Arlington Cemetery Small-Group Tour & Changing of the Guards
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Washington DC, USA
- 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See the moving Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns on a guided walking tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Be perfectly placed for good views of the moving ceremony, then continue to some of the cemetery's most important gravesites and memorials, including places dedicated to John F. Kennedy, the USS Maine, Second World War soldier Audie Murphy, and more, learning the fascinating history of the cemetery as you walk.
- Watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns
- Visit important grave sites from politicians to war heroes, including John F. Kennedy
- Group size limited to 15 to ensure personal service
- Multiple times offered throughout the day
What's Included
- 2-2.5-Hour Arlington Cemetery Guided Walking Tour in Washington DC
- View the ceremonial Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns
- Visit some of the cemetery's most important memorials, including the USS Maine Mast Memorial
- Visit the grave of John F. Kennedy, as well as Jackie Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy
- See notable sites including the graves of Civil War Soldiers
- Professional Guide
- Gratuities
- Transportation
- Entry to Arlington House
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1 Memorial Ave, Fort Myer, VA 22211, USA
Meet your guide just outside the visitor’s center on the cemetery side after you pass through security. Your guide will be wearing a blue name tag.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Make sure to wear comfy shoes on the day of this Arlington National Cemetery walking tour as you cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
Your tour begins at the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Spend some time getting acquainted with your guide and fellow tour members once you arrive. From there, head into the cemetery and walk and talk about the notable graves you pass along the way. See the graves of soldiers from the Civil War, plus important monuments, such as the USS Maine Mast Memorial.
Your guide makes sure you don't miss anything, especially not the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—you’ll be just in time for it.
The final gravesite you visit is John F. Kennedy’s, where your guide tells you about JFK's remarkable life before taking you back to the original meeting spot.
Your tour begins at the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Spend some time getting acquainted with your guide and fellow tour members once you arrive. From there, head into the cemetery and walk and talk about the notable graves you pass along the way. See the graves of soldiers from the Civil War, plus important monuments, such as the USS Maine Mast Memorial.
Your guide makes sure you don't miss anything, especially not the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—you’ll be just in time for it.
The final gravesite you visit is John F. Kennedy’s, where your guide tells you about JFK's remarkable life before taking you back to the original meeting spot.
1
Arlington National Cemetery
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Arlington National Cemetery
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Audie L. Murphy Gravesite
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
USS Maine Mast Memorial (Pass By)
Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial (Pass By)
Memorial Amphitheater (Pass By)
James Tanner Amphitheater (Pass By)
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial (Pass By)
Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial (Pass By)
4
President John F. Kennedy Gravesite
Admission Ticket Free
5
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a walking tour, there will be approximately 2 miles of walking and inclines and stairs. Please plan accordingly.
- Tour runs rain or shine.
- Meeting Address: 1 Memorial Ave, Fort Myer, VA 22211, USA Please meet your guide just outside the Welcome Center on the Arlington Cemetery side after you pass through security, next to the benches on the West side.
- Your reserved time is the tour start/departure time. All tours depart promptly on time and are unable to wait for late arrivals. Guests should arrive 20 minutes before tour time to pass through security and check in.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Frequently Asked Questions (7)
Q:Where does this tour meet?
A:Address: 1 Memorial Ave, Fort Myer, VA 22211, USA
Please meet your guide just outside the Welcome Center on the Arlington Cemetery side after you pass through security, next to the benches on the West side.
Jun 2025
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 2,788 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
What an amazing tour we had. Our group was small so we got to hear everything, very flexible schedule, and see a lot of great sites. Meg was super knowledgeable and passionate! Would recommend this tour to everyone. 10 out of 10!
Meg was very nice and informative! She is an experienced and well respected tour guide! You can’t go wrong!
Meg was a fantastic tour guide. Her knowledge of the cemetery was superb and she was engaging. The walk was a little tough with all the hills but if you can physically do it I much recommend it over just driving by things. We were able to go to the headstones and wonder a bit and it was fantastic.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Kathy, thank you for your kind words. We agree, walking is the best way to see Arlington Cemetery and Meg is a passionate guide.
