Took their buses (BestBus/DC Trails) twice for a roundtrip. Trip from DC to NYC was marred by bad driving. The driver was tailgating cars which resulted in frequent abrupt breaking. This sent people jerking forward and personal belongings flying. Trip from NYC to DC had better driving but no help retrieving luggage which used to be standard customer service. Had to crawl in the storage space under the bus to obtain my luggage. Also, there were no rest stops on either leg of the trip. read more

Was too far to walk or get a cab, so why not a tour to Mount Vernon. It was comfy ride. Dropped us off and picked us back up after a couple of hours to let us tour Mount Vernon. Our bus driver was quiet but informative, but most importantly I felt safe riding on the bus. read more

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DC Trails Hop on Hop off bus is a convenient way to experience DC. 21 stops covers all of the major museums and monuments. This is a double deck bus with outdoor on top and covered below. It is especially convenient when it's raining as it did on our second day. The on board guides are knowledgeable, providing detailed narration and some humor throughout the ride. I recommend the two day pass for maximum benefit. Actually more than two days are required to do justice for visiting the museums and monuments. A few stops such as #12 are lacking signage, making it difficult to know which corner for pick up. The transfer point for Arlington cemetery did not have a sign and the Park Service information booth did not know about the transfer point. However, the Company's phone app. allows you to track the location and estimated arrival time of the bus. Check for the availability of a Group On discount and purchase it in advance. read more

DC Trails - Double Deck Bus - Buses Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

What a waste. An hour at the very beginning of the tour- first waiting for the bus, but then sitting and waiting forever for a ticket agent. Their system to scan tickets was down and we literally lost an hour just waiting to depart. And it just went downhill from there. Once we started, the speaker system inside wasn't working and the tour guide had us pull over to attempt to fix the problem. Delayed again. By the time we made it to stop 2- several patrons were cranky, including myself. We exited the hop-on hop-off bus on stop three & when we returned, waited about 30 minutes for a pick up. That is the quoted time (30-40). However another couple had been waiting longer than us and spoke up- they waited 45 minutes. The guide informed us wait times would be 45-50 minutes. Umm.... What? So the next time we got off & then attempted to get back on the wait was an hour & 15 minutes. I actually called the office to ask where the bus was! 2 other families were waiting with us. The last time we attempted to catch a ride we waited 40 minutes & I looked up another bus system that had a sign saying free rides (the Circilator) & hubby and I literally ran to their stop after waiting 50 minutes with no sign of our tour bus in sight! Also noted: the competitors, I saw 3 to 4 times going past us every single time we were waiting for our slacker tour bus. This review is truly a negative stars. read more

There are several different Hop On Hop Off Tours in Washington DC. I recommend you pick a different one! First, I purchased the 48 Hour tour with additional Twilight Tour. It took us 45 minutes to find the place from the closest Metro stop. We walked in circles! I called them and they still couldn't accurately explain how to get there. Once on the bus it drove so slowly that when you did get off, you had a 30-45 minute wait to get another bus to pick you up. We wasted nearly an entire day just finding the place and getting to our first stop. After that we decided not to use our second day tour. What a waste! I thought they would redeem themselves on the Twilight Tour. There are only 5 stops and your bus waits for you at each one. But ugh... our tour guide was this obnoxious guy Henry. He told terrible jokes and talked forever. At stops we'd all get off but have to stand outside the bus freezing waiting for Henry to lecture us about being back to the bus on time. At a couple stops Henry acted as a tour guide taking us to the monument. During those we were treated like children, not allowed to talk, walk away from him or even in front of him. I was walking faster than him to get to one monument and he made fun of me, calling me out to the whole group and imitating my walk. But again it was freezing and I just had on a sweatshirt. Henry had layers and big heavy coat. At one point he called the bus driver "retarded" and said he had a touch of "Down's Syndrome" - yes, seriously! The bus driver drove great, and even he was frustrated with Henry's incessant talking. It was very unpleasant and expensive, the whole experience. Do not buy this tour! I just want my money back! read more

