More about: Washington DC Tourist Cards
If you want to organise your trip to the US capital in advance but have not yet decided which attractions you want to visit, the Washington Sightseeing Pass can offer you the solution.
Depending on the option you choose, this sightseeing pass will give you access to more than fifteen different attractions with discounts of up to 60% so you can decide what to see and do in Washington DC during your stay.
Washington DC Flex Pass
Secure access to the best tours of the city with the best discounts
With this tourist card you can visit museums, monuments and landmarks and travel in the most efficient way on the Hop-on, Hop-off Express bus while saving money.
With prices starting at 52 euros, the Washington Sightseeing Pass is a tourist card that will give you access to the main points of the city and will also allow you to save money and time, because you will avoid long queues to get tickets to visit the American capital, one of the most important cities in the world.
The Sightseeing Pass will help you to better organise your trip, especially in a city like Washington DC that offers many attractions. The card will also save you a lot of money with discounts in shops and restaurants.
You can choose between a one-, two- or four-attraction pass and all include 24-hour access to a bus with free stops. Note that the pass is activated the first time you use it, and from then on you have sixty days to use the rest of the options and discounts offered by the tourist card.
- Recommended if... You're only in Washington DC for a few days or if you want to organise your tour of the city before you arrive.
How much does the Washington Sightseeing Pass cost?
You can choose from several options starting at 52 euros. With this first rate you get 24 hours access to one of Washington' s sightseeing buses and a pass to one of the more than fifteen attractions available.
For 61 euros you get access to the bus and two attractions and for 85 euros you can opt for four tours, plus the 24-hour transfer on the Express Hop-on, Hop-off.
By purchasing the pass with access to four attractions you would be paying the flat rate for the tours and saving up to 60%. Which option best suits your needs?
How does the Flex Pass work?
The pass can be purchased in advance of your visit to Washington DC and is activated the moment you use it for the first time, after which you have 60 days access to the rest of the attractions and discounts. From then on you will have 60 days to access the rest of the attractions and discounts on the list.
You can also make advance reservations for the Washington attractions and museums included in the pass, so not only will you save time by not waiting in long lines to buy your ticket, but you will be able to arrive right at the time of your reservation.
Some attractions have their own opening hours and the pass grants you 24 hours access to the bus, which you can use from Monday to Sunday from 6am to 9pm.
If you manage to organise your transfers, you can save a lot of money getting between tour sites by using this service included in the pass.
What attractions are included in the Washington Sightseeing Pass?
There are several options available to you with the Washington Sightseeing Pass. Here are the options available to choose from with your Washington Sightseeing Pass.
Potomac River Cruise Tour
One of the best ways to discover Washington DC is from the river and this tour will give you a different perspective of the city.
Seeing Washington's best sights from the water will give you unforgettable panoramic views. This tour starts at the waterfront which is also a very busy part of the city, with shopping malls and the best food restaurants in Washington.
- Price... Outside of the Tourist Card this tour starts at 27 euros.
- Duration... The tour lasts approximately one hour and don't forget to validate your ticket at the ticket office.
- Timetable.... From Monday to Friday the tours start at six in the morning and on weekends the cruises depart until eleven at night.
National Mall and Capitol Hill Bicycle Tour
The National Mall is the main loop of the US capital. This tour also includes a tour of the Capitol Hill area with an expert local guide who will provide you with all the necessary information about the sites to be visited.
The tour also includes the monuments and war memorials of Washington DC This is the best way to get to know the heart of the city.
- Price... Outside the Tourist Card this tour starts at 40 euros including guide.
- Duration... The tour lasts approximately three hours.
- Schedule.... Every day from 10am.
Entrance to the International Spy Museum
Washington DC during the Cold War was the site of all kinds of conspiracy theories about espionage. The proximity of the Pentagon and the White House and their secrets attracted the attention of spies.
On this tour you can get into the life of a double agent, decipher codes, change your name and much more. It is considered one of the best museums in the city.
- Price... Apart from the tourist card, this tour starts at 25 euros for adults and 15 euros for children.
- Duration... The tour of the museum lasts approximately two hours and admission must be validated at the ticket office.
- Opening hours... In spring and summer the museum is open from nine in the morning until seven in the evening. In autumn and winter the museum is open from ten in the morning until six in the evening.
Mount Vernon and George Washington House Cruise Tour
This tour is to Mount Vernon and George Washington's home, but also includes a pleasant and relaxing tour on the Spirit Cruise.
The Sightseeing Pass entitles you to use this service which also includes a three hour tour of the mansion and its surroundings.
- Price... Outside of the Sightseeing Pass, this tour starts at 44 euros including guide. The cruise offers a buffet service at an extra cost.
- Duration... The tour lasts between three and four hours.
- Timetable.... Depends on the time of year, so it is advisable to consult the official website before opting for this option.
Other attractions included in the Washington Sightseeing Pass
- Bicycle tour of Monuments and Memorials
- Full-day, self-guidedbike rental for self-guided tour
- Bus tour to Mount Vernon and George Washington's House
- Hop on-hop offsightseeing bus tour of the city
- Interactive scavenger hunt tour of Washington DC
When should I buy the Washington Sightseeing Pass?
The sooner you buy your sightseeing pass the sooner you can start planning your trip and you can do so up to a year before activation.
Remember that once you choose which of the options best suits your tour, you can book the attractions you prefer in advance and save time not only by avoiding the queues to buy your ticket but also by arriving at the right time.
This card is very convenient for those who have a short stay in the city and need to squeeze in time.
The Washington Sightseeing Pass is the best option for your trip if you intend to visit only a few major sites in the city, so the sooner you make sure that the attractions you choose are available, the better your experience will be. This sightseeing pass grants you entry to the most visited attractions in the US capital.
Tips on how to get the most out of the Washington Sightseeing Pass?
If you are someone who prefers to make the most of your time in the city and visit as many places as possible, I recommend that you organise your itinerary, and if you buy the four-attraction pass try to use it in close proximity to each other.
With the tourist pass you will be able to save on excursions that you would have decided to book anyway and also save time to do other activities in Washington, which offers thousands of alternatives.
Here you will also find information about the tours that you can do in Washington to get to know the city in depth and that will give you ideas about the different suggested tours.
I also recommend that before buying the Washington Sightseeing Pass you decide which are the places of your interest and based on that choose the option that best matches your travel plan, as the number of days you spend in the city will influence the number of excursions you can visit.
Finally, if you're interested in seeing the monuments and buildings on the National Mall, you can opt for one of the best guided bike tours and then take the bus to see the more out-of-the-way places in Washington DC.
Other city sightseeing passes
You can also buy the Sightseeing Day Pass, which has the same list of attractions available but in a different format.
With this card you are not buying a pass for a specific number of tours (one, two or four) but you are buying a pass for one, two or three days and during that time you can access as many attractions as you want.
The Sightseeing Day Pass can be purchased up to a year before activation and the chosen term will start to run from the first time you use it, so if, for example, a three-day pass is used for a first purchase on Monday it will expire at midnight on Wednesday.
This pass is also designed to allow visitors to skip the queues to get tickets and get discounts on their tours.
The Sightseeing Day Pass allows you to book tours and some of the attractions on offer, such as the Potomac River sightseeing cruise or the International Spy Museum, require the Sightseeing Day Pass holder to stop by the ticket office to validate tickets.
Day Pass prices start at 58 euros for one-day passes, 97 euros for two-day passes and 130 euros for three-day passes.