Open-Top or Glass-Top Bus & US Capitol + National Archives Entry

Recommended by 94% of travelers

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Washington DC, USA

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

8 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Make the most of your trip to the US national capitol with this open-top convertible bus tour of the Washington DC area. Take in panoramic views as you drive through the nation's capital and enjoy reserved entry to the Capitol Building and the National Archives. Stop to explore the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, US Marine Corps War Memorial, and US Air Force Memorial. Plus, cruise the Potomac River (April 1st to October 15th) or explore the Kennedy Center (October 16th to March 31st)

Convertible van tour of the Washington DC area
Stop to take photos of the White House, Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial
Spend time at the US Marine Corps War Memorial and US Air Force Memorial
Cruise the Potomac River or explore the Kennedy Center

What's Included

Bottled water
Transport by glass-top or open-top, convertible tour bus
English-Speaking Live Tour Guide/Driver
Boat Cruise on the Potomac River (seasonal: April 1 to September 30)
Tickets to the National Archives Building
Reserved Entry to the U.S. Capitol Building

Gratuities
Lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Neptune Fountain
68 1st St SE, Washington, DC 20004, USA
Your tour begins at Neptune Fountain in front of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. Address: 68 First St SE, Washington, DC 20004

End point

National Archives Museum
701 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20408, USA
End of tour

Operating hours
.8:30 am

Itinerary

Meet in front of the Neptune Fountain for your convertible van tour of the Washington DC area. First, take a guided tour of the US Capitol Building, with included, reserved entry.

Then, board a SkyVue convertible Mercedes-Benz van, and get ready for your guide to show you around the US East Coast. Your first stops on this tour are at the National Mall to observe the White House, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial, and much more while passing by and learning about other significant landmarks.

Then, head to Georgetown for your seasonal activity. In the summer months (April 1st to October 15th), enjoy a leisurely cruise on the Potomac River. During the winter (October 16th to March 31st), head inside the Kennedy Center to explore.

Your last stops of the day are at the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the National Archives, where you can explore inside with reserved tickets.

U.S. Capitol

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

The White House

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

National World War II Memorial

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Jefferson Memorial

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (Pass By)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Korean War Veterans Memorial

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lincoln Memorial

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Georgetown

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

The Pentagon

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

The National Archives Museum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Tour buses and vans do not have storage for accommodating carry-on bags or baby strollers. Please only bring purses, briefcases, or backpacks for your tour.
No food allowed on buses (snacks are fine!).
Convertible buses switch from open-tops to glass-tops between Oct - Mar due to colder temperatures.
The tour price includes a boat cruise, and tourists will have the opportunity to purchase lunch at one of several waterfront restaurants in the summer.
In off-peak season (Oct – Mar), instead of boat cruise and Georgetown stop, we'll have lunch at Pentagon City Mall
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 100 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

So-so experience, not our thing

Lisa_R, Jun 2025

Not good time management... couldn't have a "sit down" lunch in Georgetown as advertised. Guide told us to "just get a sandwich or something and take it with us". I didn't pay over a $100 per ticket to eat a sandwich in my lap while a guide talked to much and we saw too little.

Excellent overview of the...

joan_w, Mar 2025

Excellent overview of the area. Brittany was an amazing tour guide with lots of interesting tidbits to add at each venue. Leah our driver was skilled at navigating traffic for a very smooth ride.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thanks!

This tour is basically to...

Rabindra_P, Feb 2025

This tour is basically to visit Memorials of the American modern history. All the places visited are free admission to all.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

That is correct. This is a tour of the National Mall, a public attraction with memorials and other attractions throughout. What our bus tour provides, however, is commentary from trained local guides and the convenience of transpiration around the over 6-miles that comprise visiting all memorials in the park. We hope you had a good time and hope to see you again soon!

Recommend highly Christopher

Emmanuel_B, Aug 2024

First and foremost Christopher our tour guide was wonderful. We really enjoyed his fun sense of humor, he was very knowledgeable about the sights and history. We were also grateful for our experienced tour bus driver. Totally recommend!