If there were a way to give negative stars I would. My family booked this tour four months ago and we were really looking forward to an amazing trip. Unfortunately the COVID 19 virus broke out and our traveling plans had to be canceled. All the reservations that we had refunded us and were accommodating. Accept one... yup you guessed it! DC Trails! We called a month out, then emailed and phoned them! I spoke to one individual that told me that they wouldn't refund me because they were on furlough... but a manager would call me back. I was ok with that. I never received a call back. We did receive a text saying that they hoped we enjoyed our tour... so unprofessional not returning phone calls, emails and requests. I mean really! We are planning on coming to DC with our family and was willing to take a credit for future booking, anything! When we come we will not use DC Snails. read more

Avoid this business! We had a bus breakdown on our trip. Also I left a $250 pair of headphones and a hat on the bus, which they told me was not found. I reached out on the next business day. I had to send a follow up email to even get a response, and when I asked them if they could please double check they didn't respond. I can tolerate a breakdown, but not dishonesty and/or negligence. read more

The cost for this rental was paid entirely by my company. I reserved a 56 passenger motor coach for our company so that employees could participate in Wreaths Across America. I was referred to DC Trails from employees who know that this company has driven to this event many times and is familiar with how it works. Our driver arrived on time and knew his way around. At one point when all of the roads were blocked, he was able to call another member of the team who had already arrived at Arlington to get information on what road to take. The motor coach was clean, including the bathroom, which had all the supplies filled. A number of people on our bus commented to me how much they liked our driver and that he really knew his way around the region. I highly recommend DC Trails and our driver George. read more

We had a 48hrs pass for the DC trails and we took full advantage. My sister download their app so that helped us with finding where the buses would be at next or how soon the would show up. Make sure if you want to do the twilight tour call ahead of time and schedule to get on the list, because this actually sells out especially on the weekends. We were able to do the twilight tour with Anthony (driver) and Henry K our tour guide, they were absolutely amazing. Henry goes that extra mile to make sure you're having a good time and he gives you a good back ground story for the monuments. We really enjoyed the one on Martin Luther King Jr. When we return to DC we will definitely use this again the rest of the driver's and other tour guides we encountered we're also friendly. read more

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On the way home at 6pm this evening, the driver of bus 1902, literally almost sideswiped us for no other reason than traffic on E Street NW. No signal, nothing! If this is how the rest of your drivers drive ... best of luck to you. read more

DC Trails - Reckless, careless driving - Buses Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

My husband and I recently visited D.C. with our families for a weekend getaway. I wanted to be sure we covered as much ground as possible in the short time we were there so I booked the hop-on hop-off bus tour. There is just so much to see and do, which requires a lot of walking, so the logistics alone can be time consuming. I figured if we did the bus tour we could take a loop around the city to see the monuments from a reasonable distance and then decide where to go. It worked out perfectly! We were able to sit comfortably on the top level to enjoy the sunshine and breeze as we listened to the tour guide divulge tons of information on the buildings, history, politicians, and socialites of D.C. The tour was entertaining, educational, and fun all at the same time! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

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Well from the different reviews I see its been a hit or miss for its customers. For myself and my family of 12 it was a BAM HOMERUN out the park.... Our Tour guides, Robert who safely drove the Bus around ro each great location and Brittany who was full of smiles and Historical information made our visit to Washington extremely memoriable. The truth is most of us came home doing more research on all the statues, monuments and buildings we visited. Brittany left us simply salivating with desire to learn more. Our kiddies were so elated with the experience they too could not stop talking about it. Robert and Brittany who were dubbed Bonnie & Clyde simply were flawless and unlike the original Bonnie & Clyde the only criminal activity these 2 did was steal our attention with every turn and stop. Kudos to them two and if you travel to DC and book DC Trails make sure to ask for them both. In addition, the bus we traveled on had AC keeping those of us who chose not to ride the top feeling comfortable and cool. Im telling you the stars were aligned perfectly this day for DC Tours. We visited several places, Iwo Jima Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, to name a few. It was both exciting due to Brittanys great historical imformation while managing to smile throughtout every minute and Roberts flawless driving skills getting us to each location. Cant say enough on the satisfaction we all felt after our tour. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this tour and dont forget to ask for them 2. Even show them this review so they can see how well of an impression they left on us.... Enjoy my YelperKNIGHTS!!!!. read more

