Top Washington DC Night Tours

There are several great options for exploring Washington DC after dark. Previous customers have loved these Washington DC night tours:

• DC Monuments and Memorials Night Tour
• Washington DC Monuments by Moonlight Tour by Trolley
• Night Monuments Tour with 8+ Stop & Optional Attraction Tickets
• Night City Tour with Optional Air & Space or Washington Monument
• Washington DC by Moonlight Electric Cart Tour

Yes, you can visit Washington DC monuments at night. The National Mall—as well as adjacent monuments and memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial—are technically accessible 24 hours a day. Tick them all off on a Washington DC night tour (and bring your camera to capture them as they’re lit up after dark).

Yes, the Monuments by Moonlight tour is worth it—travelers give this after-dark experience top ratings, as it lets you see the monuments when they’re illuminated and transports you between landmarks quickly and effortlessly. As a bonus, it also means avoiding the busiest daytime crowds and traffic (and peak daytime heat during the summer months).

Yes, the National Mall is open 24 hours a day. Travelers say seeing the monuments illuminated after dark—including highlights such as the Lincoln Memorial—is a must-do experience when visiting Washington DC. However, while you can technically walk the National Mall, you can explore more comfortably as part of a Washington DC night tour that transports you between monuments by bus, trolley, or electric cart.

There are tons of fun tours and excursions in Washington DC aside from night tours. According to previous travelers, these are the best activities to book for your next trip:

• Bus Tours
• Hop-On Hop-Off Buses
• Trolley Tours
• Segway Tours
• Museum Tickets & Passes

Washington DC night tour prices vary depending on duration and inclusions. If you’re looking for high-quality experiences on the lower end of the price range, these are the best tours to book now: 

• Haunted DC Night-Time Walking Tour on Capitol Hill
• Ghosts of Georgetown Night-Time Walking Tour
• Big Bus DC: Monuments & Memorials Sunset Tour by Open-Top Bus
• Washington DC Monuments by Moonlight Tour by Trolley
• Day or Night Grand Tour of DC With Optional Mount Vernon Upgrade

Unlike in some other cities, night tours in Washington DC tend to be sightseeing tours, rather than nightlife tours (although some are ghost tours). Most are suitable for the whole family, as long as kids are comfortable staying up late; you might want to check the “spooky” level of ghost tours as well. Keen photographers should look for a night tour that includes plenty of stops, as DC’s grand national monuments look especially attractive lit up after dark.

Yes, night tours in Washington DC are generally family-friendly, but you should consider your kids’ ages, meals, bedtimes, and other needs before booking. Most tours start in the evening, between 6pm and 8pm, and run for between 1.5–3 hours. Older kids may not have trouble staying up, but younger ones might. As a bonus, bus tours are often stroller-accessible.

Yes, it’s safe to take a night tour in Washington DC. The National Mall and its major monuments are among the most-visited and patrolled areas in the city, and night tours keep you in well-lit, high-traffic locations, all accompanied by a guide. Traveling as part of a tour with included transportation means you don’t have to navigate on foot by yourself.

Yes, most monuments and memorials in Washington DC—including the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial—are always free to visit and explore, no matter the time of day. However, traveling as part of a guided night tour ensures a smoother experience, thanks to transportation between the widely spaced landmarks and in-depth guide commentary.

That depends on the experience you’re looking for. Trolley tours are a fun way to travel, and vehicles are often equipped with specially designed viewing windows. Bus tours are a similarly convenient way to hit up lots of sights in a single night; some vehicles have open-tops for uninterrupted views. And electric cart tours are ideal for small groups wanting a more personal experience.

No, the majority of Washington DC night tours do not include hotel pickup and drop-off—instead, they typically depart from a centrally located meeting point, such as Union Station, the US Navy Memorial Plaza, or outside the National Archives. Note that private tours are more likely to offer round-trip hotel transfers.

Most Washington DC night tours run between 1.5–3 hours, with departures typically starting between 6pm and 8:30pm to catch the monuments illuminated after sunset (although timings may vary throughout the year, to correlate with darkness). Ghost and walking tours are typically on the shorter end of the spectrum, while bus tours can last up to three hours.