DC ladies or those who've been to DC as tourists

[zitiqueen]

H and I are accompanying my parents to Washington DC in April. This is a Christmas gift from my brother and me as this is my mom's bucket list vacation. I'm in charge of planning this thing; I've got to start making decisions and right now I'm trying to decide between the different bus tour companies that make stops all over DC. Old Town Trolley Tours, DC Trails, Big Bus Tours and USA Guided Tours all get great ratings online and they all have Groupon deals available. Do you have one you prefer or recommend more than another one? We'll be there from Sun afternoon-Friday morning, so we could actually use different ones since we'll be buying 48-hour passes. 

If you have any other tips or suggestions, those would be appreciated. We're staying near Georgetown/Dupont Circle. We aren't near any of the tour bus routes, but that's what Lyft or Uber is for! 

Thanks!

[cleo29]

Are you staying in between Georgetown and DuPont circle, because I do not generally think of them as being right near each other.

I think any of those tour buses would be fine. I think the Big Bus tours might be the double decker buses with the open top second floor, which is pretty neat.

Will you have a car? If you did I would suggest taking a day and driving down the parkway to Mt. Vernon and Old Town. Great restaurants, cute shops and you get to see more historic sights.

[sandipluschris]

The monument at night tour is one of my favorites! The Korean memorial in particular is amazing at night. IMO that is a must do tour!

[cleo29]

Mar 11, 2018 14:24:38 GMT -5 sandipluschris said:

The monument at night tour is one of my favorites! The Korean memorial in particular is amazing at night. IMO that is a must do tour!

I think the Korean War memorial is sadly overlooked; it is incredible.

[goldengirlz]

Sounds like a fun trip! What’s the advantage of doing a tour bus? DC is fairly easy to get around by metro and most of the museums are free.

[tacokick]

Where exactly are you staying? Georgetown and DuPont Cr aren’t particularly close to each other.

I know some people like the big bus tours. Depending on what you want to see, I’d only take one tour, a lot of touristy things (the mall, the Smithsonian, monuments) are close together. TBH I don’t really see the point of a bus tour in DC.

If it was me, I’d take one of the boat tours that goes from Georgetown to historic Alexandria VA. It’s a fun way to explore DC in a way you can’t otherwise and Alexandria is fun for an afternoon. It’s the Potomac River Boat tours. Or you could even just take the water taxi but it seems like maybe you’d like a tour of some sort.

[penelope81]

I think we used old town trolley and were happy with it. There were a few times were we waited forever for a bus to take us to the next stop though. Since it was our first time there I liked having a service take us to the “must sees”. You can use the trolley service but still be on your own schedule.

[Birdie]

Mar 11, 2018 14:28:22 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Sounds like a fun trip! What’s the advantage of doing a tour bus? DC is fairly easy to get around by metro and most of the museums are free.

I haven’t done it in DC but I like them to take me around town and see the most “bang for my buck”. I’ve done them in NYC and London. I didn’t always get off at every stop but it let me enjoy the local architecture and see some sights without needing to take the time to travel there and feel obligated to do something there. Some places I just wanted to “see” and the traffic was slow enough in NYC and London where I could see something and few satisfied. I know my mom likes them because she’s gets overwhelmed by big city transit systems.

[georgeglass]

I know it's not what you asked, but we loved taking visitors to Old Ebbitt Grill (Make reservations) and a Capitol tour - www.visitthecapitol.gov/plan-visit/book-tour-capitol

[krystee]

We stopped by our Representative's office and one of his aides gave us a guided tour of the Capitol, which was really cool. The rep was in the office at the time so we took pictures with him--which I am now ashamed of. It was Peter Roskam when he was newly elected and I thought he had the potential to be more independent. Sigh.

Definitely the monuments at night tour. Shopping in Old Town, Alexandria, and Georgetown, and maybe eating with the view of the harbor. We did a short harbor boat cruise with wine while there.

The Library of Congress is the most beautiful building ever--a must-see. Stop in to the national archives to see the constitution and declaration (this is a really short stop, but cool to see).

I have heard the National Museum of African American History is amazing, but my last non-work trip when I had free daytime hours was before it opened.

I love DC!

[goldengirlz]

Mar 11, 2018 14:33:25 GMT -5 Birdie said:

Mar 11, 2018 14:28:22 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Sounds like a fun trip! What’s the advantage of doing a tour bus? DC is fairly easy to get around by metro and most of the museums are free.

