Lincoln Assassination Walking Tour: Washington DC's Last Day

Follow Lincoln's last day through the streets where a conspiracy unfolded

This 2-hour guided walking tour traces Abraham Lincoln's final hours through Washington DC, starting at St. John's Church and moving through Lafayette Square, the White House, and ending at Ford's Theatre and Petersen House. A licensed guide narrates the minute-by-minute events of April 14, 1865: the three attacks planned that night, the conspirators involved, and the places where the assassination and its aftermath took place. The tour walks past buildings only. It does not enter any of them.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each8 stops

1. St. John’s Church5m
2. Lafayette Square10m
3. The White House10m
4. United States Treasury Buildingpassing by
5. National Theatre10m
6. Old Post Office Pavilion5m
7. Ford's Theatre15m
8. Petersen House10m

Explore Lincoln's last day sites in DC

• Start at St. John’s Church overview
• Introduction at Lafayette Square
• Discuss Lincoln’s final speech at White House
• Walk past US Treasury Building
• Visit National Theatre site
• See Kirkwood House Hotel location
• Walk through downtown Washington DC
• View Ford’s Theatre exterior
• Visit Petersen House site
• Learn about Booth’s escape alley

The experience

The tour begins at St. John's Church, nicknamed the Church of the Presidents, where your guide sets the scene of Washington DC in the 1860s and the events leading up to that fateful night. From there you move to Lafayette Square, where the historic row houses surrounding the park become the backdrop for introducing the key players in the conspiracy. The route then takes you past the White House, where Lincoln gave his final speech in the presence of John Wilkes Booth himself, and past the US Treasury Building, which served as the temporary White House after the assassination.

As the tour continues, you'll walk past the National Theatre, where Booth stopped that day and where Lincoln's young son Tad was watching a play when he learned of his father's death. The Old Post Office Pavilion marks the location of the Kirkwood House Hotel, where Vice President Andrew Johnson stayed and where conspirator George Azerodt had been assigned to carry out an attack. You'll walk through downtown Washington DC following the routes of Presidential Inaugural Parades and the paths Civil War residents took through the city.

The tour culminates at Ford's Theatre, the restored Civil War-era theater where Booth fired the fatal shot, and at Petersen House, the small boarding house where Lincoln was carried after being shot. Your guide explains how Secretary of War Edwin Stanton interviewed witnesses there that night, how Robert Todd Lincoln stayed by his father's side, and the somber procession the next morning when the President's body was taken back to the White House. The alley behind Ford's Theatre, through which Booth escaped, remains open to the public if you want to explore it further after the tour ends.

What’s included

• A professional, licensed tour guide leading the 2-hour walking tour.
• historic photographs to view at the sites and to help illustrate the characters and events of that night.

Options for this experience

2 options

A walking tour of the Lincoln assassinationGuide in English · 19:00

Private Lincoln AssassinationGuide in English · 12 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 20:00Private option: the same tour, with only your group and the guide. Adjustments and customization are available on request.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 2h, runs every day, 12 start times, from US$ 49 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 15 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day12 departure times: 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Youth (5 to 15 years) · Child (under 5): free

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by DC by Foot

Is this one for you?Choose the private option if you want the story told at your own pace and the flexibility to linger at any site. The group tour keeps the cost lower and moves at a steady clip through all eight stops in two hours. Either way, you're walking the actual streets and standing in front of the real places where the conspiracy unfolded: no buildings entered, no separate tickets needed except for Ford's Theatre if you want to go inside.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (5 to 15 years); Child (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly happened on the night of Lincoln's assassination?

Three attacks were planned for April 14, 1865: one on Lincoln at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth, one on Secretary of State Seward by co-conspirator Lewis Powell, and one on Vice President Andrew Johnson by George Azerodt. The tour unfolds these events minute by minute, showing you the locations where each was planned or carried out.

Do we go inside Ford's Theatre or any of the other buildings?

No, the tour walks past all the buildings and sites but does not enter any of them. If you want to go inside Ford's Theatre, you'll need to purchase a separate ticket from the National Park Service.

Who was John Wilkes Booth and why did he target Lincoln?

Booth was an actor and Confederate sympathizer who was desperately trying to save the Confederate cause in the dying days of the Civil War. He was present at the White House when Lincoln gave his final speech, and he carried out the assassination at Ford's Theatre that same evening.

How long is the walking tour and what's the pace like?

The tour lasts 2 hours and is suitable for all physical fitness levels. It follows a walking route through downtown Washington DC, covering the sites and streets where the events of that night unfolded.

What will I see at Petersen House?

Petersen House is the small historic row house where Lincoln was taken after being shot. From the outside, you'll learn how doctors attended to him in a first-floor room, how Secretary of War Stanton interviewed witnesses there that night, and how Robert Todd Lincoln stayed by his father's side until his death early the next morning.