Washington DC in a Day Tour

Washington D.C., United States of America

You'll see so much of Washington DC on this DC in a Day Tour! Pay your respects to fallen heroes at the World War II Memorial and see some of DC's famous landmarks. From history to science, this Washington DC tour has it all!

Explore all of DC on this one day guided tour! Visit the newly renovated Ford's Theatre and experience a remarkable collection of historic artifacts with background on the Civil War and 1860's Washington.

Visit the Capitol Building, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Don't forget your camera for a photo stop at the White House (south lawn) - you might even see the President! Also, you'll visit the White House Visitor Center, which houses the same decor and information about past and present Presidents. 

Head to the new World War II Memorial to see the tribute to this country. See this beautiful structure and the wonderful water works that make this memorial one to remember. Spend time visiting the world famous Smithsonian Museums. You won't want to miss the Air and Space Museum or the newly renovated American History Museum. 

Also, you'll see the FBI Building, Federal Triangle, Ellipse, Tidal Basin, National Archives, Washington Monument, House and Senate Office Building, U.S. Botanical Gardens, National Gallery of Art, U.S. Navy Memorial and Grant Memorial.

Site that you will step off and visit:

• Capitol Building
• White House Visitor Center
• Smithsonian Museums
• Air and Space Museum
• American History Museum
• Ford's Theatre
• World War II Memorial

USD $45.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Tina H	March 2012
This was a great tour of DC. "Driver Bob" was very knowledgeable, helpful and humorous thoughout the tour. Best way to see the sights of DC. Would definately do this again.

Review by: Neanie	January 2012
This tour was fantastic and a def must for visitors to Washington. Our bus driver was excellent and he was also our guide. He drove slowly past each of the places of interest and we didn't miss a thing. We had free time at various monuments and this was excellent. It was like having our own personal taxi driver for 8 hours. The Smithsonians Muesems are brilliant. Love love loved this tour and I'm def doing this again when I return to Washington. Cheers Janeane from Auz

Review by: Yvonne C	January 2012
Disappointing. Tour operator was OK but as the tour went on and it got colder, he was not at the appointed meeting places on time so guests were cold and feel he was late so he would not have to drive around again in order to avoid being told to move by the police. It just seemed to be too much effort on his part so we are the ones who suffered. White House Visitor Center was a virtually useless stop and way too long. Never got to Ford's Theater as it was closed for an event - just drove by. Smithsonians interesting but nothing was easy walking distance from drop off. Think there should be at least 2 drop off points with time limits for pick up. Older people on the tour cannot walk as much and don't get to see what they want. Capitol tour was just about the only worthwhile tour.

Review by: gmccar	December 2011
Very good!

Review by: Paula H	December 2011
We felt that this tour could have been done independently with all the stops being available easily by using the metro, apart from the war memorial. However particularly enjoyed the Ford Theatre

Review by: Hesham s	September 2011
it was terrefic, nice bus, nice escort, nice guide, and nice locations. I would suggest for everybody to try this tour. :))

Review by: Christopher P W	September 2011
Went according to schedule.

Review by: Charu C	August 2011
Awesome tour ! Covered all tourist places in DC in a day. The bus is very good and the driver is very good ! Day went so great !! Thanks Viator !

Review by: ELIZABETH T	August 2011
We did this a few years ago and thought it was exceptional. It didn't quite meet our expectations this time, more a drop-off at the major monuments. Guide was VERY chatty, over the top really. Over this we would suggest doing the night tour and a red bus tour (on the upper floor)

Review by: Ole H S	August 2011
Very nice ride, where you had seen it all. However, the White House visitor center is not exciting, it would be better that there was time for a trip up past the White House if necessary with a stop.

Review by: Jesse L M	July 2011
Our driver was knowledgeable and flexible and tried to make it the best experience possible for us. When our bus air cond. went out, he rearranged stops to minimize our outdoor exposure and exchanged busses.

Review by: Carolina G	June 2011
It is ok but it was more of a drop off and pick up bus then an actual tour.

Review by: Sarah B	June 2011
Didn't actually do much driving for a bus tour! You basically get taken to a few places - Capitol, National Mall and one of the major museums and explore yourself. You don't go across to Arlington or to the Cathedral._br/_ For the short time we were on the bus our driver Bob was very informative and amusing...but we could have self-guided quite easily around what we saw during the day.

