Washington DC in One Day: Guided Sightseeing Tour + boat cruise
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Washington DC, USA
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the best of Washington DC all in one day on this time-saving, multi-stop tour. Drop by the city’s top landmarks and monuments, from the White House and the US Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and beyond. Explore on foot and by comfortable bus, or upgrade to travel by glass-topped vehicle for unimpeded views. This tour also includes a seasonal Potomac River cruise for a new perspective on the nation's capital.
- Learn insider facts and stories from your guide's commentary
- See more of the Washington DC sights than you easily could alone
- Pick between two transit options to suit your budget and preferences
- This introductory tour is ideal for first-time or time-pressed visitors
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
A seasonal river cruise and guided walks provide more photo ops than most tours.
What's Included
- English-Speaking Live Tour Guide (on and off the bus)
- Boat Cruise on the Potomac River (seasonal: April 1 to September 30)
- Upgrade to glass-top bus available
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- US Navy Memorial Plaza701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA
For either the Discover DC Guided Bus Tour (6349touronly) or the Upgrade: Glass-Top/Convertible (TG4) departure @ 10 AM: Look for the tour greeter near the tall, white flagpoles on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the U.S. Navy Memorial Plaza (between 7th & 9th Streets) outside the Archives metro.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.10:00 am
Itinerary
In the morning, meet your guide and the rest of the tour group at the US Navy Memorial Plaza.
From the comfort of an air-conditioned coach (upgrade to travel by glass-topped bus), drive past the White House, the many Smithsonian museums, the National Mall, and much more. Your guide will share comprehensive narration along the way, with frequent photo-op stops at the city's historic and iconic landmarks.
You can also experience guided walks around sights such as the US Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Along the way, learn the history of these famous monuments, and examine them up close.
This tour also features a scenic, seasonal boat cruise along the Potomac River (from April through September). At other times of year, head to The Pentagon City. Either way, enjoy a lunch stop (own expense).
The tour concludes back at the original departure point.
From the comfort of an air-conditioned coach (upgrade to travel by glass-topped bus), drive past the White House, the many Smithsonian museums, the National Mall, and much more. Your guide will share comprehensive narration along the way, with frequent photo-op stops at the city's historic and iconic landmarks.
You can also experience guided walks around sights such as the US Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Along the way, learn the history of these famous monuments, and examine them up close.
This tour also features a scenic, seasonal boat cruise along the Potomac River (from April through September). At other times of year, head to The Pentagon City. Either way, enjoy a lunch stop (own expense).
The tour concludes back at the original departure point.
1
United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
The White House
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
National World War II Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Jefferson Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Georgetown
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
8
The Pentagon
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
9
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
11
Korean War Veterans Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
12
Lincoln Memorial
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
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
- Most travelers can participate
- Small carry-on bags are allowed, however it is recommended that you travel lightly. Due to security concerns, the tour operator reserves the right to search any bags or purses you bring on board. Many of the attractions in Washington DC are equipped with metal detectors at the entrances. Traveling without bags or purses is recommended
- Due to time restrictions, you cannot go inside any of the monuments, however you can spend about 15-20 minutes at each stop to enjoy up-close views
- No food allowed on buses (snacks are fine!)
- The boat cruise is seasonal from Apr 1 to Sep 30
- Convertible buses switch from open-tops to glass-tops between October and March due to colder temperatures
- If you're driving, there is street parking and garages available near the meeting location, including directly under the Navy Memorial meeting location.
- We will meet guests in the front of the Navy Memorial, a large fountain plaza, by the tall navy flags - on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th & 9th St NW. Please note: rideshares tend to bring people to the opposite side of the block.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 travelers
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Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Q:Where does this tour meet?
A:Tours will start and end at the U.S. Navy Memorial located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004. We will meet guests in the front of the Navy Memorial, a large fountain plaza, by the tall navy flags - on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th & 9th St NW. Please note: rideshares tend to bring people to the opposite side of the block.
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
4.7
based on 3,742 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Our tour guide, Elvis was very entertaining, funny, informative and courteous. We had a wonderful time, learned an lot and could not have asked for a better tour guide.
