Washington Night small-group tours take 9 to 13 people in a van, an open-air minibus or an e-cart instead of 50 in a coach. You hear the guide, you get off quickly, and on a few you are collected from a pickup point.
Vans of up to 12 from the Grand Hyatt's 11th Street door, with ten stops of 5 to 20 minutes that you explore on your own. It runs rain or shine, and your guide texts a name and number on the day.
From $99 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A driver-guide collects you at 7:00pm at the Marriott at Metro Center or 7:10pm at Navy Memorial Plaza. Eight stops of 10 to 20 minutes, a granola bar, and a free next-day Air and Space pass, for up to 13.
From $48 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
An open-air e-cart for up to nine from 500 5th Street NW: two hours, seven short stops of 5 to 10 minutes and a live guide. Book the night slot; every child needs a seat and a seat belt.
From $48 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
An open-air minibus of up to ten from the Arlo Hotel on G Street, two hours long, with six stops of 5 to 10 minutes. Sunset and moonlight slots share one listing; choose the moonlight one for the dark.
From $52 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Door to door from downtown hotels, or from the Marriott at Metro Center if you stay in Virginia or Maryland. Six stops of 10 to 20 minutes with a driver-guide, up to 13 aboard, in any weather. Book for two or more.
From $67 per person, bookings of two
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A van of up to 12 from One CityCenter on 10th Street, with nine stops of 15 to 20 minutes. Commentary reaches you by audio link at each stop, so pack your own earbuds; bottled water is on board.
From $89 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
$99 a person from the Grand Hyatt's 11th Street door: 4.9 from more than 1,700 reviews, and ten stops of 5 to 20 minutes that you walk on your own.
See this tourIt is a shared tour in a vehicle that holds 9 to 13 people instead of 50. You meet a van, an open-air minibus or an e-cart downtown, and a driver-guide or a guide takes you round the lit memorials for two or three hours. The group is small enough that you hear everything and get off quickly at each stop.
The fares sit around the coaches and a little above: $48 to $99 a person. You pay a little more for a quieter evening, and on a few you get something the coaches do not give: a named pickup point, a free next-day pass or an open-air seat.
The vans differ more than their fares suggest. The Grand Hyatt van gives you the most stops and leaves you to explore them. The Top rated van from One CityCenter keeps nine longer stops and talks to you through your own earbuds. The moonlight van is the one that comes to your hotel. Read the line of chips on each card before you read the price.
With twelve people in a van, the guide talks to you, not to a crowd. You can ask questions, and the stops are faster to get in and out of than on a coach of 50.
The $48 van collects you at 7:00pm at the Marriott at Metro Center or 7:10pm at Navy Memorial Plaza. The moonlight van picks up at downtown hotels. The rest meet at a kerb downtown.
The open-air minibus and the e-cart have no windows between you and the memorials. Both sell sunset slots too; book the night one.
The $48 van is the one fare with a next-day Air and Space pass included. The museum is free anyway, but the timed pass is booked for you.
The coach is the obvious alternative, and on price it is close. Here is the trade.
| Small-group night tour | Night coach | |
|---|---|---|
| People per vehicle | 9 to 13 | 40 to 53 |
| Length | 2 to 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Stops | Six to ten, some explored on your own | Nine to twelve, with the guide |
| Pickup | A kerb, named points or downtown hotels | A kerb only |
| Commentary | A driver-guide, a guide, or an audio link | A guide on and off the coach |
| Fare | $48 to $99 a person | $58 to $69 a person |
If the crowd is what puts you off a night tour, the van wins. If you want the longest time on foot with a guide beside you, the night bus tours still give you more of it.
Pickup at 7:00pm at the Marriott at Metro Center or 7:10pm at Navy Memorial Plaza, eight stops of 10 to 20 minutes, and drop-offs from about 10pm.
Check availabilityFor a side-by-side of every van, car, coach and bike, read our night tours compared.
Would a coach or a private car suit you better? Every way to ride is compared on Washington Night Tours.