Review by: Bronagh H	April 2011
I was disappointed with this tour as we didn't see everything that the description listed. It was essentially a hop on and off tour rather than a guided tour. Customer service from the bus driver who gave some commentary was also lacking. I would not reccomend this tour.

Review by: Ivan A	March 2011
The lincoln memorial should be included with the world war 2 memorial visit.

Review by: Lisa M	March 2011
Tour guide was monotone and very scripted. After reading other reviews I expected much more interactions. Also, I felt the tour had us spending too much time in some locations (ford theater) and not enough time in others (WWII site - where you basically had time for one picture then had to run to catch the bus). There was no set time for eating and the guide made no mention the need to eat or when would be an appropriate time. Overall - very disappointed.

Review by: Mr D K F	March 2011
We arrived at Union Station at 0745 to be told we could not go if there were less than ten people. In the end they relented and took the five of us that wanted to go. The tour was billed as being for 9 hours. We were with the guide for less than two hours, were taken to various sites such as The Capitol, The White House, Museums, etc and told we would be picked up in 1 hour, 2 hours, depending on what there was to see. We could effectively have arranged the tour ourselves - certainly not worth the £50 odd we paid.

Review by: lovetotravel	January 2011
We had a fabulous tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable as well as courteous and friendly. He went out of his way to ensure we had a great experience. This was the best way for us to see DC on such a cold January day!

Review by: Fred H	January 2011
The tour guide/buss driver was well informed and provided an excellent overview of the city. A great way to start a visit to our nation's capital.

Review by: George H	September 2010
Very informative

Review by: David D	September 2010
Excellent way to see the major sights in Washington. My daughter and I had a great time.

Review by: Anonymous, Philippines	July 2010
Highly informative! A tour every visitor to Washington DC must do.

Review by: Trevor C	July 2010
I thought from the picture we were going to Arlington - that didn't happen. It was a very hot day and the bus driver really only acted as a well informed taxi driver. We were dropped at the Smithsonian, dropped at Capitol Hill, dropped at Ford Theatre - to stand in queues 50 deep. Really could have gone by taxi and seen only what I wanted.

Review by: Pramod Kumar G	June 2010
We took a guided day tour from DC. However the guide turned out to be the driver of the bus itself. He was very very unclear on the mike and difficult to understand. The sound system was not good either. He drove around pointing and naming buildings on his left and right without realizing that by the time the passengers see the building, he is already on to the next one! Also, Fords Theater was given a complete miss. No mention at all. We did not as much as get a glimpse of the White House because we were not taken to the South Lawn as is mentioned in the brochure. Also, we were asked to chose between the Air & Space Museum and Natural History Museum. There was ample time to see both considering we were not going to Fords Theater! My parents were visiting from India and I had wanted to show off DC to them but it was a very disappointing trip. In retrospect, the hop on hop off would be much better!

Review by: Allen F	June 2010
Guide "Bob" was excellent detailed, articulate, humorous in good taste same as mine. Tour started at 8 but first stop was at 9, perhaps 15 minutes away. An hour was not necessary to get there. Tour covers main places but not enough time. Capitol tour three rooms! Ford Theater is a good talk but nothing else. Not a tour issue. Probably next time I would do the off and on tour for several days and set my own timing!

Review by: Susan T	April 2010
We didn't do a lot of the things we expected but, overall good.

Review by: Anonymous	April 2010
The driver was excellent, really funny and all the time he explains everything we were looking at, but we were the rest of the time lonely, nobody came to help us to the Capitol or the other places.

Review by: scott p, United States of America	February 2010
One of the best trips I ever went on. Our bus driver was very informative and a pleasure to be with. He went out of his way to drop me, my girlfiend and kids off at metro station so we could take a train instead of dishing out $30 for a cab.The kids enjoyed our guide as well.They were bugging him and he did not mind one bit. If we go to DC again we will surely use you again. It was truly a pleasure!

Review by: Scott P	February 2010
One of the best trips I ever went on. Our bus driver was very informative and a pleasure to be with. He went out of his way to drop me, my girlfiend and kids off at metro station so we could take a train instead of dishing out $30 for a cab.The kids enjoyed our guide as well.They were bugging him and he did not mind one bit. If we go to DC again we will surely use you again. It was truly a pleasure!

Review by: Jeff E	January 2010
I feel for the amount of money that I paid it should have included monuments. The only monuments that we got to see was the Washington Memorial & the World War II Memorial when we ran over from the museums.

