With so many national monuments and buildings to see in Washington, DC, sightseeing tours make it easier to maneuver the traffic and crowds. Trolley tours provide even greater sightseeing advantages because you can hop on and off at stops along the way. There are several DC Trolley sightseeing tour options to choose from that bring riders to more than 100 points of interest in America's capital.
Sightseeing trolley tour companies in Washington, DC, offer daytime and evening options for touring the area. The entire loop takes about 2 hours and features over 19 stops in areas where popular attractions are located. Evening tours offer an opportunity to see the White House, the national monuments and memorials and the Capitol Building all majestically illuminated.
Rather than cover the entire Washington, DC area, some sightseeing trolleys break down the area into routes or loops. For example, there is an orange line trolley that travels around the National Mall and downtown area, while the green line trolley takes visitors to the National Cathedral and uptown to Georgetown. The red line trolley travels between the Lincoln Memorial and the Arlington National Cemetery.
When you purchase a trolley ticket for a particular day, it is valid for the entire 8-hour day. Hours after 5 pm are generally not included. With your ticket, you receive a hop on, hop off pass. If you decide to get off at a specially marked trolley stop to explore an attraction, you will need your pass to get back on the trolley. Trolleys usually circulate every 30 minutes. Riders must wait at the trolley sign and show their pass to the trolley driver or guide to continue on with the rest of the tour. You can hop on and off the trolley at any of the marked stops along the way and stay at the attraction as long as you like. Just be sure to leave ample time to complete the entire tour before the day ends.
There is so much to see and explore in Washington, DC. The DC trolley covers most of the main attractions and makes stops at all the renowned monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Stops are also made at famous landmarks, such as the Smithsonian, the National Museum of American History, Ford's Theatre and the White House Visitors Center.
Other popular sites along the trolley route are the U.S. Capitol building, the White House, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the National Cathedral and the Museum of American History.
Sightseeing on the DC trolley offers numerous advantages beyond saving on gas, not having to maneuver busy DC traffic, or worrying about parking. Sightseeing trolleys have narrators or guides on board so you learn historical facts and interesting tidbits about the sights as you approach them. You can do the entire loop without getting off and still see and learn about the historical attractions. If you prefer to hop off the trolley to explore an attraction, you can do so at your own pace and catch the next trolley that comes around.
