific request like Embassy Row or the Kennedy Center.
BUS TOURS TO MOUNT VERNON AND OTHER DAY TRIPS
Several DC bus tour operators offer bus tours to Mount Vernon Estate, the home of George Washington, which lies 16 miles (25 km) south of the District of Columbia.
Other tours will visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello as well as Gettysburg Battlefield Park.
Additional popular day trips from DC include Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, Harper's Ferry, NYC, and vineyard and winery tours.
Bus Tours to Mount Vernon Estate
There are a few bus companies with regularly scheduled tours from Washington, D.C. to Mount Vernon.
Expect the tour to last 5 - 6 hours round trip, unless the tour includes a stop in Arlington National Cemetery, which will add 2 hours to the trip.
Most tours pass through Old Town Alexandria for a quick view.
Be sure to read our guide to Mount Vernon Estate before you go.
It is also possible to take mass transit to the estate as well as a boat cruise.
NOTE: Entry to Mount Vernon is included for free with the purchase of the Explorer Pass, a tourist attraction discount pass.
USA Guided Tours
There is still one option for a private luxury bus or minivan half-day tour that includes Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria.
This tour includes transportation to and from Washington DC with stops in Old Town Alexandria and Mount Vernon.
You'll have a live guide and an entrance ticket to tour inside the mansion at Mount Vernon.
It has great reviews about the cleanliness of the bus, the professionalism and knowledge of the guide, and the quality of the tour stops.
Self-Guided Bus Tour
Use our Guide to the Circulator's National Mall route as a self-guided bus tour of the memorials and museums.
Are Bus Tours a Good Way to Travel?
Washington, DC is a very walkable city if you're looking to explore the main sites, but some guests prefer to look into bus tours.
If you're looking to explore some of the further afield sites like the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial (which is accessible by Metro and walkable from our Arlington Cemetery tour) or the US Air Force Memorial, a bus tour is a great idea.
Something to note is that on the National Mall, having a bus doesn't actually save you any walking!
Due to the location of WWII, Vietnam, Korean, and Lincoln Memorials and their designated pick up/drop off locations for buses, you'll still need to walk around the memorials just as much as you would on a walking tour of the National Mall.
Some of the DC Bus tours do offer double-decker buses and there is hop on hop off options.
These can be a great way to get around the city between tourist attractions.
PROS OF A BUS TOUR
You can get to locations that are further away.
Climate controlled vehicles.
A hop-on hop-off bus tour can save you time and money on transportation costs.
CONS OF A BUS TOUR
Pre-recorded commentary (unless you get a guided bus tour!)
Not able to ask questions easily about what you're seeing.
Traffic
Long waits between buses (unless you get a guided bus tour!)
