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    Big Bus Washington DC

    1.9 (722 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

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    Hop-On Hop-Off brochure with map inside of the stops.
    Julie M.

    We took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour starting from Union Station. First of all, the woman selling the tickets inside of Union Station was very nice, but she was confused about a lot of things. There were 6 of us in our group, and she did say that if we purchased several tickets together (I think 4), we get a 10 percent discount. This was helpful, so we purchased all of our tickets together. On the ticket receipts, there were discount coupons for various things, and we had to show the bus driver the receipt every time we hopped back on. One of the discounts was supposed to be a free bicycle ride at The Wharf. So we got off at the Wharf & Potomac Boat Cruise. We left my elderly Mom and one other person in our group at Shake Shack on the wharf, and the rest of us proceeded to walk to the place where we could get on the bicycles. But it was not on or near the Wharf! We ended up walking for at least 30 minutes or more, to get to the bicycle rental place. It was an overcast day and it was drizzling, so that was not good walking a long distance. We finally found the place, and then found out that the coupon was not good for a free bicycle ride! It turned out that we had to pay for a one hour rental, and get one hour free. Well, since it took so long to walk there, we hardly had any time to bicycle, and everyone said "forget it, we'll pass." We were already tired, and ended up taking an Uber back to the wharf. The bus tour itself was fine. We were given headphone wires to plug into the bus seat, to hear the tour narration. We also found that the map of the stops were not logistically correct. For example, we wanted to see the White House, but when we exited at the corresponding stop (#17), it was a really long walk to the White House. We thought that one of the other stops on the map would have actually been closer to the White House, and the map gives the impression that the attraction is right where you hop off the bus. Since it was cold, windy and drizzly, it made walking long distances extremely unpleasant for many in our group. Although we didn't have any issues with our bus itself, I do want to mention that my sister's husband went on the same bus tour two days before us. He said that there was a problem with his bus, which flooded or something, and all passengers had to get off the bus, and they had to wait for another bus to pick them up to continue the tour.

    11.22.18 map and earphones provided by the bus
    May A.

    What happened to the BLUE and YELLOW Loops [Washington DC] The DC hop-on, hop-off Big Bus have reduced their routes since our last visit to Washington in 2018. They used to have a Blue Loop and a Yellow Loop but those routes have now been consolidated into just the Red Loop with less stops. The bus still takes you to Arlington Cemetery which is a must visit but no longer takes you to Georgetown Harbor. I'm glad that we were able to visit most of the sights during our first time in 2018 because service has been amended on this MLK weekend due to intermittent road closures and motorcades to accommodate inauguration events. The route skipped stops #11 (Lincoln Memorial), #12 (Arlington Cemetery), and #13 (WWII Memorial). It was still nice to be able to see the major attractions but disappointed that there was less of it now. Review #1195 updated

    White House
    Sharlene S.

    The bus tour was nice. It stopped by all the major monuments and memorials and allows you to get off and on as you'd like. I appreciate that our driver stopped for a moment and went slowly by the attractions so we could take pictures. Tip- buy your ticket on Groupon, it'll be about half the price.

    Isabel J.

    My family and I were visiting DC for Father's Day weekend. We saw that Big Bus was on Groupon and decided to buy it since our group included children and my dad who is low mobility. We started our tour at the Spy Museum where we encountered one of their employees, Devanghn. He was super nice and was really patient with our group and answered all of our questions. He was so great he even gave us recommendations of places to see apart from the Big Bus Tour. The tour was really good and if you don't want to get off you can see most sites from the bus. They make sure to stop at the visible sites for a few secs for everyone to get a good view. We really enjoyed the tour and would do it again.

    Bus at Arlington Cemetery
    Emma W.

