Washington Night trolley tours means one real trolley, Old Town Trolley's two-and-a-half-hour night loop, plus an open-air minibus and an e-cart that turn up in the same search. The trolley is heated in winter and has lifts on some vehicles; the other two are not trolleys at all.
Old Town Trolley's night loop from the Welcome Center on E Street or the station on Massachusetts Avenue. Three stops on foot, the two longest about half an hour each; heated in winter, with lifts on some trolleys if you call ahead.
From $59 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Not a trolley: a ten-seat open-air minibus from the Arlo Hotel, 333 G Street NW, with the sides open for two hours and six quick stops. It carries far fewer people than a trolley does.
From $52 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Not a trolley either: a nine-seat electric cart, open at the sides, from 5th Street NW. Two hours, seven stops of 5 to 10 minutes and a live guide; pick the night departure when you book.
From $48 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
$59 a person for two and a half hours, three stops on foot, and lifts on some trolleys for wheelchair users who call ahead.
Check availabilityOld Town Trolley's night loop is the one trolley that runs after dark. It is a road vehicle built to look like a streetcar, with open sides in summer and roll-down plastic windows in winter, and it seats about fifty. You board at the Welcome Center on E Street or at the station on Massachusetts Avenue, check in half an hour early, and ride for two and a half hours.
It stops less often than a coach, but for longer. There are three stops on foot, and the two longest last about half an hour each: enough to walk the west end of the Mall at your own pace rather than in a line behind a guide.
The two long stops are the heart of it. One is at the west end of the Mall, for the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean War memorials; the other is by the water, for the FDR and Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials. Between them the trolley passes the Capitol dome, the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, with the guide talking all the way.
Two more vehicles turn up when you search for a night trolley: an open-air minibus and an electric cart. Neither is a trolley. Both are small open-sided vehicles for nine or ten, and we list them here so you can compare them honestly.
Some trolleys carry lifts. Tell the operator at booking or call 24 hours ahead. It is the one shared ride that lists wheelchair access.
From autumn to spring the trolley is heated and its windows roll down. You see less through the plastic, but you stay warm between stops.
Two stops of about half an hour each let you walk the memorials rather than photograph them and run. For many travellers that is the point of going at night.
The minibus and the e-cart have no sides at all. They carry up to ten and nine, and both sell sunset and night slots on one listing; book the night one.
All three are open-sided, and all three cost about the same. The differences are size, length and access.
| Trolley | Open-air minibus | E-cart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Up to 52 | Up to 10 | Up to 9 |
| Length | 2.5 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Stops on foot | Three, two of about 30 minutes | Six of 5 to 10 minutes | Seven of 5 to 10 minutes |
| Starts | E Street or Massachusetts Avenue | 333 G Street NW | 500 5th Street NW |
| In winter | Heated, windows roll down | Open sides | Open sides |
| Wheelchair | Lifts on some trolleys | Not listed | Not suitable |
| Fare | $59 a person | $52 a person | $48 a person |
Choose the trolley for access, warmth and long stops. Choose a small open-air ride for a group of ten instead of fifty. The small-group night tours list the vans as well.
$48 a person for two hours from 500 5th Street NW, seven short stops and a live guide. Choose the night slot when you book.
Check availabilityEvery stop on the loop, and what is open at night, is in the memorials one by one.
Would a coach or a van suit you better? Every way to ride is compared on Washington Night Tours.