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks for sharing your awesome experience!

Beautiful day in DC

Jenny_M, Aug 2024

The friendliness and knowledge of the driver. We learned alot of history and it was enjoyable 😉. Hoping to come back in the future for a nighttime tour.

Best time with Evan and Eugene

maya_j, Aug 2024

I did this tour with my daughter and We did it with Evan and Eugene and we had such an amazing experience. Evan have deep knowledge about everything in the area and all the sites we visited. He also gave us great tips and recommendations about other places to visit and restaurants. . Eugene made our ride very easy and kept us cool since it was very hot. I did this tour back in june with different tour guide and it wasn’t as great as this one with Evan and Eugene. I am planning to come back in March to see the cherry blossom close to MLK junior.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thank you for the kind words! We are glad you had a good time. We hope to see you soon!

Washington DC glass top van it’s not a bus it’s a van it’s about 15 to 20 people

Eileen_M, Jul 2024

For the most part, we enjoyed the entire tour however, I felt that it was a little rushed. Some people didn’t get back to the bus on time which cut our time for lunch and I didn’t appreciate that. Therefore, we didn’t really get to explore the harbor. restaurants we just had a grab something and go, there is an extreme amount of walking just so you are aware we walked approximately 20,000 steps. The road ride on the bus was probably less than the amount of steps that you have to physically walk so in Perimeter shambles Essence the bottom line is you can take the $30 cheaper one because you’re really not on the bus that long and you really don’t get to see that much , and also it was steaming out. It was steaming hot about 90 some degrees. The bus was a newer bus. It was a Mercedes van so it held about 15 to 20 people and they did supply bottled cold water the entire time which was plus.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

We appreciate the feedback.

we would do it again, but on a day not so hot

KlausWerner_M, Jul 2024

The trip in the small group in the open minibus was very nice. Our guide was nice and funny. In addition to the facts, he always had suitable anecdotes up his sleeve. The stops at the sights were sufficiently long and the foot tour was accompanied by the guide. The free cold water was necessary, it was very hot. The boat tour was rather disappointing and unnecessary. Unfortunately, the last stop at the Capitol was canceled because the police had closed all access roads. That's why we didn't get back to the starting Point also. The tour then ended at the National Archives.

Response from Host, Jul 2024

We appreciate your feedback. We will follow up with the boat operator. The starting point is directly across the street from the National Archives, we thank you for your patience and understanding.

Great monument tour -ignore the overview

Ed_C, Nov 2023

It was a great tour but beware the overview is NOT the tour! Check the list of stops. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about history. Totally worth it especially if your first time in DC. I like the small tours. Timely bathroom breaks.

Ask for Christopher!

Rene_S, Sep 2023

Excellent tour! Ticked off most of the obvious places to go in DC. The boat cruise was my highlight. You could see the planes taking off from Ronald Reagan airport. They weren’t flying that far over your head! The tour guide Christopher had loads of energy and charisma. A local, he clearly know his city’s history inside out. Nothing was too much trouble. In fact we were running slightly ahead of schedule so he took us on a slight detour, just across the bridge into Arlington, Virginia, so we were fortunate to also see the Iwo Jima Memorial. Above and beyond. I highly recommend this tour!

DC Fun in the Sun in One Day

Genia_R, Jul 2023

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Bus was on time and guide always had her occupants in mind.