I haven’t done it in DC but I like them to take me around town and see the most “bang for my buck”. I’ve done them in NYC and London. I didn’t always get off at every stop but it let me enjoy the local architecture and see some sights without needing to take the time to travel there and feel obligated to do something there. Some places I just wanted to “see” and the traffic was slow enough in NYC and London where I could see something and few satisfied. I know my mom likes them because she’s gets overwhelmed by big city transit systems.

I remember paying for the hop on, hop off bus in Dublin because it was our first time taking DD to Europe and for whatever reason, we thought it would be easier/more family friendly. But it was so expensive for what’s essentially a glorified bus ride and after a day, we ended up just taking regular buses to get around.

I can see being overwhelmed by public transit especially if someone has mobility issues. I guess for me, I grew up in NYC so I’m in my element on a subway! I love comparing different subway systems.

[zitiqueen]

More Georgetown than Dupont Circle. We're staying at the Embassy Suites near Georgetown (22nd and N). The actual name on the Hilton website is Embassy Suites Washington DC Georgetown.

We're flying in and aren't renting a car. Everything I've read (including here when others have asked about DC) doesn't recommend renting a car, mostly in terms of finding/paying for parking. My parents are in their mid-70s and some walking is fine, but not great distances, and I want to make this as easy on them as possible. I've been leaning towards Big Bus because of the double-decker buses. They look fun!

I definitely want to do a nighttime monument/memorial tour and USA Guided Tours stops at the Korean War Memorial. I'll have to check the other companies to see what their itineraries are but I'll make sure we see that. I'll make sure to look into the boat tour too.

Thanks, and keep them coming!

[mich1]

We did the hop on, hop off bus tour in Paris, and later Cape Town. Each time, we went through the route, then got off after seeing the lay of the land and putting the sites in perspective of location that you don’t get by being underground. You can also see what the lines are like getting into sites and maybe choose something else to see if the line is ridiculous. However, I’d only do one tour like this, early in your trip.

Afterwards, it is easy to use public transportation to get around. There is so much to see in DC that, depending upon time you are going to be there, make a list of priorities.

[jigsy]

I'll plug one of my very good friends business if you want to support a local LGBT+ small business.

www.fiatluxetours.com/

I don't know how much it costs, but AJ (owner) has done a wonderful job and will really tailor a tour to your interests.

[mich1]

Mar 11, 2018 14:56:39 GMT -5 zitiqueen said:

More Georgetown than Dupont Circle. We're staying at the Embassy Suites near Georgetown (22nd and N). The actual name on the Hilton website is Embassy Suites Washington DC Georgetown.

We're flying in and aren't renting a car. Everything I've read (including here when others have asked about DC) doesn't recommend renting a car, mostly in terms of finding/paying for parking. My parents are in their mid-70s and some walking is fine, but not great distances, and I want to make this as easy on them as possible. I've been leaning towards Big Bus because of the double-decker buses. They look fun!

I definitely want to do a nighttime monument/memorial tour and USA Guided Tours stops at the Korean War Memorial. I'll have to check the other companies to see what their itineraries are but I'll make sure we see that. I'll make sure to look into the boat tour too.

Thanks, and keep them coming!

I’m mobility impaired, and would try to use cabs/Uber and the metro rather than to try to find parking.  I think you’ll find that by the time you’ve paid to park your car at a couple locations and the hotel, you could have used Uber for less.  

I was last in DC in 2010 for a research meeting.  My BF met me at the end of the meeting, and we toured DC a couple days before driving to visit some friends.  It cost me $35/day to park the car at the hotel....to essentially store it until we left.  I’d hate to find out what parking is 8 years later.

[zitiqueen]

Mar 11, 2018 15:08:45 GMT -5 mich1 said:

I was last in DC in 2010 for a research meeting.  My BF met me at the end of the meeting, and we toured DC a couple days before driving to visit some friends.  It cost me $35/day to park the car at the hotel....to essentially store it until we left.  I’d hate to find out what parking is 8 years later.

Our hotel is $49 a night.   

[katie80]

Definitely do monuments at night! We lived there for a couple of years while H was in school and one of my favorite memories is going to see Lincoln at like 10 pm one night right after we got there. That's my #1 travel tip. I don't know anything about the tours but getting to some of them can be kind of a hassle so it isn't a bad idea.

Have fun! It's a great city

[HiC]

I <3 Old Town Trolley Tours. Big Bus is good too.

[Birdie]

Mar 11, 2018 14:41:17 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 11, 2018 14:33:25 GMT -5 Birdie said:

I haven’t done it in DC but I like them to take me around town and see the most “bang for my buck”. I’ve done them in NYC and London. I didn’t always get off at every stop but it let me enjoy the local architecture and see some sights without needing to take the time to travel there and feel obligated to do something there. Some places I just wanted to “see” and the traffic was slow enough in NYC and London where I could see something and few satisfied. I know my mom likes them because she’s gets overwhelmed by big city transit systems.

