Monticello and Thomas Jefferson Country Day Trip from Washington DC

Washington D.C., United States of America

Travel to Charlottesville, Virginia and view the panoramic scenery en route to the University of Virginia, one of Thomas Jefferson's architectural design masterpieces. You will continue up the mountainside to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson - President, inventor, surveyor, musician and artist.

There is no better way to experience centuries of American history than this fascinating tour! Your journey will explore famous homes, battlefields, and architectural masterpieces of the Civil War era, including ascension up the mountainside to Monticello.

This tour is seasonal and operates from March to November

USD $92.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by: rae k	April 2012
Very disappointing. Though Monteicello is beautiful, too much time was allotted. Two other Presidents' homes were nearby and could have been dded. The Tavern was fine, but not necesssary. Food was okay, but not for thep rice. The driver said very little and provided a very boring trip.

Review by: Gloria C T	October 2011
We had a wonderful time, however, I have two recommendations to share. The two hours spent at Michie's might have been reduced by 30 minutes to either spend more time at Monticello or head home a bit earlier. Also, we would have appreciated knowing when booking that the lunch was at a set price of almost $20. We were told that this was the only food option until getting home, however, there was a grill at Monticello which offered lighter lunch options. I would still recommend the tour.

Review by: Shawn R	October 2011
six hours of driving and five hours of touring....It was very touristy, once we arrived at Monticello we were handed over to the tour group, I felt a bit like cattle. The tavern was OK but once again very impersonnal and touristy.

Review by: Wanda S	October 2011
This tour is awesome. Such beautiful country to see on the way to Monticello. David Cooper was our bus driver and he was very informative and funny. Nancy was our guide at Monticello and she was super smart and was full of great information. Everyone should visit!

Review by: BUFORD J	September 2011
Monticello...a must-do for everyone. The history of the place and the dreadful circumstances about it (slavery) is something to see and consider. The tour: great bus driver with intereting facts. Two-hour video re Jefferson's life is played on the way to Monticello (3 hour ride each way). We stop at Michie's Tavern (surprise to me) to have a tour of this place and have lunch there ($17). Stayed there 1-1/2 hours. Then up the road to Monticello. Limited time here because we have to get back to the bus by 4:00. Toured the property alone, then docent showed us inside the house. Wanted to do the plantation tour which would show how the slaves lived and worked, but the next tour was at 4:00 and of course we had to be on the bus by 4:00. So not enough time to spend on the property itself. Disappointing in that regard. I'd recommend visiting in a way you're not restricted by the limitations of a bus ride. Oh, on the ride back to DC, the movie "Pursuit of Happyness" was played...whether you wanted to see it or not.

Review by: Kelley F	September 2011
As always, Viator has excellent tour packages. The tour to Monticello was no exception. From our fabulous driver/guide to the insightful documentary we watched en route, this tour is fantastic.

Review by: Shannon T	September 2011
Interesting tour, not exactly what I was expecting, but it was still enjoyable. The tour guide didn't say a lot, he was friendly but more a driver than a guide. Probably wouldn't go again, but it was a nice day out for what it was. The house was interesting, but would have been nice to have stayed there longer. Best thing was the lunch, awesome buffet of southern style cooking but it is at your own expense.

Review by: Teresa D	August 2011
I would have liked to spend more time at Monticello. Not enough time was spent there.

Review by: Terrence C	October 2010
This was a wonderful tour. Stopped at the University of Virginia. Then we went on to the base of the hill that leads to Monticello and had a delicious lunch at charming Michie Tavern and also got a tour of the house. After lunch we drove up the pretty winding wooded road to Monticello. The view from the house is lovely and the tour of the first floor was very interesting. Rather than take a shuttle back down to the bus, you can walk on an easy half-mile path back and pass the graves of Jefferson and his family. It was a long day and made 20 minutes longer because of people who didn't get back to the bus when they were supposed to be there. We definitely recommend this tour.

Review by: Christine M	October 2010
Really enjoyed this trip seeing the University of Virginia. Had a lovely meal at the Inn. Monticello is really a lovely place we had a nice time there

Review by: Dennis U	September 2010
Very pleasant driver....uneventful getting there. Monticello was beautiful. Unfortunately the bus broke down before we left and it delayed getting back by about 45 minutes, but we were grateful that there was another bus to pick us up. It was a long day, but well worth it.

Review by: Anne Margaret T	July 2010
Fantastic day out. Was pleasantly surprised by Michie's Tavern, where we stopped for lunch. University of Virginia and Monticello were fantastic. Really beautiful, inside and out. Wonderful gardens and great house. Bus driver was well-informed and entertaining.

