Washington DC tours and necessary walking
 

I have been told that one must walk about a half mile from the tour buses to the point of entry at most sites. Can those of you who have done so please inform me as to the truth in this and which tour companies you found to be the best for content and comfort?

Pat

What tour company and where is the point of entry?

I am not sure which tour you are referencing in your question. I have take one of the night tours of the monuments. They dropped us off as close to the monuments as physically possible. Since the Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial and Vietnam Memorial are all at the same end of the mall, they dropped us off between the Lincoln and Korean Memorials and it was about a 2 block walk to the Vietnam Memorial. I suggest that you get a map and look at the route of the tour. You will be able to see where parking is available for the tour bus and judge how far you will have to walk to see the site.

If you are referring to a hop on, hop off tour company I have used Old Town Trolly Tours twice and really enjoyed the tour. The drivers are very knowledgable and helpful. It is true that some of the stops will require walking, but one really should expect to walk when in DC. The majority of the stops will have multiple attractions, so one may be close to the drop off point and others may require more walking. Check out their web page - it has a map and lists the attractions at each stop. What are you looking to do?

http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/

Thank you all for your replies. I am just in the planning stage at this point. I will visit the Old Town Trolley we site and maps for more information. I don't know right now which sites we will be visiting.


Pat

Yes, the walking you mentioned is about right. Overall to see DC sights involves lots of walking. So for those with walking difficulties most everything is wheel chair accessible. After all it is the legislators in DC who wrote and passed the ADA laws.

Yes, there is a lot of walking in DC. Sights are generally a little spread out - not right adjacent to each other. If you or someone in your party has trouble walking for a couple of miles (during the course of the day) I would ignore the tours (which are adaptable to larger buses and groups). In that case take cabs directly from one spot to another - so you can get as close as possible to each site (not be dropped at one and then be picked up 3 sights later).

I Agee with nytravelor that cabs are are good way to go. The rates are reasonable and they take you much closer to everything than public transportation or tour buses.

If you DON'T have serious walking difficulties do consider walking.

You could have a taxi drop you at the Jefferson memorial and easily walk to both FDR and MLK (they are also on the Tidal Basin). There are benches every 10 yards or so (all with great views of the basin).

From MKL, you could either get a taxi or walk to the Lincoln Memorial. From the Lincoln, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the WWII are all reasonably close to one another (again, with benches every 10-20 yards). From the WWII, you can again get a taxi to where ever you are going next: Air& Space, White House or whatever...

There are taxi stands at ALL the memorials - you need to study a map for some good planning. I wouldn't use the tour buses unless you really need to. As mentioned they don't always drop you as close as you think and the then there's the wait for a bus to come by...

PS - there is no food (worth eating anyway) anywhere in or around the Memorial loop(s). THIS is the day you'll want a backpack with good snacks and drinks (stock up BEFORE you head toward the memorials).

The Constitution Gardens pond is a particularly nice picnic spot, and, additionally, there are nice bench spots all along the reflecting pool and around the tidal basin.