Witness the site of the largest battle ever fought on US soil on this day trip from Washington DC to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Relax on a picturesque drive through the Maryland and Pennsylvania countryside. Learn all about the Battle of Gettysburg through a show featuring narration and a detailed miniature military diorama, and visit Cemetery Ridge — where President Lincoln delivered his historic Gettysburg Address. Get insights into the civilian experience of the bloody battle by visiting the restored home of George Washington Shriver.
Board your comfortable, air-conditioned coach at Washington DC's Union Station and travel 2.5 hours through the scenic Maryland and Pennsylvania countryside to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Listen to your guide provide historical background on the momentous Battle of Gettysburg during your drive. Fought in 1863, this three-day battle between Confederate and Union troops caused the highest number of casualties of any American Civil War battle — more than 46,000.
Your first stop in Gettysburg is Farnsworth House, where you'll watch a presentation about what life was like for Civil War soldiers and see where Confederate sharpshooters hid out during the battle. After this visit, enjoy a break for lunch (own expense).
Continue to the Gettysburg Battlefield and enjoy time to explore on your own. At the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, watch a film about the battle narrated by actor Morgan Freeman and see a variety of informational exhibits about the battle commonly considered a turning point in the American Civil War. Admire the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a stunning miniature military diorama that depicts the fierce battle with the help of narration and sound effects. Throughout your visit, expert guides are on hand to answer your questions about the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath.
To get a fuller picture of the battle's impact, you'll also visit the nearby Shriver House Museum. Tour the restored house of George Washington Shriver, located in the midst of the fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg. Learn about the harrowing experience of Shriver's family during the battle, visit the home's attic where two Confederate sharpshooters died, and see authentic Civil War bullets discovered in the house more than 100 years after the war.
Relax on your drive back to Washington DC, where your 10.5-hour tour concludes at Union Station.
Great day tour, highly recommend the Giant screen theater.
Review by: Carolyn K, October 2017
Wish we had more time to walk the hollowed grounds, but with a bus load of people, thats hard to do. I didnt realize that the battlefield was so big. Good history lesson to learn about the cost of war, and how it affects all of us. May God bless and have mercy on America.
Review by: PATRICIA S R, October 2017
Jake was a excellent driver and very informative. He was very helpful with my husbands wheelchair.
Review by: esquibelm93, October 2017
This was an amazing tour. A great look into one of the most important events in our history.
Review by: Cynthia M, September 2017
Was well worth the money ! Great experience.
Review by: Philippa F, September 2017
A brilliant day. Well worth the time and money. Our driver DAVID aka bear was great and the guide was so knowledgeable. A thought provoking trip into the past. Would of liked some free time to explore town on our own but we've come away from that day with so many photos and memories. Thank you aviator for making it happen.
Review by: Rita M, September 2017
the guide was very informed but went into took much detail at times ...losing many patrons....comfortable bus
Review by: william d, September 2017
i enjoyed the tour and the battlefield was amazing. Only suggestion is to allow more time to explore the battlefield and memorials.
Review by: Karen F, September 2017
A great way to see Gettysburg for the first time! Our driver was knowledgeable, courteous, very organized and communicated very clearly. The tour is packed with information and a close-up look at this historical venue. The Gettysburg guide who joined our bus as we toured the battlefields was a true expert and provided so much interesting information! The bus was comfortable and I was happy that I could leave the driving to someone else!
Review by: Charles G, September 2017
Easily the best battlefield visit I have done. Quite a compact area, so much remaining, the country substantially unchanged - .and we had a quite exceptional guide.
Review by: Chana G, September 2017
Great trip. So interesting and informative. Our host was the best!
Review by: alross452, September 2017
The bus driver was amazing, funny, informative and a gentleman.
Review by: Judy F, September 2017
Just visiting the site was the thrill of my life as a civil war buff. The cyclorama buckled my knees and completely boggled my mind._br/_ When I thought it could not get any better our battle field guide got on the bus and gave us the narrative of facts, positions, views,_br/_ And my favorite, the what ifs. This man was not only a perfect fit for his position, his passion and delivery was spellbinding._br/_ Extremley satisfied customer.
