Thinking about taking a tour in DC?

Lincoln Memorial

A couple of weeks ago, my home economics teacher went on a one day tour of Washington DC. My first question was, which tour? So far, out of the times that we have been up to Washington DC, AW and I have gone on three different tours, Tourmobile, The Old Towne Trolley and the Gray Line Open Top Bus Tour. Which one is the best for you depends on what you are wanting to see while in Washington DC.

The one that my former teacher went on has been my favorite tour,Tourmobile. To me, if you have limited time, this one is the best for seeing the memorials and museums located on the National Mall. The Tourmobile is the only tour company allowed on the National Mall. The other companies have to use drop off points behind the Mall buildings. Another plus with the Tourmobile is that it has the only driving tour of Arlington Cemetery. My favorite thing about the Tourmobile is the tourguides. They do the narrations themselves and do not depend on tape recordings. The only downside to the Tourmobile is if you want to see places like Embassy Row or the National Cathedral, you will not be able to with the Tourmobile. It mainly goes in the area around the National Mall, Union Station and the Arlington Cemetery.

The National Cathedral from the Open Top Bus

The Gray Line Open Top Bus Tour and the Old Towne Trolley have similar routes. The difference between these two tours is you could stay on the Open Top Bus and see all the sites on their tour. On the Old Towne Trolley, you would have to change trolleys to go on the National Cathedral/Georgetown loop or for it to take you over to the Arlington Cemetery. Both tours will take you to the Arlington Cemetary parking lot, but then you would either have to walk to sites in the cemetery or buy a Tourmobile Arlington Cemetery ticket. When AW and I took the Old Towne Trolley, we were able to buy a river cruise at a discount. The 45 minute river cruise left from Georgetown. It looks like now, according to their website, they offer a DC Ducks tour as a package with the Old Towne Trolley. Out of the two, I liked the Old Town Trolley better, but if you want to avoid changing routes, Open Top may be better for you.


All three tours are hop on and off as you like. If you are traveling with a young child, the new may wear off to the point you are doing more riding and less hoping off. Also, Old Towne and Open Top includes two consecutive days of use with their ticket cost. Tourmobile gives you an option of one or two days.