★★★★★
In a heat wave it was good to have a cooler bus to come back to after each monument, and little-known facts at every stop.
Jennifer_L · Family · July 2026
Washington Night Coach Tour: DC Monuments by Night at 7:30pm
By coach9 stops of 15 to 20 minNavy Memorial PlazaMax 50 people
Three hours on a closed-top coach from Navy Memorial Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue, leaving at 7:30pm sharp. A guide talks on board and gets off with you at all nine stops, from the White House and the Capitol to the war memorials, and the coach then crosses the river to the flag raisers in Arlington. More travellers have reviewed it than any other evening here: 7,262 of them.
Three hours, nine stops, one guide beside you
A 7:30pm start
It leaves promptly; check in at the plaza 15 to 20 minutes before.
Nine stops outside
About 15 minutes at each, 20 at the Lincoln Memorial, with time for photographs.
A guide off the bus too
Commentary in English on the way, and the guide walks with you at each stop.
Across the river
The last stop is the Marine Corps War Memorial, which some coaches only drive past.
$58 for the coach seat
Bottled water and air conditioning are in the fare; the glass-top minibus costs more.
4.7 from 7,262 reviews
Travellers name the guides' voices, the cool bus on hot nights and the photographs.
The 7:30pm coach from the Navy Memorial
You meet at the front of the U.S. Navy Memorial at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW: a large fountain plaza with tall navy flags, on the avenue between 7th and 9th Streets. The coach leaves promptly at 7:30pm, and the operator asks you to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early to check in. It is easy to reach without a car. The Navy Memorial-Archives Metro station, on the Yellow and Green lines, opens straight onto the plaza.
If you come by rideshare, ask to be dropped on Pennsylvania Avenue itself: the operator warns that drivers tend to bring people to the opposite side of the block. There is no parking kept for the tour, but there is a garage directly under the memorial and street parking around it. Every starting point in the city, with its nearest station, is on the meeting-point map.
Daylight in June, three hours of dark in December
The coach leaves at the same time all year, but the sky does not. In the middle of June the sun sets at about 8:35pm and it is fully dark by about 9:07pm, so the first hour of your tour is daylight and the next half hour is dusk: you see the first memorials by day and the last ones lit. In early December the sun sets at about 4:46pm, and by 7:30 it has been dark for more than two hours. From about late September until the clocks go forward in early March, you leave in the dark.
| When | Sunset | Full dark | At 7:30pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-March | 7:15pm | 7:42pm | Dusk |
| Mid-April | 7:45pm | 8:13pm | Daylight |
| Mid-June | 8:35pm | 9:07pm | Daylight for an hour |
| Mid-August | 8:03pm | 8:31pm | Daylight |
| Mid-September | 7:16pm | 7:43pm | Dusk |
| 1 October | 6:51pm | 7:17pm | Dark |
| Mid-November | 4:54pm | 5:23pm | Dark for two hours |
| Early December | 4:46pm | 5:16pm | Dark since about 5:15pm |
Times are for Washington from the U.S. Naval Observatory, rounded to the minute. Neither half of the year is the wrong one: a June evening shows the memorials in both lights, a December one shows them lit from the start. Weather and dark times by month adds the evening temperatures.
Nine stops, with the guide off the bus too
The coach heads first for the White House and the Capitol, about 15 minutes at each, and then onto the Mall: the World War II Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The longest stop, 20 minutes, is the Lincoln Memorial, with the Korean War Veterans and Vietnam Veterans memorials on either side of it. At every one the guide gets off with you, which is what this fare buys over a coach where you walk on your own.
Every stop is outside. The memorials are open 24 hours, and National Park Service rangers are on duty until 10pm, so you can walk right up to the statue in the Lincoln Memorial or read the walls at the Jefferson Memorial. The White House and the Capitol are seen from outside, and the Washington Monument, open 9am to 5pm, is seen from the ground. What each memorial looks like after dark is on the memorials page.