I remember paying for the hop on, hop off bus in Dublin because it was our first time taking DD to Europe and for whatever reason, we thought it would be easier/more family friendly. But it was so expensive for what’s essentially a glorified bus ride and after a day, we ended up just taking regular buses to get around.

I can see being overwhelmed by public transit especially if someone has mobility issues. I guess for me, I grew up in NYC so I’m in my element on a subway! I love comparing different subway systems.

Yes I’m from a smalllish city in Indiana but like taking subway systems! I definitely like the Metro in DC. I did the hop on hop off in London bc I only had half a day to sight see during a work trip. I realized I’d be spending a lot of time walking to/from underground stops so I did the bus. If I was somewhere for multiple days I probably wouldn’t be as inclined to do it.

[tacokick]

Seconding Old Ebbitt Grill, it is very close to the American History Museum and the other Smithsonians/White House/Washington Monument.

The food at the Smithsonians is actually pretty good, especially at the African American (you need to get free tickets in advance) and American Indian museums.

[zitiqueen]

Mar 11, 2018 16:13:06 GMT -5 Birdie said:

Mar 11, 2018 14:41:17 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I remember paying for the hop on, hop off bus in Dublin because it was our first time taking DD to Europe and for whatever reason, we thought it would be easier/more family friendly. But it was so expensive for what’s essentially a glorified bus ride and after a day, we ended up just taking regular buses to get around.

I can see being overwhelmed by public transit especially if someone has mobility issues. I guess for me, I grew up in NYC so I’m in my element on a subway! I love comparing different subway systems.

Yes I’m from a smalllish city in Indiana but like taking subway systems! I definitely like the Metro in DC. I did the hop on hop off in London bc I only had half a day to sight see during a work trip. I realized I’d be spending a lot of time walking to/from underground stops so I did the bus. If I was somewhere for multiple days I probably wouldn’t be as inclined to do it.

If it were just H and me we'd be all over the the subway and buses. But my parents are from a small town that they don't leave very often; they could each count on one hand the number of times they've been in a taxi and no hands on the number of times they've ridden a subway or a bus, so it would be totally overwhelming for them. Plus I remember reading a vent thread years ago (either here or at TN) where people who lived in DC complained about having to share the Metro with slow tourists and I know that would be my parents! So I'm doing this for you, DC! 

[cleo29]

Mar 11, 2018 14:56:39 GMT -5 zitiqueen said:

More Georgetown than Dupont Circle. We're staying at the Embassy Suites near Georgetown (22nd and N). The actual name on the Hilton website is Embassy Suites Washington DC Georgetown.

We're flying in and aren't renting a car. Everything I've read (including here when others have asked about DC) doesn't recommend renting a car, mostly in terms of finding/paying for parking. My parents are in their mid-70s and some walking is fine, but not great distances, and I want to make this as easy on them as possible. I've been leaning towards Big Bus because of the double-decker buses. They look fun!

I definitely want to do a nighttime monument/memorial tour and USA Guided Tours stops at the Korean War Memorial. I'll have to check the other companies to see what their itineraries are but I'll make sure we see that. I'll make sure to look into the boat tour too.

Thanks, and keep them coming!

Yeah that is definitely Georgetown and not DuPont at all. Actually, we had a block of rooms there for our wedding weekend. You can walk into G-town from there and there are tons of great places to eat.

If you can find a way to fit in Old Town, I would try.  You can also check out Ford's Theater.

www.fords.org/visit/historic-site/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh6SRxKLl2QIVS1YNCh28bg_2EAAYASAAEgKFUvD_BwE

I think The Kennedy Center is worth looking into too.
www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz_i04aLl2QIVU0sNCh2nygj3EAAYAyAAEgLfqPD_BwE

[georgeglass]

Mar 11, 2018 16:59:41 GMT -5 zitiqueen said:

Mar 11, 2018 16:13:06 GMT -5 Birdie said:

Yes I’m from a smalllish city in Indiana but like taking subway systems! I definitely like the Metro in DC. I did the hop on hop off in London bc I only had half a day to sight see during a work trip. I realized I’d be spending a lot of time walking to/from underground stops so I did the bus. If I was somewhere for multiple days I probably wouldn’t be as inclined to do it.

If it were just H and me we'd be all over the the subway and buses. But my parents are from a small town that they don't leave very often; they could each count on one hand the number of times they've been in a taxi and no hands on the number of times they've ridden a subway or a bus, so it would be totally overwhelming for them. Plus I remember reading a vent thread years ago (either here or at TN) where people who lived in DC complained about having to share the Metro with slow tourists and I know that would be my parents! So I'm doing this for you, DC! 

