Old Town Trolley Tours of Washington DC

We availed of the Old Town Trolley Tours of Washington DC.  It was like a Hop-on, Hop off thing. Only you're riding a trolley. I think with the limited time we have, it was one of the best things we did. We chose the sights we wanted to see and visit then boarded the trolley.

How does the Washington DC Old Town Trolley Tour works?

The trolley route has three convenient and continuous color-coded loops.

     a. The National Mall and Downtown - Orange
     b. The National Cathedral, Uptown and Georgetown - Green
     c. The Arlington National Cemetery Shuttle - Red

Your boarding pass gives you a ticket to board any trolley, all day, on any of the three loops.
Start your tour at any of the 19 stops. Get on and off at any stop. As many times as you want.

Below are the points of interest in each stop.

Stop 1: Union Station
National Postal Museum

The first stop at the Union Station

Stop 2: US Capitol
US Capitol
Supreme Court
Library of Congress

The US Capitol

Stop 3: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Museum of the American Indian
Hirschhorn Gallery

Out-of-this-world experience at the Air and Space Museum.

Stop 4: Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
George Mason Memorial
Tidal Basin (paddle boats)

The dome-shaped monument of Thomas Jefferson.

Stop 5: FDR Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Stop 6: Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Korean War Memorial
World War 2 Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery

***This is also the boarding station for the shuttle to Arlington Cemetery

I wouldn't miss Abraham Lincoln.

Stop 7: Museum of American History

Museum of American History

Washington Monument

Standing tall is the Washington Monument

Stop 8: Museum of Natural History
Museum of Natural History
Old Post Office Pavilion and Bell Tower

The charm of the Old Post Office Building

Stop 9: Washington Welcome Center

Ford's Theater
Petersen House
International Spy Museum

***The Welcome Center also serves as the transfer point to the National Cathedral, Uptown and Georgetown Loop Tour

Ford's Theater is where Abe Lincoln was shot.

Stop 10: White House Visitor Center
White House Visitor center
White House
National Aquarium

America's seat of power.

Stop 11: National Archives
National Archives
National Gallery of Art East and West Buildings
Marian Koshland Science Museum

US Navy Memorial

The facade of the National Archives

Stop 12: Dupont Circle

Woodrow Wilson House

Dupont Circle Shopping and Dining Neighborhood

Art Gallery

Auguste Rodin at the National Gallery of Art

Stop 13: Woodley Park

Woodley Park Shopping and Dining Neighborhood

Adams Morgan Shopping and Dining Neighborhood

National Zoo

The cute panda at the National Zoo.

Stop 14: National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral

Gothic facade of the National Cathedral

Stop 15: Georgetown

Georgetown shopping and dining neighborhood 

Old Stone House

Seemed like the old times at Georgetown

Stop 16: Stephen Decatur HouseStephen Decatur House
Lafayette Park
White House Grounds
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Octagon House
Renwick Gallery
Corcoran Gallery

SOME NOTES:

1. We were able to save on transportation expenses because we easily transferred from one loop to another.

2. The transfer point for the Red Loop - Arlington Cemetery shuttle is at Stop Number 6 - The Lincoln Memorial Stop.

3. The transfer point between Orange and Green Loop is at Stop Number 10 - Washington Welcome Center Stop.

4.  We stayed at Harrington Hotel, a good choice I must say. It's within walking distance to the Washington Welcome Center (Stop 10).

5.  Tours begin at 9 a.m. And run until the last reboarding at 5:30 p.m.

6.  The best way to do the tour is to decide on which sites to visit. I must tell you that you can't visit everything in a single day. Having priority sights would make your tour more efficient and more enjoyable. It's also a good idea to take the trolley from beginning to end without getting off, this way, you get to have a complete overview of the city first.

7.  Museum visits can take several hours while monuments and memorials can usually be enjoyed in a span of an hour or less. Trolleys will arrive at each stop approximately every 30 minutes. There were instances wherein a trolley arrives and there's no room for additional passengers. In this case, you will need to wait for the next trolley. In our experience, we waited longer than we expected in the Woodley Park Stop (we came from the National Zoo) because there was a sudden road closure.