Pam was very knowledgeable and friendly. She had quite a few stories to tell about different graves and was very respectful. We would definitely recommend a private tour with Pam.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
We're so glad you enjoyed your private tour of Arlington National Cemetery with Pam, she's one of our best! Thanks for touring with us!
There was a lot of information! Our tour guide Kevin was fantastic. Would do this tour again. Great for all ages. A lot of walking.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
We're glad Kevin made taking in so much information and doing so much walking enjoyable for you! Thanks for tour with us!
Meg was our guide for the walking tour of 2 hours. She had lots of interesting details and anecdotes that made the tour superb. I was really emotional at the Kennedy's site because all of them had violent deaths. Immaculately maintained and vast expanse. I think the tour in the buggy may be less exhausting
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Meera. walking the cemetery is challenging, especially in the heat, thanks for joining us in spite of that. And thank you for taking the time to leave such kind kinds for you tour guide, Meg.
Kevin was an excellent tour guide, very informative. Tour time was appropriate and it was a nice walk.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We're glad to know you appreciated the length and walk of the tour - Arlington is a lot of walking and a lot of information to include in a short amount of time. We agree that Kevin is excellent, too. Thanks for touring with us!
We didn’t realize how much walking was involved. We are seniors and had to rest which was no problem for Pam.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Arlington is very hilly and requires a lot of walking, but we're glad to hear that Pam took care of you so well and made your experience worthwhile! Thanks for touring with us!
Was very fascinating was looking forward to seeing the tomb of the unknown soldier Dash was a great guide and I found all the history very educational and fascinating
Response from Host, Aug 2026
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is so powerful, so we don't blame you for looking forward to it. We're so glad that you enjoyed your time with Dash. Thanks for touring with us!
Amazing Experience, it is Highly Recommended! Our Guide (Reid) was Outstanding! Be prepared to do some walking, its worth it!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
It's wonderful that you had such a great time with Reid. Arlington can certainly be a lot of walking, but we're so glad to hear you found it worthwhile. Thanks for touring with us!
Wonderful!! Reid our tour guide was very informative. Showed us a lot of things we would have missed out had we not taken the tour. It was the best!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time with Reid at Arlington and found the tour worthwhile! Thanks for touring with us!
This was an excellent tour of Arlington Cemetery! Our tour guide Pam was so informative and gave us an in-depth look and background stories of many very important people who are buried here. We thoroughly enjoyed her presentation and her insight on the changing of the guard and the grounds we walked through. Thanks again, Pam! You did a fantastic job!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Pam is one of our best, we're so glad that she made your Arlington experience so memorable. Thanks for touring with us!
Tour guide was excellent. She really knew the history behind Arlington Cemetery and made it even more interesting.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thanks so much for touring with us! We're so glad the tour guide made your tour at Arlington worthwhile!
Reid was very knowledgeable about the history of the cemetery. We thoroughly enjoyed his inside stories and tidbits of information.
Our guide, Christina, was awesome! Extremely knowledgeable and personable. It is a 2.5 hour walking tour and very hot; make sure you have plenty of water. Easy walk.
Jim was an outstanding tour guide and made our visit to Arlington National Cemetery truly unforgettable. His knowledge, professionalism, and heartfelt storytelling brought the history and significance of the cemetery to life in a meaningful way.
He shared fascinating insights throughout the tour and took the time to answer questions, making the experience both educational and deeply moving. Thanks to Jim, this was one of the most memorable parts of our trip. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Washington, D.C.! 🇺🇸✨
Jim was fantastic. He not only was very friendly and personable but is a wealth of knowledge for historical data around who was who in all of the wars. He knows names of peoples, their connections and associates; battles; time frames etc. really enjoyed his tour. Highly recommend him.
