Open Top Sightseeing Tour Washington DC
 

Anybody had an experience with this tour? I found it on the Gray Line website but I haven't been able to find much feedback online (Fodors and Tripadvisor).

It seems like a nice deal since a ticket buys two day's worth of rides (plus an extra day if you board after 3 pm the first day).

Thanks for the help.

I just noticed the open-top buses around town in the past month or so. I guess they are so new that it is too early for reviews to accumulate.

ttt

I would not want to ride in an open top bus in D.C. any time between June 1 and August 31.

You have a chance of catching a breeze while the bus is moving, though, and it would probably be better than walking in the worst of summer.

Isn't the tourmobile both open air and covered?

The new open-top buses are double decker with no cover over the upper level, like those in Europe (at least like ones I've seen in Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville). Tourmobiles are are only one level, with wide open windows, like picture windows with the glass removed.

The tourmobiles only operate on The Mall and in Arlington Cemetery (two separate routes which you should never combine and do in one day).

The open top tour goes to other sites off The Mall. I hope someone who has done this will review it. It is an option for people who want a hop on/hop off bus with options such as Embassy Row and the National Cathedral. According to the advertising on the buses, the tickets are good for 2 days.

I took the open top bus tour last month (late April). Here is the link to their website:

http://www.opentopsightseeing.com/

I was in DC for a convention. Several people in my group took this tour and recommended it. One person could only use one day of her ticket so she gave it to me to use on the second day.

It was a convenient way to see all the sights of Washington (it gets beyond the main part of town that you see on the other tours). You can hop-on/hop-off but you may have a short wait to get back on the bus. I didn't do that. I got on the bus at the stop next to the White House (in front of the Wilard Hotel) and took it all the way around to Union Station.

It started out as a pretty nice day weather-wise but ended up blustery and cold so a number of people moved downstairs inside the bus during the last half hour of my tour. If the weather is nice being on top is best. Watch out for tree limbs! There are a number of times when you have to duck your head.

The worst part of the tour is the canned commentary that they play. Most of it is informational but parts of it are just plain hokey.

I enjoyed it and thought it was a good overview of DC. It took me to parts of town that I wouldn't have taken the time to visit otherwise. If you have several days to spend in DC this is a good way to find out where you'd like to spend more time. If you have a short time it is a good way to see just the highlights from the bus.

OTS trip is excellent(!). The buses are new (or nearly), and the commentary is very good. Our company (www.DC-cruises.com) partners with them, and everyone (almost) who comes down to our river tours from them has nice things to say. Beware of late afternoon delays though - DC's traffic can be nasty. (a great time to wander dC on foot though ;-)