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This was a cool way to see what dc has to offer and a great way not to have to deal with and handle the traffic on our own as we explore. Most of the tour guides were really great and had a lot to offer. There was however one tour guide, Trey, who was not great and kept telling the same joke over and over again and did not really provide much information about dc. Not only did he spend most of his time joking with one of the bus riders, but there were also long moments of silence while he was giving the tour. He also complained frequently about how cold he was. I do not think I got anything out of the bus that I was on with him. We made sure to get off of his bus and tried to avoid getting back on it. Besides that, all of the other tour guides were very lively and informative and I learned a lot about dc despite living in that area for the majority of my life. If you want a quick overview of dc, this is def the way to go. I think next time we are going to try to focus on 1 or 2 main attractions but this was a great intro to dc for us! read more

We saw pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor, so when we saw a really good Groupon deal, we purchased it. Big regret...honestly. They say buses come every 20-30 minutes but each time, I probably waited for over 30 minutes. One time I waited an hour!!! and i had to call them to see when the next one was coming. it was unbelievable. Everytime I was waiting, i probably saw 10 "Big Bus" buses and 5 "Old Town Trolley" buses, so I would recommend those if you were looking for a hop on-hop off tour. Other times when a bus would finally come, there would be a bus RIGHT BEHIND IT! they need to space out wayy more. The only good thing about this company was the night tour. The tour guide was super funny and energetic and I liked how it wasn't just a tour where we sat on the bus. I liked how we got off and walked around. Keep in mind that you have to reserve the night tour in advance because it is a lot more popular. read more

We had a great time on our "exclusive" private tour. We were the only ones on the luxury tour bus. Dion & Mr. Goodman were fantastic and very knowledgeable. We did not feel rushed not did we get bored. Dion was very well versed in history and the ins and outs of DC landscape and presidential knowledge. Angelo Goodman was a very skilled driver who was able to maneuver around the tightest of turns. read more

Nice tour.... Took lots of great pictures Wear comfortable shoes Get there early traffic was bad Get back to the bus on time at every stop or they will leave you! read more

Great tour, saw so much. Brittany was fun, educational and made the trip great. I would highly recommend this tour. Monuments are beautiful at night. The top of the bus is a great way to see the city, kids age 14 and 16 really enjoyed themselves. Be prepared for walking. read more

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Enjoyed my time on the open air bus. I decided to use the bus as a 1.5 hour tour and plot out what I wanted to see in more detail later. The tour guide was knowledgeable and provided comic relief. I did not do any drop on / drop off stops so I can not speak to the wait time. read more

We toom the DC Trails hop on hop off 48 hour tour and it was a great way to see the city. Our favorite part was the evening twilight tour and is a must do if you take this tour. Tamara especially was a phenomenal tour guide and if you're lucky to have her for your night tour you will learn so much from her. read more

DC Trails - Buses Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Crystal O. summed up our experience pretty well--super long waits, missing signage, and a general lack of reliability. It was a colossal waste of time and money. The app also wasn't working , and we were directed to call a number to get times for the next bus; every time we called (at least 7-8 times) we were told "15-20 minutes." Sometimes that was right, but mostly it was wrong, and after 20 min I'd call back and be told "15-20 minutes" again. When I challenged the woman (always a woman) that she told me that exact thing 20 min ago, her response was "I told you that?" along with a denial that she ever told me that. What I found the most interesting was that our first guide was trying to sell $1 bottled water and 10 min rides to tourists at stoplights, and said to us at least 10 times that the Circulator bus was free and went to all the same places on our map in quicker time than their bus. It was like he knew they were a crap deal and wanted us to have a better experience. We ended up taking the Circulator three times after spending at least 45 min waiting for DC Trails. My only consolation is that Groupon only cost the three of us $51. Not small change, but better than the $104 full price we'd have paid. STAY AWAY. PAY MORE FOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE ELS I'd definitely recommend Trolley Tours based on their presence. Like other reviewers, we saw at least 3-4 pass us every time we were stuck waiting. read more

