Washington DC · SELF-GUIDED TOURS
7 tours compared
The best self-guided tours in Washington DC fill up fast, especially in cherry-blossom season. These 7 are the standouts, each with its current price and the thing that sets it apart, so you can book before the calendar does.
Big Bus DC Best of DC pairs 24–72 hour hop-on hop-off with a 2-hour night monuments tour, plus Arlington audio guides and bike perks.
“Great way to see DC, day and night tours. Erica and crew are amazing guides. Hop off the bus to see exactly what you want to”
Walk DC’s top monuments with a self-guided audio route covering the Mall, White House area, memorials, and key government buildings for $16.99.
“Enjoyed the audio tour and allowed us to go at our own pace. Wish Vietnam memorial was a primary stop on the tour. Don’t think it should be excluded from the main walk. Pretty important monument”
A self-guided phone scavenger hunt across DC’s west National Mall, from the Ellipse to the Washington Monument in about 3 hours.
“The MLK Memorial was the highlight, but overall it was a good sampling of DC sites. Good amount of walking-enough, but not too much. A few glitches with the system counting our correct answers as wrong, but not a big deal.”
Walk the National Mall at your own pace with an English app tour hitting top DC landmarks, with many entry tickets included.
“Had a good time on this tour with my mom. You see a lot of the major Sights of D.C. at your own pace with the app”
Self-guided National Mall scavenger hunt with 30+ puzzles and 6 film spots. Walk from the Constitution Ave start to the Washington Monument.
“The hunt had my teen quickly engaged while we worked the clues. Even though we got off track around the FBI building clue, we found our way back to continue on. For an adventure that keep my teen engaged, you get four stars. Minus one for typos through out the clues.”
Private hop-on hop-off van with chauffeur and audio app. Hit D.C. landmarks your way in 4–8 hours, with snacks and waters.
A low-cost self-guided Washington DC app walk linking Union Station, Capitol Hill landmarks, and the Library of Congress at your pace.
“A disaster. Couldn’t get guide to continue story after his two minute intro about his self. Went back into Union station and tried to start over. Same thing. Then tried to check in with virtual guide. Couldn’t connect. Tried to go manually. Still didnt connect. Found it very frustrating. Tour was to include admission to Library of Congress, which is free, anyway! I wasn’t told a reservation had to be scheduled before going to the Library of Congress, until just before finding my way to the Library. Couldn’t get in without a reserved time. I’m a senior cit so maybe that was my problem. And they kept asking to connect…”
