It’s a good idea to start your DC visit with an orientation tour. Climb on board a sightseeing bus or trolley for an overview of the city’s most famous sights, or sign up for a specialty tour that appeals to your family’s interests.
Tourmobile, Old Town Trolley and Open Top Sightseeing offer hop-on, hop-off narrated sightseeing tours year-round, along with nighttime tours of the monuments and memorials. Open Top Sightseeing and Old Town Trolley’s routes includes stops at neighborhood attractions like the Washington National Cathedral and National Zoo.
If your family loves the water, climb aboard Capitol River Cruises on the Georgetown Waterfront for an hour-long sightseeing tour from the Potomac River. Or, relive the history of Georgetown and board a mule-driven C&O Canal Boat Ride. Costumed guides tell stories of life on the historic waterway, one of the capital’s earliest links to the west.
You can also take a guided tour of the monuments and memorials on bicycle, offered by Bike and Roll. The National Mall is fairly flat, so tours are suitable for most fitness levels; smaller children can ride along in tandem trailers that attach to adult bikes. Tours are offered from March through November.
DC is a pedestrian-friendly city, so walking tours are very popular. The tour season usually runs from late March through the end of October. Tour schedules vary by company, but many take place on Saturdays and Sundays. Washington Walks offers tours of neighborhoods like Georgetown and Adams Morgan, as well as family-friendly tours of the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial and the FDR Memorial. Or, join A Tour De Force for a customize tour based on the interests of your group (but be sure to tip your guides!).
Want to set out on your own? Try a self-guided walking tour from Cultural Tourism DC. Routes are marked with illustrated signs that tell stories of Washington's most historic neighborhoods, including U Street, Barracks Row and Downtown.
Take your teenagers and young adults on a Segway tour of DC’s most notable sights. Available for ages 16 and up, Segway tours are offered by City Segway Tours and Segs in the City.
For a politics-inspired spin around the city, hop into an electronic roadster and see the sites with the Bi-Partisan Tour Company. The red and blue vehicles come equipped with GPS systems to guide you through the city, along with two different horns, letting you honk to show your party loyalty. You can also put on a rubber mask bearing the likeness of political notables as you listen to political narration.