I enjoyed my recent trip to D.C. and aboard the D.C. Trails Hop-On and Hop-Off tour bus service with my family. We purchased our tickets through discount service and brought the printed tickets to the #1 stop. Parking in the nearby parking garage was $20 on a Saturday for 5hrs of parking, which was credit card only. The tour itself was great. I've visited D.C. many times - consider myself more a local than a tourist - and this tour was a nice way to see the city without the trouble to finding and paying for a parking space at all the monuments and museums. The buses wait at each stop no more than 30 seconds so you have to pay attention! Also, download the App for free beforehand, it's worth it! We hopped on and off a couple of times and sat on the second floor in the open air in the very front. It really depends on who has the microphone, one bus the guy was super friendly but not very knowledgeable about the history. The second bus we were on had a guy named Devereux (hope I spelled it correctly) was fantastic! He was friendly and so knowledgeable, which made the trip all the better! I recommend this bus touring business. read more

DC Trails - Riding the open-air top part of the bus. - Buses Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

The tour guide Dionne was obnoxious and drinking. An empty fireball bottle fell out of his pocket when he was hooking up the microphone. We got off and spent three hours looking at the monuments. We tried to get back on the bus at stop 18, but couldn't find where you get on the bus. We saw another DC Trails bus that was not a hop on and off. The driver just pointed down the street and said it will pick you up there. That was not consistent with the map or the app. We called and the lady on the phone was not helpful. We used the app and still there was no stop. We walked to the stop 13 on Madison and 15th. We almost missed the bus because they picked up on Madison and 14th. Again, not consistent with the map or the app. Then when we got on the bus none of the electrical outlets worked. I will never do another tour with DC Trails. read more

Deion, like Sanders, your cultural ambassador to Washington D.C. So here's the deal with these bus tours. It's a ride around town. That's about it. You'll gather information about the area and learn a few things from the tour guide, but it is not an action packed informational enlightening experience. However, it IS a great idea to do, and we figured out that the following plan would be the best way to do it. Don't get the 48 hour pass if you're active and can ride a bike or scooter or prefer to walk, unless you plan on going to Arlington the following day. (Walking chews up tons of time.) Hop on the bus on your first day on the last available full circle of the route and ride through all of the stops. You'll get an idea of where you want to go the following day. (If you pack in Arlington on the first day, then you could start half way through the day and then ride out the entire 21 stop tour to see what else is out there.) You have to meticulously plan your day around when busses will arrive at stops, which we found nearly impossible, and it took the same amount of time to walk the distance as it did to wait for a bus to get there...so, your best bet is to do the full circle the first day, then utilize the DC Bike Share bikes on all of the other days. The bikes are $8.00/day for unlimited 30 minute rides. So, if you keep your time on each bike to under 30 minutes, you won't get charged the additional $2.00 when you go over the time. Just leapfrog the stations and grab a new bike after you make your stops. Deion was a character and he offered up plenty of information. We had no experiences with any other tour guides. Had we known in advance, we may have just skipped the bus tour and used the bikes, and taken Uber to Arlington. Generally a good experience, but just one of many transportation methods needed to maximize your time there. read more

The tour guides were very well-versed; and the drivers were friendly, but we waited. And waited. And waited. Ugh. A positive: loved the African-American history. Too many tours sidestep. read more