Saw everything we wanted and need to see in DC. Our guide Nick from USA Tours was professional, knowledgeable, entertaining and informative. Excitement guide
A very good trip to do whilst in Washington, with visits to all the main sites. I particularly liked it being a bus tour and not all on foot. Washington is a big city and well spaced out, which means a lot of walking, and adding the boat trip on the tour was a nice addition on the tour.
Nick & Kareem were the best! Very entertaining and funny. The bus was comfortable and they gave us enough time to walk around each stop.
Informative, good for a quick overview.
Subject to the conditions, such as accessibility.
Boat was a fun extra, but a bit repetitive.
A good trip incorporating all the landmarks and history of NYC. Recommended for short stayers at NYC.
Well worth it! Fast paced, but great way to spend the day. Elvis (and Ms . Barnes) were fantastic guides.
Quick tour of important landmarks.
Traffic and road blocks should be expected if important political activities are taking place. Our tour guide Nick was very knowledgeable person.
An excellent tour guide who brought such enthusiasm and made the tour enjoyable. Looking to take another tour in Cleveland or Pittsburg.
Would leave zero stars. Don’t recommend at all! When DC had road closures for foreign dignitaries, instead of letting me joint half an hour late they took my $80. Total rip off, save your money!
Parker the bus driver was great and our tour guide shared a great deal of information. Our tour guide was considerate of our needs and kept us on time. All in all a great tour.
Saw a lot of the city with Nick, a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable. Went to many places throughout the city.
Great tour. The driver and guide were very professional and knowledgeable. Very warm in DC, but very cool on the bus.
Nick was fantastic. The fame of his netflix show made him an even better tour guide of DC!!!! Long but worth seeing all the monuments while traveling between them on an air conditioned bus. Way better that the open air buses.
This is the best way to see all the monuments in one day! Our guide Nick and driver Calvin were an unstoppable team! So much knowledge and extra information. We covered all the great stops, took pictures, met so many great people, and got a chance to enjoy Washington to the fullest!
It was so informative and a wonderful experience for first time in DC. Our tour guide, Nick, and bus driver, Calvin, were the best!!! They made it an absolute blast!
Our guide for the day Sam, was very informative and courteous. We had a great time. We got to see a great deal with our minimal time.
Sam and Mr Parker were great guides, the stops were ok, but I would have rather driven by Pentagon and Arlington instead of spending so much time at MLK and Roosevelt memorials. The boat ride was disappointing....not a nice vessel and the audio was prerecorded. The chairs were plastic and not an experience I would pay for.
This is a great way to get a flavour of Washington. A great introduction without the hassle of navigating your way around on your own.
Awesome! All day tour includes the boat information ride. A lot of monuments and just nice 👍 info. Highly recommend
Our tour guide (Joey) and driver (Miss Barnes) were a dynamic duo providing a great day seeing the DC sites. The boat trip down the Potomac was a nice add-on over prior tours I’ve taken. Joey provided great narration, was very clear on timing requirements and only one group had to sing which was the “penalty” for returning to the bus late.
Highly recommend this tour if you want to see the major sites but only have a day to see them.
This trip was absolutely exceptionally wonderful and so was the tour guide extremely knowledgeable as well!
Thank you
Absolutely excellent trip, our tour guide Sam was superb. He was jolly, kind and extremely knowledgeable whilst being completely organised and totally considerate of his clientele. This was a fabulous way to see the sights of Washington DC and the boat trip was fun too. Sam was such a good guide and Shiral was a wonderful driver who went the extra mile for all of us on the bus.
Nick was great very educated gave a lot of facts with great humor and made it a lot of fun
And the driver Calvin was amazing as well, very friendly and helpful
Great tour! Our guide, Nick, is outstanding at his job! Definitely an enjoyable day. Would highly recommend.
Great tour! Nick & the bus driver made the tour fun and interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of DC.
Nick the Tour God, was our guide and he had alot of interesting information to tell us. He was very kind. He answered all our questions.
Terrible, tour was canceled with no notification. Got lost from our car 🚗, walked around for three hours trying to find the car 🚗.
Great overview of the DC Area, historical sites and monuments. Our guide for the day, Joey was friendly and very knowledgeable. Our bus driver Miss Barnes was great too!
It was amazing Joey and the bus driver were fun informative easy-going had some great stories. They were fun and comfortable to be with. They didn’t rush anyone very kind.
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Washington DC in One Day: Guided Sightseeing Tour + boat cruise
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