Review by: rpfeifer, September 2017
This is an all day tour but well worth the time and money. We learned so much about Gettysburg and the tour guide at the park was awesome with all his facts and trivia. The bus ride wasn't bad, our driver, Bear, was fun, and we watched the movie, Gettysburg while on the bus, which really helped pass the time quickly. This is a tour everyone should take. It shows what will happen if we, the citizens, don't work together for solutions.
Review by: Gregory W, September 2017
It was amazing to see and experience this historic period in our country's history. The Park Guide who conducted the tour was very knowledgeable and did an amazing job of recreating the battles and timelines of this important battle in keeping our country united.
Review by: a_prasetia, September 2017
It was a rainy day but both driver Jay as well Tour Guide Ray delivered one of the most memorable tours in my opinion. They were both professional, courteous as well as highly resourceful with knowledge of the Civil War area. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who would like to extend their next DC trip.
Review by: Jonathon W, September 2017
excellent day out.
Review by: Cindy P, August 2017
Overall this was a fabulous tour to take!. We had never visited the area. We knew we wanted to go to Gettysburg but not sure where to start on our own. This is the best way to get there and see as much as was possible in just one day. We were short on time and so this was a perfect way to hit the highlights! The bus driver was very helpful and funny. The historian who got on our bus was extremely knowledgable and we thoroughly enjoyed his insights! Great for people who are interested in history!
Review by: Erik R, August 2017
This tour was very good. The 2 hour tour guide was a wealth of information and was enthusiastically given. Wish we had time to walk through the town. The Shriver house was a step back in time. A patriotic must do!
Review by: Leslie S, July 2017
So glad that we left the visitor center on our own, during the three hours that you were supposed to spend there, and walked up to the battlefield. We were able to check out an entire section that was incredibly interesting that was later driven right by, without a stop, while on the motor coach. We would have felt cheated had we not spent 90 minutes there, on our own, before the motor coach tour. My advice, 90 min visitor center - 90 min battlefield on your own, then take the coach tour. Our tour guide also talked way too much. At one stop, we spent 15 min listening to him go on and on and then had a little time off the bus. Some information is great, too much is annoying, especially when it takes away from your time on the battlefield. The Shriver House was very interesting and our bus driver was excellent.
Review by: Claudia L, July 2017
A great tour for the history buffs!
Review by: lizwooster, July 2017
Excellent trip! Highly recommend this day trip. It focuses on the highlights of Gettysburg and won and #39;t be able to see everything. But both tour guides and the museums and #39; guides were excellent! Definitely would do again.
Review by: Jolene D, July 2017
Everything was perfect! Tour started on time, driver provided lots of info and took us to a place to eat that wasn't so expensive and it was great to eat. The Gettysburg Tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. The only thing I wiished for , was that they still stopped in town to see the Diarama. The movie was great and the Cyclorama was incredible!
Review by: Stuart H, May 2017
Absolutely amazing I could of spent a week there!
Review by: Stewart C, April 2017
Thought it was great, right from the start till the end.
Review by: Jason M, February 2017
Super fun and informative trip. Would have liked more time to explore, but there's only so many hours in the day.
Review by: Eric W, November 2016
The tour guide was fantastic. The driver was excellent. My only complaint was the BUS sounded like its axle was going to fall off throughout the entire trip. The bus should not have been in service. Also, the windows on the bus were so dirty that it was difficult to see the sights from many of the seats.
Review by: Richard D, October 2016
The driver was excellent, he dropped us at a place where you could have lunch and combine it with some shopping, which we took advantage of. the battlefield tour itself was absorbing and atmospheric. We stopped at 2 places on the battlefield, both Union positions. I felt there should have been a stop on the Confederate side. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, I suspect time was a factor here. We had stopped at the Shriver House and found this to be well worth the stop. We intend to go back to Gettysburg and take at least 2 days to self guide the battlefield armed with a good guidebook. My wife who is not interested in military history also really enjoyed this tour, that speaks for itself.
Review by: Kenneth L, October 2016
This was a great experience. It was raining, so this turned out to be a great day for a day trip to Gettysburg. Good guides, good humor, great tour of a private house and battlefield. Could have spent a lot more time at the visitor center, but all in all a great day.