This review is mainly based on the 2 tour guides on the bus. The first tour guide we encountered was probably on of the worst. He held the microphone against his mouth so you absolutely couldn't hear him (think Charlie Browns teacher) and he would was a bit of a controlling sergeant. He YELLED if anyone even stuck their elbow slightly outside the railing and yelled at two older ladies as they were on their way to their seats to sit down (he also yelled two other times, I really did think he was going to have a heart attack). He also talked more about all the expensive apartments and expensive stores and brands than about the history of DC. Honestly I didn't need to know that Hugo Boss was less expensive. Very uptight and not a fun relaxing tour. He'd have 1 star. However the second guide was a younger guy and very funny dry sense of humor. He had some very fun pieces of knowledge that were also light hearted. And he didn't yell when I put my elbow in the bus. He was great and I'm glad we ended our tour with him, 5 stars! The other slightly annoying item is the buses weren't organized consistently to every 30-40 minutes. One time it was an hour. But the app was really helpful to track the buses real-time so it made it less of a problem. Worth the price from Groupon, not worth full price! read more

We did the DC Trails Twilight Tour with Brittany and Byron. Byron was a great driver and Brittany was an amazing tour guide. She was so knowledgeable and made the tour fun. It's a long tour but doesn't feel like it is because you're learning so much and seeing so many monuments. I would do this again. read more

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I only bought the tickets because of the night ride. The guy that sold us the tickets said not to worry about the date on the receipt because they always have extra room. We planned our whole day around it. When we got there, it was sold out and there were 13 people ahead of us waiting for no shows. Also, the guy said that the bus comes around every stop within 30 minutes. We stood at one stop for an hour. At the end of the stops-you must wait until the next bus leaves-it is not continuous. While we waited, other buses would pass 2-3 times. One of the buses would sell $1 waters. I loved this because they were so expensive everywhere else, unless you saw a guy on the street selling them out of a cooler. I wished all the of buses did this. read more

Bus is always late and the tour guides have no idea of what they are talking about. Not worth the money.. its cheaper to move around via uber or walking. SAVE your money!!! I wish I could get a refund read more

I wish I could remember the name of the tour guide because he made the tour come to life with his in depth, encyclopedic knowledge of everything pertaining to each of the memorials. Not only did we get the specifications of each memorial (who, what, where, when) but the lead up, supporting players, unknown people involved. It was truly incredible. Took the twilight tour tonight 2/23. Heavy mist, fog rolling in, White House on lock down. No problem for this driver and tour guide team. 3 1/2 Hours. 3 stops. Might have been 4. One included the FDR memorial and MLK with views of Jefferson. Very moving commentary by guide. Then the Lincoln memorial, Korean War and The Wall. Incredible. I know I'm missing some but I'm tired. Two tier bus, seats are comfortable. Did not find the phone charging ports. Sat up top in the front and had cup holders. Took advantage of a GroupOn and now have a 2 day hop on and off. If I need to amend this I will but I trust I will be as happy and enthused at the end of this as I am now. read more

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Two days and one night tour. Great info on day tours, all busses right on time. Night tour was great also. Dre was great, very knowledgeable, think he should be a history professor. Made our last night in DC memorable! read more

Got 2 groupons for a hop on hop off for 48 hours and a twilight tour. Let's just say the $31 paid was nothing compared to the amazing experience we had. Henry was our tour guide and Charles was our driver on the twilight tour. It was fab. Henry was funny, welcoming, informative and helped bring people together. Th hop on hop off was functional for sightseeing our only complaint was signage for where the pick ups are were but one of the drivers just picked us up when we flagged him down so you can't complain too much!!! I highly recommend. Remember your sightseeing. Take a breath and enjoy. read more

The Twilight Tour with Henry and Charles was worth every penny! Henry was not only humorous but informative as well. Our trip and knowledge were truly enhanced by this experience. Would do it again!!! read more