    We bought tickets at 12.25 from an agent outside The Spy Museum. We waited more than 30 minutes for a bus, the first one that came was full. There was no system for lining up so people who were there first were dealing with others pushing and shoving their way to the front (door of bus) These buses have a middle door but the drivers made everyone get off at the front which really delayed exiting and boarding the bus at each stop. Biggest complaint however is that the tour finishes at 4.30 and at no point was this mentioned by the guy selling the tickets. He just kept saying they were good for 24 hours. Obviously I didn't think they were running for 24 hours but was rather shocked and then annoyed to be stranded at Union Station. Seriously paying $58.50 per ticket was a rip off. Fair enough I should have read the small print online before purchasing but this review is in the hope others don't end up like us paying that amount for such a short amount of time. Unless you are not getting off which really defeats the purpose of hop on hop off I would not recommend this company unless you get to your stop when they start at 9.30am as their definition of 24 hours is only really 7 hours.

    Riding along the Potomac

    I got this at the request of one of our party in a wheelchair. We were there on a Sunday. From the start the driver was quite nice, lowering the ramp to help get the wheelchair on and lock it in place. This wasn't the situation at every stop, sometimes it was just me putting the wheelchair in place. But often he would ask the person in the nearby seat to move in order to allow for handicapped seating. He also encouraged us to grab the earbuds before sitting down. The main negative about this experience was the heat. Being unable to walk to the top deck, we often sat in the lower one. 80 degrees outside meant 100 degrees inside the bus with little to no ventilation. We were pretty much in a sauna for the trip and happy to get off when it was time. Maybe some air or working vents even??? It was a good route across the city and you got to see a lot, the app makes it easy to know where the bus is and hop on, hop off.

    The tour we paid for, versus the two stop tour that was offered when we got on the bus.
    David R.

    Wow, 1.9 stars with 639 reviews at the time of this writing. I stupidly didn't check Yelp before booking this thing, and worse, booked through Groupon leaving me with zero options since doing a chargeback with Groupon will cause me to loose my account and stored credits I have there. So anyway, was in DC for Memorial Day weekend. This is an important weekend in DC, so one would think a tour bus operator might staff appropriately for expected demand. Not the ol' Big Bus, in fact, they didn't bother to staff up to what I'd suspect is even a normal weekend. I book at ~9:30am for same day, via Groupon for the red loop. We walk to the pickup point, hop on. Turns out our next stop is the Union Station primary starting point, where we'd got on at 16 near the Grand Hyatt DC. First stop was a long one, and they made us change busses for whatever reason. Okay, move to the next bus, which had already begun to load, so all the better seats were taken since our bus was put on it after everyone else. After pulling away, they inform us that this would be a mostly driving tour as they did not have all the normal staff active yet at 1030am, so only two of what should have been sixteen stops will be occurring. I mean WTF seriously; sixteen stops turns into two. They said we could get off and do it later when they'd be back to normal. And remember, this is a tour ticket that stops at 459pm, so it's not like they were going to extend our use of the service even though the product purchased was not yet available. We got off and did our own tour via Spin scooters which have an excellent $13/hour (of actual in-use time) rate. Groupon was useless, best they'd offer is $20 gift card, even though the product we purchased through them was not what was made available. F both of them.

    Supervisor in middle of frame at kiosk

    No air. Supervisor beyond rude and disresepectful. Driver had told us air not wyeah orking. Referred us to speak with supervisor. Attempted to speak with supervisor who told me in a nasty tone " first all this is a open air bus up top, no air. He continued to deride me saying I was rude for asking Then started talking to customers about me. I asked him to stop talking to me as he kept talking and got loud. Since I had not gotten his name and I did not want to talk to him I took his picture with I intent to report him. He stared yelling repeatedly "Tajuan Fox" that's my name several times making g a scence. I again asked him to stop talking to me. Then once again he talked to customers about me. Extremely unprofessional.

    Who knows? Just sitting on the bus wishing we had our $90 back.

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    9 months ago

    Absolutely horrible. Waiting over 30 minutes in 90 degree heat. Still waiting. Busses advertised as "every 20 minutes"

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    9 months ago

    Bus with no AC during August is third world country sightseeing. Staff also pretty rude when they're asked about it. Big no no.

