What a Washington DC monument tour costs
Money first, then the memorials. The six tours we compare cost ~$39–99 per person, and since the memorials themselves charge nothing, the whole gap pays for the guide and the ride between stops. Nine more tours in these guides stretch the range at both ends. Below, each price is set against what it buys, followed by the costs no listing adds up for you.
Fifteen tours in one table
The six home-page tours come first, then the nine extras from these guides, each at its regular "from" price per adult on the cheaper booking site. The last column decides value more than any other, whether you get out at the memorials or watch them through a window.
| Tour | From | Length | How you travel | Group | Starts at | Off at the memorials? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See DC Today night tour (our pick) | ~$99 | 3 h | 12-seat van | 12 per van | Grand Hyatt | Yes, about 10 stops |
| USA Guided Tours by night | ~$58 | 3 h | Coach or convertible | Up to 50 | Navy Memorial | Yes, about 9 stops |
| Intrepid eCruiser | ~$59 | 2 h | Electric cart | 7 per cart | 450 F St NW | 6 stops |
| Capital Segway | ~$70 | 2.5 h | Segway | Up to 15 | 818 Connecticut Ave NW | Mostly photo stops |
| Unlimited Biking by day | ~$65 | 3 h | Bike | Up to 15 | 701 D St NW | Yes, most |
| Empire Tours sunset walk | ~$39 | 2 h | On foot | Usually small | Einstein Memorial | Yes, about 15 min each |
| Old Town Trolley by moonlight | ~$60 | 2.5 h | Open trolley | About 50 | 1001 E St NW | Two main stops |
| Vintage Model-T replica | ~$55 | 2 h | Electric car | 4 or 7 per car | 515 15th St NW | About 5 photo stops |
| Unlimited Biking at night | ~$65 | 3 h | Bike | Up to 15 | 701 D St NW | Yes |
| Full day with cruise | ~$89 | 6 h | Coach and boat | Up to 55 | Navy Memorial | Yes, 10 stops |
| Nightingale sunset cruise | ~$35 | 45 min | Boat | Up to 60 | Georgetown | No, views only |
| DC by Foot with Monument ticket | ~$75 | About 2 h | On foot | 6 at most | Lincoln Memorial | Yes |
| Babylon Tours DC walk | ~$55 | 2.5 h | On foot | 12 at most | Einstein Memorial | Yes |
| Heart of DC night van | ~$89 | 3 h plus | 12-seat van | 12 | One CityCenter | Yes, 9 stops |
| No Line Waiters ticket | ~$25 | Ticket only | None | None | By email | Monument only |
All six main tours cancel free until 24 hours ahead, and both sites let you reserve now and pay later. The extras set their own terms, and the ticket service in the last row refunds nothing.
What each of the six prices buys
Empire Tours' sunset walk, from ~$39, is the cheapest guided option, and you pay for the guide alone. About 15 minutes at each memorial between the Einstein Memorial and the base of the Washington Monument beats any vehicle tour for time on site. The cost is in your legs, roughly 2 miles (3.2 km), and the Jefferson is seen only across the water.
USA Guided Tours' night coach, from ~$58, is the cheapest way to cover the Mall and the river after dark. Bottled water is handed out, and the guide walks you round about nine stops, Iwo Jima in Arlington included. The catch is a coach that Viator lists for up to 50, plus stairs at several stops.
Intrepid Urban Adventures' eCruiser, from ~$59, buys 2 hours on an open seven-seat electric cart with little walking and six stops, the longest about 30 minutes at the Lincoln Memorial. Children pay the adult rate. The Jefferson and Korean memorials are drive-bys.
Capital Segway, from ~$70, spends about 30 of its 2.5 hours on training, then rolls between 2–5-minute photo stops, with 15 minutes at the Lincoln Memorial as the one exception. A helmet and a radio headset are included. The Tidal Basin memorials are not on the route, and riders must be 16 or older.
Unlimited Biking's day ride, from ~$65, includes a hybrid bike sized to you and a helmet for 3 hours, and you walk in at more memorials than on any vehicle tour, wheeling your bike through the four rooms of the FDR Memorial. The catch is some riding on roads, and one reviewer waited a long time for a replacement bike.
Our pick, See DC Today's small-group night tour, from ~$99, costs the most, roughly 1.6 times the coach. That buys a 12-seat van and about ten stops where you get out, including a step inside the Jefferson Memorial and a climb up the Lincoln steps. Water and phone chargers are on board, though there is no hotel pickup.
Price per hour, as a sanity check
Divide each price by its length and the order shifts. Empire's walk and the USA Guided Tours coach come out cheapest, almost level at a little over half See DC Today's hourly rate, with Unlimited Biking close behind. Intrepid and Capital Segway land near the van. Hours are a blunt measure, though, because time standing at a memorial is what people remember, and the Segway spends most of its hours rolling.
Same tour, two prices
Most of these tours cost the same on GetYourGuide and Viator. Three do not.
- USA Guided Tours' night coach. ~$58 on Viator against about $64 on GetYourGuide for the same 7:30 pm departure;
- Intrepid's eCruiser. ~$59 on GetYourGuide against about $62 on Viator;
- The vintage Model-T replica. ~$55 on Viator against about $69 on GetYourGuide, the widest gap we found.
The others matched to the dollar when we compared them, so book wherever you already have an account.
The whole Mall after dark for less
USA Guided Tours' coach leaves the Navy Memorial at 7:30 pm for about 3 hours, and the guide gets off with you at around nine memorials, the Iwo Jima memorial in Arlington among them, from ~$58. Cancel free up to a day before.
What you pay on top
- Tips. None of the six include them. US guides and drivers expect something, and a few dollars a head suits a short tour; give more to a guide who spent the whole evening with you;
- A convertible seat. On Viator, USA Guided Tours sells a paid convertible upgrade, with the top down in summer and a glass roof from October to March;
- Food and drink. No tour comes with a meal, and only See DC Today and USA Guided Tours supply bottled water;
- Getting to the start. A Metro fare or a rideshare each way; our page on reaching the start has the nearest stations;
- Entry fees. None, since the memorials are free. The Washington Monument's timed tickets carry only a small booking fee, explained in going up the Washington Monument.
Two extras at the top of the range
USA Guided Tours' full day with a Potomac cruise, from ~$89, runs 6 hours from 10 am with ten stops. Its catch is the calendar, because the cruise runs from April to September only and the price stays the same without it, and reviewers find the day rushed, lunch in Georgetown at your own cost included.
Heart of DC Tours' night van, from ~$89, sold on Viator only, is a 12-seat van with nine get-off stops. The catch is timed stops over a little more than 3 hours, and it is not wheelchair accessible. Which night tour to book sets it against See DC Today.
A family of four, added up
Take two adults with children of 10 and 14. Empire's walk costs four times ~$39 and the USA Guided Tours coach four times ~$58. See DC Today costs at most four times ~$99 (Viator shows a child rate), roughly two and a half times the walk. Intrepid charges children the adult rate, and Capital Segway is out, because DC law sets its minimum age at 16. Monument tours with kids covers the age rules tour by tour.
Cancelling and booking ahead
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start on all six main tours lets you book early and still drop out if a thunderstorm rolls in. Book further ahead for spring weekends and cherry blossom weeks, which the best time to see the monuments covers. If the price is the sticking point, our guide to the free options shows how far you get without a guide, and our comparison of walks and rides sorts the tours by the way they travel.