Washington DC memorials, one by one
Around ten memorials stand on or near the National Mall, and no two tours treat them the same way. Some tours let you walk inside, while others allow two minutes for a photo or only drive past. This guide takes the memorials one at a time, with what to look for at each and which tours let you off.
Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool
The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in 1922, a Greek-style temple ringed by 36 columns, one for each state in the Union when Lincoln died. Inside sits Daniel Chester French's seated Lincoln, larger than life. The walls carry the Gettysburg Address on one side and the Second Inaugural on the other. On the steps, an engraved line marks where Martin Luther King Jr. stood in 1963 to give his "I Have a Dream" speech, and plenty of visitors walk straight over it. Below the chamber lies the undercroft, which a walking-tour reviewer tipped others not to miss.
Every main tour stops here, usually for longer than anywhere else. Intrepid gives it about 30 minutes, and on Capital Segway it is the one 15-minute stop. From the top step you look down the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument, with the World War II Memorial at its far end.
The war memorials beside the pool
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Maya Lin was a student when her design won the competition, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial opened in 1982. Two walls of polished black granite cut into the ground in a long V, carrying more than 58,000 names roughly in the order the people were lost. Your own reflection sits over the names as you read them. Directories at each end help you find one. A short walk away stand the Three Servicemen statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial, which honors the women who served, most of them nurses. All six main tours stop at the wall, though the Segway allows only 5 minutes.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Across the pool from the Vietnam wall, the Korean War Veterans Memorial (1995) shows 19 steel soldiers on patrol in ponchos, moving through low juniper as if crossing a field in the rain. A polished granite wall beside them is etched with the faces of support troops, and the soldiers' reflections in it double their number to 38. The Wall of Remembrance, with the names of the fallen, was added later around the pool at the far end. Five of the six main tours stop here. Capital Segway allows 2 minutes, and Intrepid's carts roll past.
World War II Memorial
The World War II Memorial opened in 2004 at the east end of the Reflecting Pool. Its 56 granite pillars stand for the states and territories of the time. The Atlantic arch and the Pacific arch face each other across the fountain pool. On the Freedom Wall, 4,048 gold stars each mark about 100 Americans who died in the war. Five of the main tours let you off here, Capital Segway for 2 minutes, while Intrepid passes it.
The Washington Monument
The 555-foot (169 m) obelisk anchors the whole Mall, and you see it from almost every other stop. Look a third of the way up for the change in the color of the stone, which marks the long pause in construction around the Civil War. Several tours stop at its base for a few minutes. Empire Tours ends its walk there at dusk. None of the six main tours goes up. Going up the Washington Monument explains the free timed tickets and the walks that finish with the elevator ride.
Around the Tidal Basin
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Opened in 2011, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial begins with a split boulder, the Mountain of Despair. You walk through the gap to the Stone of Hope, the piece pushed forward toward the water, with King's figure carved out of it. A long curved wall nearby carries quotations from his sermons and speeches. Five of the main tours stop here, and Capital Segway skips it.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The FDR Memorial (1997) spreads along the west side of the basin as four outdoor rooms, one for each of his terms, with water features that change from room to room. Look for the bronze of Roosevelt seated beside his dog, Fala. Most vehicle tours skip it because it takes time to walk. Unlimited Biking is the exception, and its riders walk their bikes through all four rooms.
Jefferson Memorial
Across the water stands the round, domed Jefferson Memorial, dedicated in 1943. Inside, a bronze Jefferson stands under the dome, ringed by passages from his writing, among them lines from the Declaration of Independence. The view back across the Tidal Basin to the Washington Monument is one of the classic photos of the city. See DC Today lets you step inside at night. USA Guided Tours stops here as well, and Unlimited Biking parks its bikes for a look. Intrepid only drives past, and Empire Tours shows it from the far shore. The best time to see the monuments covers the blossom weeks, when this shore is at its busiest.
Out of the van at nearly every stop
For ~$99, See DC Today's 12-seat vans let you out at about ten stops after dark. You step inside the Jefferson and climb the Lincoln steps. The Vietnam wall and both statues beside it are stops too.
Two memorials off the main loop
The Albert Einstein Memorial (1979) sits among trees on Constitution Avenue. The bronze physicist leans back on a bench with a map of the stars at his feet, and children climb onto his lap for photos. Empire Tours begins its sunset walk here.
The Marine Corps War Memorial, known to most people as Iwo Jima, stands across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia. The 1954 bronze shows six servicemen raising the flag on Mount Suribachi. USA Guided Tours is the main tour that crosses the river for it at night.
Which tour stops where
The table shows where each of the six main tours lets you off. A drive-by means you see the memorial from the vehicle or from across the water.
| Memorial | You get off with | Drive-by or skipped |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | All six | None |
| Vietnam wall | All six | None |
| Korean War | See DC Today, USA Guided Tours, Capital Segway (2 min), Unlimited Biking, Empire Tours | Intrepid drives past |
| World War II | See DC Today, USA Guided Tours, Capital Segway (2 min), Unlimited Biking, Empire Tours | Intrepid drives past |
| Washington Monument (base) | Intrepid, Capital Segway (2 min), Unlimited Biking, Empire Tours | In view from the night tours |
| MLK | See DC Today, USA Guided Tours, Intrepid, Unlimited Biking, Empire Tours | Capital Segway skips it |
| FDR | Unlimited Biking | The other five skip it |
| Jefferson | See DC Today (inside), USA Guided Tours, Unlimited Biking | Intrepid drives past; Empire views it across the water; Capital Segway skips it |
| Einstein | Empire Tours (start) | The other five skip it |
| Marine Corps War Memorial | USA Guided Tours | The other five skip it |
Our comparison of the ways to get round explains how each format trades time at a memorial against ground covered.
More of them on foot or by trolley
To walk five of the memorials and then go up the obelisk, Babylon Tours DC, from ~$55, starts at the Einstein Memorial at 9:30 am with groups of up to 12. After the war memorials and the MLK it gives you about 30 minutes inside the Washington Monument. That part is self-guided, since the guide does not go up with you. Wheelchair users have to book the private option, and the walk needs at least two guests to run.
For a group with a wheelchair user, the accessible choice is Old Town Trolley's Monuments by Moonlight, from ~$60. It carries up to about 50 people on an open-air trolley. Its two main get-off stops pair MLK with FDR and the Lincoln with the Vietnam and Korean memorials. The WWII Memorial has taken the place of the old Iwo Jima stop, and many reviewers say the stops feel short. DC monuments at night compares it with the vans.
Every memorial here is free and open around the clock, so a loop on your own costs nothing (see our free options). Getting to the Mall helps you reach the start.