Things to do
in Washington, D.C..

How to choose

Seven of the 24 tours run after dark

Seven of the 24 Washington experiences we list run after dark, titled as night, moonlight, sunset or after-dark departures, and between them they hold 14,143 of the 30,603 reviews on this page. Twelve of the 24 name the vehicle you ride in: five electric carts, three trolleys, a vintage car, a party yacht and two six-hour day tours that include a boat cruise on the Potomac. Those two days are the only listings longer than four hours; the median duration across all 24 is two hours and the median price just over €50. What the inventory mostly sells is a circuit of the memorials with stops, not a visit to anything.

Only six of the 24 include entry to anything. Two are Capitol Hill tours pairing the Capitol with the Library of Congress or the Supreme Court, at €57.24 and €60.76; one puts Air and Space entry inside a Smithsonian highlights tour at €51.96; one covers Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House; and two are simply Washington Monument tickets. Nothing in the set enters the Natural History museum, the National Archives or the African American History museum, and nothing leaves the District except a trolley pass that adds Arlington National Cemetery. There is one walking tour, a 90-minute Georgetown ghost walk rated 4.8, no food tour at all, and one tour sold outright as private, at €484.36 — more than six times the next dearest listing.

What to know before you book in Washington

The two Washington Monument listings, at €13.21 and €22.02, are the only two of our 24 that cannot be cancelled free, and the cheaper one is the lowest-rated thing on the page at 3.3. Every visitor does need a timed ticket, but the National Park Service gives them out free at the Washington Monument Lodge from 8:45, or in advance on Recreation.gov up to 30 days ahead for a