Expensive but Educational & Comfortable

Ruby_Z, Jul 2023

Pros: Very informative, tour guide is really knowledgeable, small group in convertible / glass top van made for great visibility & pictures. Van was also very comfortable. Cons: definitely pricey for what you get. For that price it would have been nice to be picked up from my hotel, instead of meetings the bus location. When you get to the meeting point, it’s an little overwhelming because there are a lot of tour buses there from different companies, and it’s difficult to get someone to help you as they’re all scrambling to situate their guest. Also while out walking it felt really rushed; but the tour guide; although nice and informative, seemed very robotic it wasn’t fun and entertaining it was just informative and rushed. I found it hard to stop and take pictures because we were constantly moving and if we stayed behind to catch a picture of something we’d get told to stay with the group and follow directions cause there is a lot to cover. Which I appreciate, but as tourist like most we are there to take pictures and also learn. I just feel like there could have been a better balance with educating and an entertaining.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thanks for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We want to make ensure that we are providing great tour everyday. We apologize for any confusion that you may have experience at the meeting location. Unfortunately, there are several tour companies that start their tours at this location. We are currently looking into finding a solution for our guest to be able to locate us easier. We also apologize that you felt rush during your tour. We try to allot time for our guest to be able to take pictures and create memories while they are on the tour. If there is anything else that we can do for you, please contact us at 202-733-7376 or reservations@usaguidedtours.com

Saw and learned about so many sites

Vincent_W, Jun 2023

Small group made our tour more relaxed. Able to stop and have a short walk around sites. A lot of information given about history. Shout out to Joey and Yusuf.

Fun day on a guided tour

Rodney_P, May 2023

Chris was excellent Very knowledgeable about American history Concerning the past president. He kept the tour fun and moving right along.

“Fun in the sun & rain”

Sherry_H, Nov 2022

The tour guide & the driver was excellent, both were friendly, kind & humorous! Although, we encountered some rain they kept the tour fun & engaging. The vehicle was awesome, we were able to get a short time of sun. Overall, I would recommend this tour & maybe try it again on a “real sunny day”!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

I am glad you had fun despite the rain. We think that the "Open-Top"s real value is the smaller group size which is a great perk regardless of the weather. Thanks for joining us! Share your memories with us on Instagram @usaguidedtours.

Washington Wonders of the World

Janet_W, Oct 2022

Great, informative and clear commentary. The monuments were wonderful and all we expected them to be. Were blessed with a beautiful autumn day so the colours provided an added bonus

Our tour guide Edgar was...

Amy_F, Apr 2022

Our tour guide Edgar was amazing! He gave us so much knowledge and information. He made our day a wonderful experience.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you, Amy, for sharing your experience, we are very happy that you enjoyed the tour, we invite you to review our different tour offers, we have a modern fleet of buses, experienced drivers, and friendly tour guides that will make you feel very comfortable.

Time wasted.

Alex_R, Apr 2022

We choose this particular tour after thoroughly reading the tour's description and itinerary. I understand that some substitutions might be unavoidable due to certain circumstances, but what we get was very different (with the negative connotation) from what was promised.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear customer, we regret that your experience has not been good, we invite you to review our different tour offers, we have a modern fleet of buses, experienced drivers, and expert and friendly guides that will make you feel very comfortable.

Tour God was the best...

Dee_B, Nov 2021

Tour God was the best guide. Funny and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend this tour experience.

Great your experience.

Cherrie_J, Jul 2021

We had an awesome time on the tour. The tourist/driver was very friendly and knowledgeable of the history of Washington DC. Thank you so much for the great experience.

Great tour with an awesome guide.

Devlon_N, Jul 2021

The stories by our guide were awesome. It was hot but very enjoyable. I would definitely book again.

Fantastic Tour

Tim_D, May 2021

Nick was absolutely outstanding!! We have been on several tours through the years and Nick is the best guide we have ever had on any tour we have ever done. We really enjoyed the convertible bus which added to the sightseeing views as we traveled. I would recommend this to anyone as a start to any long DC visit or as a quick overview visit of the many sights if you don't have much time to spend in DC. THANKS AGAIN NICK FOR A MEMORABLE DAY!

Response from Host, May 2021

Thank you for the kind words. We are thrilled you had an enjoyable tour with Nick. He is one of our best and always deliver a great experience for our guests. We will pass along your compliments, hope to see you again soon. Safe journeys. Elizabeth

Canceled tour

Roberta_S, May 2019

I was given a Washington DC 6-hour tour because this one was canceled. I wanted to go to National Harbor but no one else reserved it. I would like to be informed of a National Harbor trip I can book at the last minute.