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    Page 1 of 19

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    Tea Around Town - Meeting point is in front of the National Archives Center

    Tea Around Town

    2.8(142 reviews)
    0.9 miFederal Triangle

    I love tea, so I am always looking for new ways to experience. So when I got the opportunity to go…read moreto Tea Around Town, I had to take it. The experience started off rocky. We had a 12pm tour that told us to arrive 15 minutes early. The bus did not show up until 12:05. It wasn't a long wait but it was 30 degrees outside. Everyone on the bus got there early and the bus was late. Once you get on the bus, they tell you which booths to sit in. At your booth, they have the food already set out for you. Each person gets 4 finger sandwiches, a crostini, deviled egg, 4 desserts and 2 scones, if you do the petite tea experience. I found it to be a good amount of food, I did not leave hungry. The food is not incredible quality, but for being on a bus, I found it pretty good. Like the sandwiches were a bit dry, but overall tasty. For the teas, each person gets a travel tumbler (that you get to take home) that they put our teas in. They gave each of us 5 different teas to try throughout the tour. The flavors were pretty good, I enjoyed all of them except for the raspberry hibiscus. The bus takes you around the national mall and then onto other parts of the district near the mall. The narrator of the tour does give you some facts and points out different significant places that you pass. They also sang us a few songs while we were driving. The driver did a good job, though at times it was hard to eat and drink while the bus turned or started/stopped. The bus itself is a bit worn in parts. Some of the seats had stains, the floor was coming up in parts. It could use a little maintenance. I'm glad to have gotten to experience the tea bus once, I don't think I would do it again. I do think it would be a fun experience to take someone from out of town to do.

    DO NOT DO IT!!!!! This business, with its "F" rating on the Better Business Bureau, should be shut…read moredown... You should read the Google reviews in order by newest - ALL ONE STAR. I was left, all dressed up, a mother in tow, sitting on the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Ave in DC, bc this pathetic con job left us stranded there. We had tickets for the "fancy" noon sightseeing bus. They told us to be there at least 15 min in advance. Dozens of ladies dressed to the nines - Derby hats and all. At 11:46, they texted us: Bus broke down. Trip canceled. ON MOTHER'S DAY. I should've listened to all the bad reviews. Holiday ruined, especially for the many women I talked to who drove in from up to 2 hours away. Tea Around Town should be ashamed of themselves!!!

    Photos
    Tea Around Town - Keepsake cup

    Keepsake cup

    Tea Around Town - Bus inside

    Bus inside

    Tea Around Town

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    Unlimited Biking

    Unlimited Biking

    4.1(90 reviews)
    0.9 miPenn Quarter

    We had a great experience with this bike tour. The guide was very punctual at the start of the…read moreroute and extremely kind and attentive with everyone in the group. We felt very comfortable throughout the entire experience. I highly recommend booking a guided tour instead of renting bikes on your own. In our case, my bike chain came off, and the guide immediately came back to help us. That level of support made a big difference. Another thing I really appreciated was that the guide explained the history of Washington and the meaning behind many of the landmarks we visited. It adds so much more value to the experience. Also, visiting during March and April is absolutely beautiful. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and it makes the whole tour even more special. The guide was very patient, always waited for the group, and understood that some people may not be very experienced with biking but still wanted to enjoy the tour. The only suggestion I would add is to improve accessibility for international visitors. It would be great if explanations could be offered in multiple languages, or if there were a way for each person to clearly hear the guide regardless of distance--perhaps through headphones or a mobile system. This would really enhance the experience for tourists who may not fully understand English. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I definitely recommend it!

    This was worth every penny! Finding the starting location was easy and only a block from a metro…read morestop. A staff member made sure bikes were the correct height and we were introduced to our tour guide. He was very helpful in navigating the city, making sure our group of 4 stayed together and was very knowledgeable. He was happy to let us walk around sites on our own and took pictures for us. If a memorial or location was blocked and we could see it, he adding something else in to make it worth our time and money. Excellent tour and a really fast way to get around and see everything in 3 hours!

