Wash. DC trolley question

We did the tourmobile (wondering why the line for trolley tickets was longer, because they cost more), and found out the hard way. They wait to fill the bus (small seats, no a/c), and we once waited almost an hour in the blazing sun for one (watching frequent trollies come and go across the street). You get what you pay for!
 
A few years back we took the kids on the Monuments By Moonlight Tour trolley. Not sure of cost- I think we got discount passes from our hotel- but I remember the tour was awesome. It was a whole different scene seeing everything at night. And the kids learned a lot too.
 

I see a HO-HO bus all the time when I walk past Union Station. They do not wait for it to fill up--it just stops and goes. We did HO-HOs in Europe and really liked them. There is also a Washington Ducks bus in the summer--it does a little water ride, as well.
There is no need to take a tourbus, though. DC is very easy to walk and metro. You can get a day pass starting at 9:30AM on the metro for under $10, I think. You easily walk from Union Station metro stop to the Capitol, most museums and monuments. You can take the metro to Arlington Cemetery and also to the National Zoo. I have never used a tour bus in DC in 25 years and have been to almost everything with my kids. The metro is very easy to use. Elaine
 
If you are seeing the monuments, you don't need t have a tour bus. Metro in, to Smithsonian stop or which ever stop is closes to what you want to see and walk there.
 
gotcha!

So am I understanding that the metro is easily accessible to the monuments? For instance if we are at the Lincoln monument is the metro right nearby to take us to another monument?
 
You don't use the Metro to go to different monuments. You take the Metro to the area then you walk from monument to monument.

It's not really too far between them and you can do a nice circle around the area and hit up all of the monuments in an afternoon. As you can see on tis map it's easy to do in a circle on foot.

washington-dc-mall-map.jpg
 
We did the tourmobile (wondering why the line for trolley tickets was longer, because they cost more), and found out the hard way. They wait to fill the bus (small seats, no a/c), and we once waited almost an hour in the blazing sun for one (watching frequent trollies come and go across the street). You get what you pay for!

We did the tour mobile this summer and while it wasn't air conditioned, it didn't wait to fill up ever. 20 minutes between stops and it took us through Arlington.
 
I can see where taking the trolley/tourmobile would be nice because I think the drivers tell you interesting facts.
 
We have been to the Smithsonian, monuments, and Arlington Cemetery, White House, and Capitol and you can get to all of them by metro or on foot. We have never taken the paid tours, felt like they were a rip. We like to spend what time we want where we want. You can also get to the National Zoo by metro. Just get a metro map and you can tell which color route to get on. We lived just N. of DC for 6 years and loved making our rounds down there mostly on foot, except for Arlington and the Zoo we used the metro.
 
I remember a bus - i think it was the DC circulator or something like that that went around the mall. Cost was reasonable - could be worth looking into. I did it on foot - it was a LOT of walking though...rather like WDW except way more walking between sites :) I like to walk, so worked out for me.
 
We did the tour buses as it was so hot walking from place to place. It took so long to get to the stop we wanted as it kept stopping. It was hot and crowded.

I saw air conditioned buses that I wished we were on!

The one we were on had a money back guarantee but it took 3 months to get our money back.

Dd loved all of the information from the driver but besides that, it wasn't fun! Slow and hot.
 
We used Toumobile once. We found it a mixed bag. You'd get on and have a great, fun, informative guide . . . Then the next bus'd be led by a lackluster guide. If you don't like the first one, don't worry -- it doesn't mean you're in for a bad day. The best guide we encountered was a young guy, a college student, who'd made his spell into a game show format. He certainly held my kid's attention.

We've also done Monuments by Moonlight. It's also a fun experience, but more focused, and the time is shorter. I wouldn't do both on the same trip . . . Too similar. I think I liked the moonlight better.

The bus is a good choice for seeing the monuments. They are very spread out, especially Jefferson's. Check Google maps and the metro map to see whether you'd be good with walking that far. The metro travels mostly to office buildings. If you're going to the monuments, you're going to get off the metro at the Smithsonian, which will put you near the Washington monument . . . And you won't be near another metro station.

Don't plan your bus tour day for the same day you plan to visit the museums.

We did not ride the Circular bus. They're the on who run the anti-Christian ads on the side of the bus, and we just can't do it.

Consider visiting the old post office (it's a national park). The view is better than the Washington monument, and no lines.
Skip Ford's Theater. I don't know how they make something as interesting as Lincoln's assassination so dull.
Everything in the Smithsonian complex is worth seeing, but I like the American History museum best.
Don't miss the Holocaust museum. It isn't part of the Smithsonian.
You can see a free show every night at 6 or 6:30 at the Kennedy Center. Might be good, might not be good . . . But the Kennedy Center is worth the trip. The metro doesn't go there either.
Try Union Station for affordable food.
 














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