Washington DC: White House & Arlington Changing of Guard Private Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/34

Duration4h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · PT +1

PickupAt your hotel

Drive Past the White House, Then Stand Where Presidents Take the Oath

You're picked up from your hotel and driven through DC's main avenues with a licensed guide who customizes the route to your interests. You stop at the Capitol's westside steps, the WWII and Lincoln memorials, and the Vietnam and Korean War memorials along the National Mall. Then you cross into Arlington Cemetery for either the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or the Marine Corps War Memorial, depending on what you choose. The whole day is flexible—your guide adapts the pace and stops to what matters to you, and you're back at your hotel when you're done.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private Washington DC historic tour

Meet tour guide at Lafayette Square
Stroll Lafayette Square near White House
Learn White House neighborhood history
Walk along 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Drive narrative tour on Pennsylvania Avenue
Pass City Hall and landmarks
Walk Westside of U.S. Capitol façade
View Washington Obelisk and National Mall
Drive through Smithsonian Museums area
Stop at National World War II Memorial
Visit Lincoln Memorial
Visit Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Visit Korean War Veterans Memorial
Visit Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Cross Memorial Bridge to Arlington Cemetery
Walk Arlington Cemetery grounds
Experience Changing of the Guard ceremony
Visit US Marine Corps War Memorial
Visit U.S. Air Force Memorial and Pentagon view

The Experience

Driving through Washington DC on this private tour means moving through the city the way locals do—past the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, then down toward the Capitol where you'll step out on the westside façade and look back across the National Mall. Your licensed guide picks you up from your hotel in the DC metro area and shapes the route around what matters most to you. The flexibility is real: you choose which memorials to linger at, which to pass through the window, and whether you want the full 90-minute walk through Arlington Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or the shorter stop at the Marine Corps War Memorial instead.

The drive itself is the narrative. You'll pass the FBI Building, the Archives, Navy Memorial Plaza, and the Smithsonian museums as your guide points out the architecture and the history layered into each block. Then you stop—at the Capitol steps, at the WWII Memorial with its ring of columns and bronze cord, at the Lincoln Memorial where you can see the reflecting pool and the Washington Monument in the distance. The Korean War Veterans Memorial shows 19 stainless-steel soldiers frozen mid-walk. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial each get their own moment. Nothing feels rushed because the schedule is yours to set.

Arlington Cemetery is the anchor. After crossing the Potomac on Memorial Bridge, you walk through the grounds toward the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the Changing of the Guard ceremony happens with a precision that makes the moment land harder than photographs suggest. If the walk isn't right for you, the Marine Corps War Memorial—the bronze sculpture of six marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi—is a 15-minute alternative that still puts you in front of one of the most recognized images from World War II. Either way, you're standing in front of something that matters, with someone who knows the story.

The vehicle is a panoramic minibus, which means you see out. Bottled water, WiFi, and mobile charging are on board. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so you don't navigate the metro or hunt for parking. The guide is licensed by DC and stays with you at each site unless parking forces a change. Bring nothing to eat or drink inside the vehicle—that's the one hard rule. Infants and small children can ride in a stroller, and the tour works for all fitness levels, though the Arlington walk is the longest single stretch and there's no wheelchair accessibility on the bus itself.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off within the DC metro area, a licensed tour guide escorting you to all sites, bottled water, WiFi on board, and mobile charging stations.
Customization is built in—you tell your guide which memorials and stops matter most, and they shape the route to fit your interests and time.
The minibus is panoramic, so you see the city as you drive through Pennsylvania Avenue, past the Capitol, and across the Potomac into Arlington.
All memorial sites are free to enter; you'll need a valid ID for Arlington Cemetery.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendly

Operated by Journal Tour & Travels, LLC

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want DC's major sites without arranging transport, timing, or entry logistics themselves—the guide handles the route and the guide handles the stops, which is what lets you actually absorb each place instead of managing logistics.