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    Unlimited Biking
    Unlimited Biking
    Unlimited Biking - Washington Monument at dusk

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    Washington Monument at dusk

    Washington DC Legend Tours

    Washington DC Legend Tours

    4.2(40 reviews)
    1.5 miLogan Circle, Downtown

    Having toured countless places in countless ways all over the world, including D.C. before, it is…read moreinexplicable to my family and me how this business has any 4 or 5 star ratings. If we could give it a ZERO STAR rating, we would certainly do so. Starting the night prior to our Mt. Vernon tour, Yohannes went overboard repeatedly texting/calling (from anxiety that we'd not show?). He was rude on the phone; for example, four minutes after texting him that we'd be 10 minutes late, he called. When I answered my phone, he was aggressive, "Where are you?!" No "Hello." No "This is Yahannes at DC Tours..." Just the accostive greeting. It got no better. My wife wanted to cancel before we started. We should have. Our driver and tour guide, Dani, picked us up at a downtown site, and did a fine job driving us to Mt. Vernon. He was a nice man (at least he had manners!), though never should be called a "tour guide." He knew nothing about the place that we couldn't read in all the plaques; and oddly would just repeat phrases from the plaques as we were reading them. It was weird, a bit awkward. We might as well have saved plenty of money, rented a car and taken ourselves. Oof, forget all the 5 star reviews...not sure how this outfit remains in business.

    this was our second night tour, last one we were in town nine years ago!! Glad he is still doing…read morethe tours!!!! Dr. Yohannes Zeleke Is just plain great!! He has so much knowledge! We did the night tour again. DC, the buildings, and the monuments look great and so much different at night. He does not rush. If you want to take pictures, he will stop. If we are back in DC, we will do another tour with him. Call him sign up!!! He will not disappoint.

    Photos
    Washington DC Legend Tours - Lincoln Memorial with Dr. Yohannes! What a wealth of information!

    Lincoln Memorial with Dr. Yohannes! What a wealth of information!

    Washington DC Legend Tours - Dr. Yohannes Zeleke

    Dr. Yohannes Zeleke

    Washington DC Legend Tours - National Cathedral

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    National Cathedral

    Free Tours By Foot - Old Stone House. First stop on the tour

    Free Tours By Foot

    4.9(711 reviews)
    2.2 miDupont Circle

    Georgetown, Washington DC - My handsome husband surprised me with Saturday night tickets for the…read moreGeorgetown Ghost Tour. We are local to the area and love history, spooky stories and corny jokes so for us this is a fun date :-). The tour began at the Old Stone House where we were checked in and divided into two groups of about 18 people each. Everyone in our group was from out of town except us and our amazing tour guide Sonia. She effortlessly led us from site to site while allowing time for questions and photos. She also made sure our group stayed together and safely crossed the streets. I was concerned that it would be hard to hear given the traffic and Saturday night usual cacophony that is Georgetown but that generally wasn't a problem. We didn't see any ghosts - DRAT! But we did have fun and learn some history along the way. We would recommend this tour company and this particular tour.

    Took the Ghosts of Georgetown walking tour. Our guide Georgia was fantastic. Her knowledge of the…read morearea and history of otherworldly happenings was great. She also was very knowledgeable and respectful of current tenants of the buildings and made sure that the group was also respectful for those living in the area. Love the tour especially with it ending at the Exorcist stairway.

    Photos
    Free Tours By Foot - A stop on the Georgetown Ghost Tour. Former home of a Washington Post Editor Ben Bradley

    A stop on the Georgetown Ghost Tour. Former home of a Washington Post Editor Ben Bradley

    Free Tours By Foot - Korean war memorial

    Korean war memorial

    Free Tours By Foot - View from MLK to the lake

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    View from MLK to the lake

    Big Bus Washington DC - bustours - Updated May 2026

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