Closed-top coach or glass-top minibus
The $58 fare is for a seat on the closed-top coach, air-conditioned, for up to 50 people. The name of the tour says "Open-Top Upgrade Available": that upgrade is a convertible minibus, and between October and March the operator puts its glass top on for the cold. Its fare shows when you choose it at booking. The same operator also sells the minibus evening on its own, from the same plaza at a higher fare, with up to 15 aboard.
The flag raisers, after the rest have gone home
The last stop is across the Potomac: the Marine Corps War Memorial, the bronze figures raising the flag. The figures are 32 feet high, and the flag above them flies 24 hours a day by presidential proclamation, so it is lit and flying when you arrive. Some coaches only drive past it. Arlington National Cemetery next door closes at 5pm, so night tours see it only from the road. The story of the six men and the statue is in our post on the memorial at night.
Important. The coach does not wait: it leaves at
7:30pm, and a late arrival misses it. If you are coming from a dinner or a show, allow for the
check-in and read what to expect on the night first.
The three hours, stop by stop
- About 7:10pm. Check in at the fountain plaza by the navy flags.
- 7:30pm. The coach leaves Pennsylvania Avenue.
- The White House and the Capitol. About 15 minutes at each, from outside.
- The west end of the Mall. The World War II, Jefferson and King memorials, about 15 minutes each.
- The Lincoln stop. Twenty minutes, then the Korean War and Vietnam Veterans memorials beside it.
- Across the river. Fifteen minutes at the flag raisers in Arlington.
- About 10:30pm. Back at the Navy Memorial, three hours after you left.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book it if
- It is your first evening in DC and you want the whole loop for the lowest fare with a guide on foot.
- You want the flag raisers across the river as well as the Mall.
- You would rather arrive by Metro than wait for a pickup.
- A full coach does not bother you: up to 50 people travel.
Book something else if
- You want a smaller vehicle. The van from the Grand Hyatt carries up to 12 a van and stops ten times, for $99 a person.
- You want to be collected at your door. The private car picks up at your hotel or rental, for $595 for up to four.
- Someone in your party uses a wheelchair: this coach is not accessible. The moonlight trolley lists lifts on some trolleys; tell it when you book.
- You want to compare every coach and its kerb first: see our night bus tours.
What $58 covers, and what it leaves out
In the fare
- Guided city tour
- Bottled water
- Professional English-speaking guide, on and off the bus
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Not in the fare
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Luggage storage
- Entry to anything: the memorials are free and open all night
- The glass-top minibus, which is a separate grade
Know before you go
- Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early. The coach leaves promptly at 7:30pm and does not wait.
- Snacks, not meals. No food is allowed on the buses; snacks are fine.
- Travel light. Small carry-on bags only, and the operator may search them. There is no luggage storage.
- Not for wheelchairs. The coach is not wheelchair accessible; service animals are allowed.
- Infants ride on a lap. There are no infant seats.
- Weather or low numbers can cancel it. You are then offered a new date or a full refund.
What travellers said back at the fountain plaza
★★★★★
The right way to see the monuments at night: a polite, well-informed guide, a driver who looked after the group, and good photographs.
Michael_O · Friends · September 2026
★★★★☆
The sign-in table was hard to find in the dark among several buses and guides; a clearer sign would help.
D_B · November 2025
Frequently asked questions
Is it dark when the coach leaves?
Only from about late September until the clocks go forward in early March. In June the sun sets at about 8:35pm, so the first hour is daylight. The month-by-month times are on weather and dark times.
Can we go inside the memorials?
They are open-air and open 24 hours, so at each stop you walk right up to them. The White House and the Capitol are seen from outside, and the Washington Monument closes at 5pm.
Is there a smaller group?
Not on this coach, which takes up to 50. The van from the Grand Hyatt carries 12 at most, for $99 a person.
Does it pick up at hotels?
No, you meet at Navy Memorial Plaza, next to the Metro station. For a pickup at your door, the private car collects you and brings you back.
How do we get back afterwards?
The coach ends where it started, at about 10:30pm, beside the Navy Memorial-Archives station. Metro runs until midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Can I bring food on the bus?
Snacks are fine, but meals are not allowed on board. Eat before you check in.
Other ways to see the memorials lit up
Ready for the 7:30pm coach?
Check the evenings still open for your party, with a full refund up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability