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Washington DC: Potomac River Lunch Cruise & Buffet

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/11

Duration2h

GroupUp to 19

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Lunch on the Water: Washington Monument Views Without Leaving Your Seat

You board 45 minutes early, find your seat, and spend two hours cruising the Potomac with a lunch buffet, unlimited tea and coffee, and DJ music playing. The Washington Monument, Old Town Alexandria, and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge pass by as you eat. You're back on land by the time the afternoon gets too hot, and you've seen the main sights without navigating a single museum line.

Step-by-step itinerary

Board the cruise ship
Enjoy 2-hour Potomac River cruise
View Washington Monument
Pass Reagan National Airport
Cruise by Alexandria, Virginia
See Torpedo Factory and Admiral's Row
Cruise under Woodrow Wilson Bridge
View US Naval Research Lab
Enjoy lunch buffet and drinks
Listen to onboard DJ music

The Experience

Most people see the Washington Monument from the National Mall, standing in the heat with a thousand other tourists. On a City Cruises lunch cruise down the Potomac River, you're floating past it instead — the 555-foot stone monument rising up while you're halfway through the buffet, coffee in hand, no crowds between you and the water. The whole thing takes two hours, and the boat leaves from the dock with enough time to see Old Town Alexandria, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and the Naval Research Lab slip by as you eat.

The buffet isn't fancy, but it's real — fresh entrees, salads, a dessert table, and unlimited coffee and iced tea while a DJ plays music in the background. Boarding starts 45 minutes before departure, which matters because the boat doesn't wait for stragglers; you need to be there early. The ship uses cabaret-style seating, so you might end up at a table with other groups, though if your party books together they'll keep you seated as one. The dress code is casual — khakis, jeans, a button-up shirt, nothing formal.

What you actually get is the view. The Washington Monument from the water looks different than it does from the ground, and you see it without planning an itinerary or fighting for a spot on the National Mall. Reagan National Airport sits right on the river too — one flight every 30 seconds during peak hours, so you'll see planes coming in while you're eating. Alexandria, first settled by Scottish and English tobacco merchants in the 1600s, lines the far bank. It's the kind of afternoon that works when you want to see the city but don't want to spend it walking.

What’s included

Two-hour lunch cruise on the Potomac River.
buffet with entrees, salads, and desserts.
unlimited coffee, hot tea, and iced tea.
onboard DJ entertainment.
tax and fees.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by City Cruises

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see Washington DC's main sights — the Washington Monument, Old Town Alexandria, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge — without planning stops or walking between them. The fixed two-hour route and included lunch mean you're not arranging transport, timing, or where to eat; you just board and float past everything.