Review by: nelda d, United States of America	June 2010
ABsolutely the best tour we took. U of VA was beautiful, as was Monticello itself. Guidedriver was knowledgeable, friendly. Bus was clean and comfortable. Lunch at the tavern was good, reasonable, and a great property to visit.

Review by: Nelda D	June 2010
ABsolutely the best tour we took. U of VA was beautiful, as was Monticello itself. Guidedriver was knowledgeable, friendly. Bus was clean and comfortable. Lunch at the tavern was good, reasonable, and a great property to visit.

Review by: Kathy N, United States of America	May 2010
Stopping for lunch needs to be cut short for more time at Monticello. Food should be secondary to getting all the time to walk back into history.

Review by: Jenny Chen C, United States of America	May 2010
We wish we could spend more time to see the garden instead of spending too much time at Tavern.

Review by: Susan T, United States of America	April 2010
Long ride but worth it.

Review by: Tom C, United States of America	April 2010
The tour of Monticello was fantastic. Our tour guide was wonderful. He kept us informed and entertained on the long, beautiful drive. He was quite knowledgeable and attentive to our every need. I am a tour guide myself so I appreciate how much the guide can add to the enjoyment of a tour.

Review by: Mary Kay B, United States of America	April 2009
It took a while to get enough tourists to take the day trip, so we started out late. Our bus driver was less than enthusiastic about the whole event. He did not have the video for bus trip down, he dropped us off at the University of Virginia and gave us a half hr to tour it, and then when we were all boarded he sat and read the newspaper until we told him we were ready to go. The rest of trip of super, the meal was fantastic, the interactive tour of the tavern was great and Monticello was magnificent, even in the pouring rain. I would do it again.

Review by: Heidi C, United States of America	October 2008
I can only say this would have been absolutely fabulous if the weather had been nice. We had a very rainy, cold day, which hindered our ability to see the gardens and grounds at Monticello. I would definitely recommend this tour; the drive to Charlottesville was beautiful, and the stop at the Michie Tavern was VERY fun and interesting, and the food was delicious and plentiful! Everyone was very friendly and informative. I would very much suggest this to anyone who has a little extra time to travel. Visiting the University of Virginia was also very interesting.

Review by: Debra M, United States of America	September 2008
Great trip; however, there was not much time left to view the grounds after viewing the house. Michie Tavern had good food, and the house was interesting. I think what could be eliminated was the stop at the university. We would have enjoyed more time at Monticello to view the grounds had we not stopped there.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	September 2008
The driver got lost and drove around for almost two hours. Doing this we ended up only having about two hours to spend at Monticello. Also we were suppose to visit the University of Virginia as part of this tour, that was eliminated from the trip completely.

Review by: Debra D. M	September 2008
Great trip; however, there was not much time left to view the grounds after viewing the house. Michie Tavern had good food, and the house was interesting. I think what could be eliminated was the stop at the university. We would have enjoyed more time at Monticello to view the grounds had we not stopped there.

Review by: Sheryl H, United States of America	July 2008
Terrific trip. Loved the stop at Michie Tavern going down, which had great food and an entertaining tour. Monticello was beautiful, and the tour was excellent; had enough time to see the house and shop, but it was just too hot to tour the gardens also.

Review by: Gloria F, United States of America	July 2008
The bus ride was timely and comfortable. The lunch was great! Bus driver friendly. But our visit to the final destination was rushed. I would have liked to have spent just a little more time walking the premises.

Review by: Suzanne B, Australia	November 2007
It was a great day. I enjoyed every moment and had a great lunch at Michie Tavern. This tour is worth doing.

Review by: Christi C, United States of America	November 2007
We thought the tours through Monticello were very interesting, but there were too many people at a time in a group. The Michie Tavern food and tour were great.

Review by: Suzanne	November 2007
It was a great day. I enjoyed every moment and had a great lunch at Michie Tavern. This tour is worth doing.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	October 2007
The tour guide was helpful. I think that stopping longer at Michies Tavern would be good. We didn't like the tour of the tavern and wished to shop longer.

Review by: Jill A, United States of America	October 2006
No complaints about the bus or the traveling experience overall. But my friend and I were annoyed by a stop at the University of Virginia and a 2 hour lunch break that left us only 90 minutes to spend at Monticello. (Don't get me wrong - the lunch was delicious - but two hours?)

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	September 2006
The trip down to and back from Monticello was extraordinary. Most of it was spent looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our tour guide took us on back roads rather than major highways and we got a narrative about the Civil War battles that occurred at the places we visited. Our stop at Michie's Tavern was great. My brother is in a wheel chair, and we found the whole tour accessible. It was a marvelous day.