This was a great tour! Reid was an excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. It was a super hot day and he made sure we got shade and took breaks. Arlington was stunning and powerful. We were able to see the Changing of the Guard which was very cool. Definitely recommend!
The tour was great! Well worth it. Our tour guide was wonderful. It was nice hearing all of the historical information and viewing the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldiers was a once in a lifetime experience!
Christina was our tour guide and she was phenomenal! Her background as a social studies teacher brought a wealth of extra knowledge to the tour! Would absolutely recommend her for anyone that is touring Arlington National Cemetery. Awareness.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Wonderful review, thanks so much for sharing! I would recommend Arlington National Cemetery as well to anyone visiting DC, and I am glad to hear your experience with Christina left you feeling like that is the only way to visit!
Today I met Jude. A great guide who was great at looking after us all in the hot DC sunshine. The walk and talk was fascinating with loads of interesting stories and little notes as we went along. Guided us through the many headstones and pointed out key notables. The timing for the 'changing of the Guard ' at the tomb of the unknown was perfectly times. If you're lucky enough to get Jude, you will not be disappointed.
meg was an excellent tour guide. she was very knowledgeable about the cemetery and shared her knowledge about it perfectly.
Jim was an excellent tour guide! He knew everything about the cemetery and answered every questioned asked! Loved the tour
Great personality of our guide..friendly and considerate. Outstanding knowledge of the cemetery and the stories associated. Money well spent!!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Love to hear that! We are proud to have the most knowledgable guides at Arlington National Cemetery.
You do not need to pay for Arlington it is free. Visitor is taking advantage of tourist and charging this ridiculous amount to people unfamiliar with Washington. The National Parks workers encouraged us to leave this review so others don’t get scammed like we did!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Correct, entry to Arlington National Cemetery is free.
We offer a guided tour of Arlington, navigating guests efficiently through the 600+ acres, providing history and background on the many honored on the grounds, and allowing tourists to get the most out of their time and visit.
Let us be very clear, we are not here to take advantage of tourists nor did you get scammed. We offer guide services and experiences, and you paid for a guided tour of the Cemetery. You joined your tour in its entirety, and even stayed extra time with your guide afterwards.
Definitely grab a tour for Arlington National Cemetery. Well worth the money and you will learn things you can’t on your own! Well worth had Meg as a tour guide. She was awesome! So knowledgeable and friendly!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We definitely agree. Many of us have been studying Arlington National Cemetery for years and are still learning more each day. We love having the opportunity to share some of its rich history with guests on a regular basis. Cheers!
We had a great time with the family. Our tour guide was great and was very knowledgeable about everything. I would definitely recommend going.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We love hearing our guests had a great time! That is what we are here for. We understand visiting Washington, DC and Arlington National Cemetery is a once in a lifetime experience for many and never lose sight of the significance of that.
The tour was amazing!!!! Our tour guide did an excellent job of sharing so much knowledge with us! She truly personalized the experience for us. I would highly recommend this tour!!!!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks for joining us and the high praise! I started the first Arlington Cemetery Walking tour over 10 years ago, and some asked "why would you do a walking tour of Arlington?". To hear guests enjoy the experience this much today with my guides continuing to carry the legacy is what I live for!
There can be stairs and a few hills. Nothing terrible I just did not know. Otherwise it’s a very emotional experience. From the number of stones to the changing of the guard it can really put life into perspective
Response from Host, Jul 2026
This is a great note for other travelers, there are a few hills and possibly stairs. However for any guests that have difficulty with stairs they can be avoided, just let our guide know and we are happy to accommodate. We pride ourselves on being 100% accessible on all of our tours.
Our guide was excellent! Extremely knowledgeable, great answering questions, and willing to look it up if she didn’t know.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks for extending your recommendation, means a lot to us! Meg is fantastic! Really knows Arlington National Cemetery, its history, and the stories of many honored there, from the Tomb of the Unknown soldiers to John F Kennedy, from the Civil War to today, and so much more!
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