Just remember to stand to the right on the Metro escalators (and let people walking pass you on the left) and you'll be fine.

[zitiqueen]

Mar 11, 2018 17:08:50 GMT -5 georgeglass said:

Mar 11, 2018 16:59:41 GMT -5 zitiqueen said:

If it were just H and me we'd be all over the the subway and buses. But my parents are from a small town that they don't leave very often; they could each count on one hand the number of times they've been in a taxi and no hands on the number of times they've ridden a subway or a bus, so it would be totally overwhelming for them. Plus I remember reading a vent thread years ago (either here or at TN) where people who lived in DC complained about having to share the Metro with slow tourists and I know that would be my parents! So I'm doing this for you, DC! 

Just remember to stand to the right on the Metro escalators (and let people walking pass you on the left) and you'll be fine.

i definitely remember the vents about the escalators! 

[katfco]

I love the Korean War Memorial, and the Holocaust Museum, whilenot “fun,” is a must.

[zitiqueen]

Mar 11, 2018 17:52:07 GMT -5 katfco said:

I love the Korean War Memorial, and the Holocaust Museum, whilenot “fun,” is a must.

The Holocaust Museum is already at the top of the must-do list. And now the Korean War Memorial too!

[sonrisa]

What specifically makes this a bucket list vacation for your mom? is it because she's a politics junkie? is it because she's an american history buff? Is it the museums? Focus on whatever makes this an important trip for her and high light that.

[morecoffeeplease]

The Jefferson memorial at night is my favorite.

[redheadk]

I went with my mom about 6 years ago. I helped her plan but we did pretty much everything her way, as it was a bucket list trip for her.

We did the Old Town Trolley Tours hop-on/hop-off and also a nighttime monument bus tour. Both were great. I wouldn't bother with the hop-on/hop-off on my own but my mom really wanted to do it so it was fine. It was occasionally crowded but I don't recall having to wait very long. My mom truly enjoys just riding the trolley around so she was very happy with it. One of the trolleys broke down outside of some fancy houses and one of the kids brought us out some bottled waters while we waited, which was funny and nice. A new trolley arrived quickly so all was well.

The evening monument tours are great and super popular but I would be concerned about having enough time to see everything at some of the stops if people in your party are dealing with mobility issues. I know we felt like we didn't have quite as much time as we would have liked at the Korean War Memorial/Lincoln Memorial/Vietnam Wall on the tour. You may want to keep another evening open to go back to something you'd like to see more of if you decide to do a tour. We only had a few days so we didn't have that option.

We took some sort of boat tour to Mount Vernon. We both would have liked more time there and said we wouldn't do the boat tour there again since we had to skip some parts due to time.

Have fun!

[rupertpenny]

Mar 11, 2018 17:04:05 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Mar 11, 2018 14:56:39 GMT -5 zitiqueen said:

More Georgetown than Dupont Circle. We're staying at the Embassy Suites near Georgetown (22nd and N). The actual name on the Hilton website is Embassy Suites Washington DC Georgetown.

We're flying in and aren't renting a car. Everything I've read (including here when others have asked about DC) doesn't recommend renting a car, mostly in terms of finding/paying for parking. My parents are in their mid-70s and some walking is fine, but not great distances, and I want to make this as easy on them as possible. I've been leaning towards Big Bus because of the double-decker buses. They look fun!

I definitely want to do a nighttime monument/memorial tour and USA Guided Tours stops at the Korean War Memorial. I'll have to check the other companies to see what their itineraries are but I'll make sure we see that. I'll make sure to look into the boat tour too.

Thanks, and keep them coming!

Yeah that is definitely Georgetown and not DuPont at all. Actually, we had a block of rooms there for our wedding weekend. You can walk into G-town from there and there are tons of great places to eat.

If you can find a way to fit in Old Town, I would try.  You can also check out Ford's Theater.

www.fords.org/visit/historic-site/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh6SRxKLl2QIVS1YNCh28bg_2EAAYASAAEgKFUvD_BwE

I think The Kennedy Center is worth looking into too.
www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz_i04aLl2QIVU0sNCh2nygj3EAAYAyAAEgLfqPD_BwE

That’s funny because I used to live around the corner on N and I was going to say that it is definitely DuPont, haha. It is easy to get to Georgetown though! And the CVS right there on M street by the Ritz is the best one I’ve ever been in. So OP, if you guys need any random stuff that CVS will definitely have it. Very important tourist information haha.