Review by: Sharon W	January 2010
This tour was definitely not worth the money. I was very disappointed. The tour guide was also our bus driver, something I found out is illegal in New York City. He would drop us off for 2 hours at a time and give us a time to be back to catch the bus to our next location. It would have been easier to walk to the different locations and less stressful than trying to make sure we were back at the designated time so we didn't miss the bus. The White House Visitor Center was closed so we were unable to go there. At the end the tour, the bus driver started asking what we wanted to see so everyone just started telling him where we wanted to go.

Review by: John V	November 2009
We could have seen a lot more if the guide did not waste so much time at certain places giving us free time. Fortunately we had also had the DC by Night tour, so, overall, we have seen it all.

Review by: Doug D, United States of America	October 2009
Very nice time, bus clean, prompt, enjoyed meeting the other passengers. We kind of bonded as a group for the day. Nice folks!

Review by: DOUG D	October 2009
Very nice time, bus clean, prompt, enjoyed meeting the other passengers. We kind of bonded as a group for the day. Nice folks!

Review by: ELENA B	October 2009
I'd rather see other places than the Air and Space Museum, which is not much of my interest!

Review by: James H	October 2009
The 9 hours spent were well worth it. However, each stop was too short. This tour is more of a introductory tour of things to see and do, how and where. We are now better prepared to visit those same sites on our own time.

Review by: John Augustine F	September 2009
Visitors please beware that it is not easy to find the departure point within the station. Once you have found the office it is plain sailing from then on. Exact directions would be would represent the "Icing on the Cake" We picked the wettest day of the year so far, but who cares. We were indoors the most of the time. The Capital and the guided tour within was just greatest experience of my life! Wow! Visits to great museums were not my cup of tea although enjoyed them very much. Sunday morning we decided to have a stroll to see the White House. Everyone was asleep at 7:00hrs. Not even the Starbucks were not opening till 8:00. I must have a word in the Presidents ear when we meet. Viator thanks for putting this package together for us. We enjoyed it so very much. Great!

Review by: Anonymous	August 2009
Not my best experience as bus tours go.

Review by: PATRICIA J	August 2009
Great tour! However, we almost missed the area to get on the bus. No instructions were given to us. Didn't know it was inside Union Station. We called your phone, and a wonderful young man helped us get through the statioin to find the bus. Bus driver was very knowledgeable about sights and city. We would do it again.

Review by: Jamie M	August 2009
Nice way to get a good overview of the city. Then you can go back and really hit the spots in which you are most interested.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2009
I think we had the best tour guide anyone could ask for. He was fantastic! We were able to see many of the monuments and with the time allowed even a museum or two. Would definitely recommend this tour.

Review by: Stephen B	July 2009
The bus was overbooked and we were almost not able to board. The group had to split up. The driver was not interesting, and gave little direction given on what each stop would entail. I was not given back extra ticket that could be used at later date.

Review by: James D	June 2009
This was way overpriced to be "dropped off". Our expectations were for a tour not a shuttle service. Very very disappointed.

Review by: Bolivar V	April 2009
What was detailed in the summary as for the places that one would visit was a complete lie. This 8hr tour did not take us to the Arlington Cemetery, nor Mount Vernon nor Old Town Alexandria. It only took us to the Washington and WWII memorial, The museum of natural history for like 2 hours, the capital, the White House and then after begging the driver took us to the Lincoln monument. What a waste of time and energy. This could have been done on your own.

Review by: Donna D	April 2009
We were very disappointed as this was a gift from my son for Christmas. The tour company changed the tour and we did not get to see any of DC. It was changed to Mt. Vernon and Arlington Natl Cemetery. So the things we wanted to see like the Vietnam Memorial we never got to see. The tour company should let people know when they change the tour.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	February 2009
We had a great time. Our bus driver / tour guide was really great.

Review by: Judith P, United States of America	November 2008
We could never have seen and done so much on our own--the tour was wonderful.

Review by: John Paul S, United States of America	October 2008
It was a colorful as well as very interesting tour that was well conducted. The guides were knowledgeable as well as quite pleasant and informative.

Review by: Michael A W, United States of America	October 2008
There is no other way to see as much as we saw in one day Mt. Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the War Memorials and much much more. Our driver was a fountain of knowledge a man who made the rich history of the area fun and entertaining. Not only did we learn and see a lot, but by the end of the trip, we had new friends from Southern California, Columbia their English was better than my Spanish, and Ohio. What a great day!

Review by: Rose N, United States of America	September 2008
Our tour driver was very informative and made it very enjoyable.