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Just got back from a Night Time Monuments Tour by DC Trails narrated by Dre (tour guide) and driven by Charles Xavier (Professor X). The tour, guides and driver were all phenomenal and did a wonderful job. We highly recommend this tour. Dre was very knowledgeable about DC history and provided great background stories. Professor X got us through a potential accident when a another car ran a solid red light (DC drivers ). You cannot go wrong with the highly rated DC Trails. read more

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A lot of people from all over the US and the world come to DC. Unfortunately it is very confusing navigating the city and once in a while one has to ask for help. This man was in your kiosk, on his phone, and was rude when asked for help. I am glad I didn't but my tour ticket from your company and will not ever. read more

DC Trails - Buses Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Not bad. A lower end version of the more popular Washington big bus tours. We got cheaper tickets on Groupon. They appear to be a starter company and were explaining that some of their buses have not been wrapped yet so they are just plain white. The stops were conveniently located which is why I gave it 3 stars but the tour guide was a little hard to understand and there were not so many frequent buses. But if you want to tour on a budget it's ok. read more

The two stars are because of the good guides they're friendly and knowledgeable. The business is planned and executed poorly. The buses clump together so you'll wait for an hour or tell then mood all the other buses while seeing one site. Also during the twilight tour a couple hopped on and took our seats causing confusion all over the bus. Wristbands would be a cheap easy solution to people stealing the ride I paid for. read more

We booked the hop-on-hop-off tour off Groupon and regretted our decision. The busses never stopped where they were supposed to, so it was hard to know where to wait to get back on - very disorganized. The AC in the interior of the bus did not work well and we were dying for a brief relief from the heat. We took the shuttle to Arlington and drove in a circle for at least 15 minutes picking up other passengers. One of the members of our party needed to head back and the shuttle did not return for a full hour. Apparently the driver went on lunch and there was no service during that time - very unprofessional. We ended up taking an Uber to get back to the Lincoln memorial cause we were sick of waiting around. At the end of the day, we were waiting to get on the last bus. We called and we're told that there were still 2 busses coming around. We waited for 40 minutes and finally took another Uber. This was the most unreliable tour I have ever taken. With our limited sightseeing time, we would have been better off spending a little more and taking the Big Bus. We always saw way more of their busses and much more frequently. We counted at least 10 while we were waiting at the last stop. read more

Day tour is fine and organized and Staff is friendly. We had made a reservation for the twilight tour via our hotel and was instructed to go to JW Marriott for pickup at 6:45. We arrived at 6. I called the office and a lazy person mumbling answers and said the bus will come around 6:45. Then I called at 6:53 and the lady said we should have called earlier. I informed her I did and she basically could not help. Get organized and get synced. Thanks for ruining and spoiling something I was excited to experience. read more

Terrible. Avoid! Don't give them your money!! Tinny speakers made the recorded narration almost unintelligible, then the recording stopped altogether so we had no idea what we were seeing. The feeble attempt at air conditioning had little impact on a 90F day so it was sweltering in the bus, and the little cooling that happened was undone each time we stopped and the driver opened the doors. The driver could not drive smoothly, surging forward then braking, surging and braking, constant whiplash. After about 8 stops without narration the driver pulled over, stopped and opened the doors. No explanation. Eventually word filtered back we were waiting for someone to come and fix the narration. No explanation for why the doors had to be open. The first attempt to fix the recording didn't work, so then we were supposed to wait for the next bus to come by and get on that one. As we waited, other passengers related similar problems on other buses, so this was not an isolated incident. Every aspect of the DC Trails "tour" was a failure. We took Lyft back to the hotel, and the Lyft driver was a better tour guide than DC Trails. read more

Five stars for Henry on the night tour as well as another young gentleman whose name I don't remember. Three stars for a different young man who was a little flat and sometimes dull, and had some good facts but also referred to Clarissa Burton as the founder of the Red Cross. Back to the night tour, which was a highlight: Henry was engaging and amusing, while very well educated on the history and gave perspective to the tour. He was so warm to my family that he made me believe he wanted to adopt my baby and take her home! ;-) Good fun overall and I would do it all over again. read more