can get a price of this tourmobile,,,hop on/off bus for the Washington Mall, the ticket price icon is not working on their web site.

any idea how much this bus cost?

thanks

I think it's a $17.50 for adults and $9 for kids. Don't use Ticketmaster -- big service charge. There are booths at Union Station, Arlington and near the Washington Monument.

Not sure if they still do this, but they used to let you extend a day for a cheap rate too.

If you get the DC Entertainment book, they have a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon in there. (At least they have in the past several years.) They also have coupons for some of the other similar tours, such as the one that takes you down Embassy Row, quite fun, if you have the time. We always bought tickets for these when the parents were visiting b/c the first time they came up, we walked all over and my poor mom's ankles swelled like crazy! She still talks about it....

They discontinued the "extra day" option a few years ago (unless it's been reactiviated this season). I don't think the extra day was that worthwhile, but getting a decent orientation the first day was. You can also get a tram for ONLY within Arlington Cemetary for a lesser fee, or the full price take you out around the mall as well.

I'll be there during Cherry Blossom festival...I've heard it is sometimes difficult to find room to get on the tourmobiles-that they are full and you have to wait for the next. Any suggestions about that-getting on at a certain location, etc? Old town trolley?

Laurelee: you heard right. We were passed by several times by buses with no more room on them. Even worse was at Union Station, where we finally made it to the front of the line, at the sign, and the bus pulled up before the sign, and they let people at the back of the line board, again filling up the bus.

Where ever you board the bus, stay on it for one full circle before you start hoppping on & off. That way you can rate how important each stop might be, rather than getting off at the very first one that sounds interesting. Some narrators are better than others. If you think yours is lacking, then change buses.

I'm not knocking Tourmobile, or any other company, just warning about some of the downfalls.

Thank you. Do you think Old Town Trolley is any better....how about the monument light tour. I am also wondering if there is a way to be one of the first to get on...where is that first stop and what time? Thanks.

While I've not taken Old Town Trolley in DC, I'd bet their performance might be a little better. My reasoning is only that Tourmobile has exclusive rights to Arlington, and as long as THAT part of their operation meets the requirements of their contract, other parts can "slide" a little without affecting the bottom line too much.

I don't think there's really 1 "starting place" for any of the tour services ... that they each have so many vehicles that a certain number start each days' service from one of the dozen or so stops, rather than all of them heading out from 1 starting location. I guess the best bet would be to call them directly - maybe there IS a best way.

I've put at least four sets of visitors on Tourmobile and they've all loved it and never reported any crowding issues. Might have been the time of year or perhaps they were lucky.

The trolley visits more neighborhoods (great if you've got a lot of time), but I believe you're only allowed to make ``one complete loop,'' while the Tourmobile lets you ride anywhere during the day -- much more flexible.

My daughter and I visited DC last April and experienced the same crowding with the tourmobile. They were only coming every 20-30 minutes and we were passed by several. Once we got on we noticed this happening at other stops as well. They would only allow people to board if there were seats for them - no standing was allowed. We often decided it was quicker to walk, which of course defeats the purpose of the tourmobile. If you get a good narrator I second the recommendation of staying on for a loop as it is a good orientation.

I'm going during Cherry Blossom time so I know it will be crowded-and I'll have my elderly Mom with. I wonder if it helps to get on early in the day at all. We are staying close to the White House so I suppose we could just walk that part of it. Still-the ride would be nice for her. If anyone has anymore suggestions, please let us know. Thanks.

We used the Tourmobile while in DC during May a few years back. I don't recall it being all that crowded - perhaps the time of year? There were more kids from school trips than other vacationers. I thought it was okay, but between walking and the Metro, I found I didn't really need it.

We've used the Tourmobile and Old Town Trolley in the same few days. Both times, we experienced TERRIBLE crowding with the Old Town Trolley and no crowding with the Tourmobile. When we used the Tourmobile in the past, we never had any crowding. So I always thought it was that Old Town Trolley just stunk. But it sounds like others have had crowding with the Tourmobile as well. At least with the Tourmobile, you can do one complete trip on it to see what's out there, and then do another circuit, getting off where you want. With Old Town Trolley, you only get one complete loop.

It sounds like either one can be frustrating, depending on the time of year, etc. Would those of you have done them and finally gotten on, do you believe it was worth the price and wait?

I'm one of the ones who waited and to be honest, based on our experience, it wasn't worth it. It was cold and rainy when we were there in April and so we often chose to walk rather than wait. One suggestion is to wait until you get there and see how it is going - if there are lots of them and no waiting, it is a nice way to eliminate some walking and cab fares. But we found ourselves hesitating to get off at some of the stops when we saw the lines waiting to get on.

I live in DC and have out of town company coming on Sat. (My sister and a coworker). The coworker has a slight disability and I think what we plan to do is take either Old Town Trolley or Tourmobile and just STAY on it, for the most part. I think this person just wants a good overview of the city and sites. We'll probably only get off a couple of times.

That said, which of the two is better in people's opinions? It sounds to me like the Trolley operators are more knowledgeable (in their narration, I mean).

Tourmobile covers official Washington (around the Mall, Capitol, Arlington Cemetery, etc) well.
The Trolley goes some places Tourmobile does not--G'town, the Zoo, embassy row. Its narration is more jokey than Tourmobile's.

There's a good overview of various tour options on the Washington Post's website:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/
travel/visitorsguide/
features/guidedtours.html