Experience your own private tour of Washington, DC, with a friendly personal guide from ToursByLocals. Your professional guide is a local who knows Washington as only locals do, and is pleased to give you a unique private tour, based on your own interests.

Discover fascinating places on America's "Main Street" — Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Capitol and the White House. Your personal guide walks you through a private tour of this National Historic Park, from the Navy Memorial to Lafayette Square. Explore local places that have played a national role in ceremonies and historic events, including the recent Inauguration of President Obama. There's no better way to experience the real Washington, DC, than a private walking tour of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Choose from the Washington DC tours offered by ToursByLocals, and feel free to suggest alternative places and activities. Your private tour can be customized by your personal guide to include exactly what you want to see and do in Washin

Washington-DC

DC in a Heartbeat - Half-Day Private Tour

Laid out along two miles between the US Capitol and the Potomac river is nothing less than the cultural and political axis of DC and the United States. In addition to being a grand public open space, the National Mall has become an incredible stage for expressing America's democratic ideals and heritage.

Take a journey with a DC area native through the heart of "America's Front Yard" with historical stories, tidbits, and hidden secrets about the major players and events in DC and American history that have earned memorials and monuments on the Mall. It is an exciting experience you will never forget and will keep your heart beating in awe of the capital city of the United States.

America's 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The Korean War Veterans' Memorial to those who served in the "Forgotten War"

The White House (AKA: The President's Home, The President's Palace, and The Executive Mansion)

The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, simply known as "The Wall"

DC's tallest structure, the Washington Monument

The memorial to Civil Rights Icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Jefferson Memorial during Cherry Blossom season

The National World War II Memorial to the "Greatest Generation"

Explore the National Mall with a Private Guide

Architecture Lover's Tour - 8 hours tour (up to 6 people)

Amazing what architects can do with swampland.
I
n 1791, George Washington handpicked Pierre L'Enfant to lay out a plan for the capital city, which was once marshy and muddy. The Frenchman was fired a year later for his stubborn ways, yet despite this his blueprints stayed.

Today, the numbered and lettered streets contain some design standouts that L'Enfant never imagined: namely Modernist, Gothic, Renaissance and Second Empire styles mixed in among the predominant neoclassical design.

L'Enfant's legacy and findings of Mr. Wright

Meeting at the foot of Dupont Circle. The Dupont Circle Fountain, a memorial to Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont Memorial Fountain, a prominent American naval officer was designed by Henry Bacon and sculpted by Daniel Chester French, both of whom collaborated on the Lincoln Memorial. The fountain was dedicated in 1921. This stroll along Massachusetts Avenue through the heart of the historic Dupont Circle neighborhood, pass many of Washington's 170 embassies and consulates. In the grand Victorian Beaux Arts mansions built by the robber barons of the Gilded Age to the modern green environment designs.

On this two hour walking tour you will see the mansions of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Washington Socialite and daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, and the Patterson Mansion, once owned by socialite and newspaper publisher Eleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson, another socialite whose home was the venue of choice for Washington's elite for over a century. Museums on the route include Heurich House and the And

The Islamic Center of Washington DC was conceived in 1944 when the Turkish ambassador Münir Ertegün died without a mosque to host his funeral.

A meeting place from the Robber Barons of Guilded Age to the Hippies of the 1960s

Dupont Circle and Embassy Row Tour

Washington Highlights Private Tour with Car Service

Driving tour of the major memorials and sights.

We'll meet near the Lincoln Memorial and visit the Korean Veterans, Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials. We'll walk past the reflecting pool and to the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument.

From here we'll walk to the White House stopping at both sides. Optional lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill (not included in the price).

Depending on the energy of the group, we may also visit the FDR and newly opened Martin Luther King memorials.

See the most popular sights

Washington DC has been the home of many famous, elegant personalities. The different homes demonstrate the life styles of different time periods and the opportunity to see outstanding art collections. There are several possible places we could visit:
•From the Colonial period, Tutor Place, home of Martha Washington's granddaughter,
•From the Gilded Age, The Anderson House, home of Lars Anderson and the Society of the Cincinnati
•From the Gilded Age, the Brewmaster's Castle, the home of Christian Heurich the famous brewer
•From the glamour of the 20th century, Hillwood, the home of Marjory Meriwether Post and her magnificent Tiffany Egg collection
•From the late 20th century, The Kreeger, home of David Lloyd Kreeger, former CEO of GEICO and his magnificent art collection including numerous Monet paintings

Our tour will be tailored to your interests and timing and the availability of each home. In many of the homes, a docent will provide the tour.

Alexandria tours

Explore with 5 tours and 4 guides.

Christian M.

$ 300 (USD)

Michael Z.

$ 1,280 (USD)

Bill

$ 250 (USD)

Ellen M.

$ 900 (USD)

Ellen M.

$ 480 (USD)

Meet your local guides in Alexandria

Customize your tour