One Washington Night: An Evening Plan for the Memorials

You have one evening and you want the memorials lit up. This plan sets out when to start, in what order to see them, how long to give each, where to eat and how to get back, whether you take a washington dc night monuments tour or go on foot. Everything on the loop is free and open all night, so the plan is about time, not tickets.

When should the evening start?

It depends on the month, far more than most visitors expect. Sunset in Washington moves by almost four hours through the year: from about 4:46pm in early December to about 8:38pm at the end of June. It is fully dark about half an hour after sunset.

The biggest coaches leave at 7:30pm all year. Here is what that start sees on the 15th of each month, from the U.S. Naval Observatory's tables.

From May to August, a 7:30pm tour spends its first hour in daylight and dusk. You see the first memorials in the last of the sun and the rest lit up, which some travellers love. If you want darkness from the first stop, go from October to February, or choose a tour whose start you set yourself.

Where does the loop begin?

On a tour, it begins downtown. Most coaches meet on Pennsylvania Avenue between the National Archives and the Navy Memorial, the vans meet a few blocks north, and the private cars come to you. The first stops are usually the White House from outside and the Capitol, then the tour works west along the Mall.

On your own, start at the Smithsonian Metro station, which sits on the Mall itself on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines. Walk west towards the Washington Monument and the memorials beyond it. Every meeting point, with its nearest station, is on the meeting-points map.

What order works best for the memorials?

East to west is the natural order on foot, and it ends at the most famous view. Start at the World War II Memorial, whose fountains are lit at night. Walk on to the Vietnam wall and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Finish on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking back down the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument and the Capitol.

The Jefferson Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial sit round the Tidal Basin, a little apart. A tour drives between them; on foot they are a separate loop. Our guide to the memorials one by one describes each stop after dark.

How long should you spend at each memorial?

Tours give most stops 15 to 20 minutes, and that is enough for most of them. The Lincoln steps deserve more: the driver-guide car gives them half an hour. The trolley's two long stops last about 30 minutes each, which lets you walk from one memorial to the next at your own pace.

The quick stops of 5 to 10 minutes on the open-air rides are photo stops. You will see more memorials in the time, and spend less time at each.

Can you walk it all yourself?

You can walk the memorials at the west end of the Mall in an evening. They are free, open all night, and close enough to walk between. What a tour adds is the ride between the far ends, the commentary, and the memorials across the river, which you cannot reach on foot after dark.

If you walk, wear comfortable shoes and carry a layer. Rangers are on duty until 10pm. Our guide to what is open at night covers going without a tour in detail.

Should you eat before or after?

Before. Most tours run from about 7:30pm to 10:30pm. The best seller allows snacks on its coaches but no meals, and some tours hand out water. By the time you are back downtown it is late, and you do not want to be hunting for a kitchen.

Plan an early dinner near your meeting point, and arrive at the kerb 15 to 30 minutes before the start. The coaches ask for it, and one leaves at 7:30pm sharp without waiting.

What does the evening look like, hour by hour?

Here is a plan built on a 7:30pm coach, with the times the listings give.

• 6:00pm: an early dinner downtown.
• 7:00pm: at the kerb. The Archives coaches ask you to be there by 7pm.
• 7:30pm: the coach leaves. The first stops are the White House and the Capitol.
• From about 7:45pm: the memorials along the Mall and round the basin, and on some routes across the river.
• About 10:30pm: back where you started, near a Metro station.

What if you only have two hours?

Then cut the evening to the west end of the Mall. The e-cart from 500 5th Street NW and the open-air minibus from the Arlo Hotel each run two hours, with six or seven short stops. The trolley runs two and a half, and its two long stops are both at the memorials people come for.

On foot, two hours is enough for the World War II fountains, the Vietnam wall, the Korean War memorial and the Lincoln steps, taken slowly. Leave the basin and the river crossing for another visit. You lose the Capitol end, but you keep the view that most photographs are taken from.

What should you bring?

• A layer: every stop is outside, and a July evening averages about 72°F at its low, a January one about 30°F.
• Comfortable shoes: the steps at the west end are the biggest climb of the night.
• A small bag only: bags may be searched, and the best seller has no luggage storage.
• A charged phone: for photographs, for the Metro home, and for the van whose commentary comes by audio link, with your own earbuds.
• Cash for tips: gratuities are left out of nearly every fare.

Can you fit Georgetown in too?

Georgetown is its own evening. The ghost walk takes 90 minutes on foot, from outside the Old Stone House on M Street to the steps at 36th and Prospect Streets. The house dates from 1765, the oldest structure on its original foundation in the city. Georgetown has no Metro station; Foggy Bottom-GWU is the nearest.

A walk like that and a three-hour memorials tour do not fit comfortably into one night. Put the walk on a second evening, or on the night you arrive.

How does the plan change with children?

Shorten it. The e-cart and the open-air minibus run two hours instead of three, and the private cars stop when you are ready. In summer the late dusk keeps small children up well past their bedtime; in winter the early dark lets you start sooner.

Every child on the e-cart needs their own seat and belt. The shared bike ride has kit for children of all sizes, including trailers.

What if it rains?

Most tours run rain or shine, and every stop is outside. Bring a layer that sheds water. The private car from your hotel carries umbrellas or ponchos, and the trolley rolls down its windows. An operator may cancel for severe weather; you are then offered a new date or a full refund.

How do you get back?

The tours end where they began, around 10 to 10:30pm, and the Metro runs until midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 2am on Friday and Saturday. Last trains vary by station, so check yours before you set out. The private tours and the moonlight van drop you at your hotel.

Our post on getting back after a night tour covers each end point and its station.

Frequently asked questions

Tours that fit this plan

Washington DC Sites at Night Guided Bicycle Tour

Three hours and about 4 to 5 miles by bike from D Street, behind the Navy Memorial, with short stops on foot. Helmet, lights and a reflective vest are included, with kit for children.

From $65 per person

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Moonlight Tour of Washington DC

Three hours by van for up to 13, with pickup and drop-off at downtown hotels; from Virginia or Maryland you meet at the Marriott at Metro Center. Bookings of two or more, in any weather.

From $67 per person, bookings of two

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Ghosts of Georgetown & The Exorcist Steps Walking Tour

Ninety minutes on foot through Georgetown after dark with a licensed guide, from the yard of the oldest house in the city to the steps from the film. Up to 15 walkers.

From $49 per person

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