Review by: Carole.burles, October 2016
A really great day, early start but well worth it. The whole trip was fantastic, driver, tour guide all first class and added plus was the weather was perfect. This trip will stay as one of the highlights of my holiday
Review by: Karin W, October 2016
Tour bus driver/guide was excellent both for his knowledge and his personality. Also the guide that boarded the bus with us from the visitor center and took us around the grounds was excellent.
Review by: Frances F, October 2016
Bryan was very enthusiastic and knowledgeble. He picked us up at our hotel exactly on time.
Review by: donna M, September 2016
Best trip of our visit. Just brilliant day. Our driver was brilliant, took us to a lovely place for lunch which allows a little shopping. Guide was amazing too, loved every bit of the day. A beautiful place to visit. Learnt so much about American history. So glad we done it
Review by: Thomas R, September 2016
Informative guides. Visit to the Shriver house was unexpected but much appreciated. An educational day!
Review by: Marita B, September 2016
We only stopped at two locations on the battlefield and the second one wasn't planned. Very very disappointed. Would not recommend this tour.
Review by: Marcia D, September 2016
I booked this Gray Line Tour Grey Hound Buses through Viator under TripAdvisor which had wonderful workers to answer questions 24/7 and great prices caught a limited time sale price. The driver, David Bear don't know if that's how he spells his name, but that's what it sounds like was friendly, informative, kept pointing out sites along the drive, and provided a video of Gettysburg that kept us engaged along the long route. He expertly drove in crowded and congested traffic along the way. He took us to eat lunch with a variety of choices. We stopped at Shriver House with a guide that spelled and said her name like mine : for an informative and riveting account of a civilian in Gettysburg. At the visitor center, the narrated 360 view of the historic painting was amazing! The museum was informative on par with information was given at the Smithsonian Am. History Museum, too and had an impressive display of the weapons. Dave, our wonderful battlefield tour guide, took us to important stops for photos and briefly walk around. As we wandered around, he was available for individual questions and more details, too. He pointed out numerous monuments and memorials. There wasn't enough time for everything! My husband and I enjoyed the experience of being immersed in this historic place with all the detailed explanations. These were great guides and driver-guide, great locations, and time passed quickly--wished here was more time to stop around Gettysburg and the battlefield area!
Review by: Steven O, August 2016
This was an awesome tour. I would highly recommend this tour, The Driver did a Great job! He knew the history and kept us well informed on the day's event.
Review by: Gary P, August 2016
Well done, it was very good on the trip up, and the battlefield tour was excellent.
Review by: Marc R, August 2016
Wonderful tour. History comes alive with excellent bus guide and guides from the National Park.
Review by: Audrey E, August 2016
The day trip to Gettysburg was very enjoyable. there is a lot to see and a lot of history to absorb in one _br/_ day. I would recommend it to my friends.
Review by: Paul L, August 2016
Very good tour. We learned a great amount of information about this important battle in our Civil War. The battlefield guide, Paul, was fantastic!
Review by: marypaulah, August 2016
This trip was fantastic. The driver was wonderful and the tour guide did an excellent job. I would come back and take this trip again.
Review by: James A, August 2016
Our driver was a great guide and the park guide was amazingly knowledgeable.
Review by: Hans A, July 2016
Great day out with a good balance of history and sightseeing. The visitor centre is extremely well done. The battlefields and landmarks are well preserved.
Review by: Sandra M, July 2016
It was amazing day! Guide was awesome. Totally recommend this tour
Review by: martin l, July 2016
A brilliant day full of interesting information given in an entertaining way by the tour bus driver and Gettysburg guide. Can't speak highly enough of them both with the battlefield tour brought vividly to life._br/_ Had not considered the affect of the battle on civilians before the visit to the Schriver House. Again a very professional presentation which painted the picture in a moving way.
Review by: George M, July 2016
Need better food options
Review by: Henri S, June 2016
My grandson and I truly loved this tour. John W. was our tour guide and he was exceptional. He was so informative and went out of his way to make sure we were having a great time. We would recommend this tour especially to all first timers like we were to Washington DC. It gives you an appreciation for the great country we are.
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