Monuments and Memorials bike tour review
My verdict: this is the best-rated of the six tours on the Mall, and the rating is earned rather than lucky — the sample behind it is large enough to mean something. Three hours, about four miles of flat ground, a Cannondale comfort bike, a helmet, hotel pickup and drop-off, and gratuities already covered, so nothing is added at the end. Four miles is also roughly the honest length of a full west-loop day on foot, which is the point: you cover a whole day’s walking in a morning. It is the wrong tour if you are pregnant, because the operator says plainly that it is not suitable, and wrong if you would rather be carried than pedal, in which case read the electric cart review. It is also wrong for anyone who wants long stops, because a bike tour keeps moving by design.
What three hours on a bike buys you
The Mall is 1.9 miles end to end, but a realistic day that takes in the Tidal Basin memorials is closer to four miles, and I have walked that loop enough times to know where it stops being fun. This tour covers about four flat miles in three hours with a guide, which is the same ground in a third of the time and with none of the argument about whether to skip the FDR Memorial because your feet hurt. If you want the numbers behind that, they are on how long it takes to walk the National Mall.
Flat is the operative word. There is no hill on the Mall worth the name, and the paths along the Reflecting Pool and around the Tidal Basin are made for this. The bike, helmet and tips are in the price; hotel pickup and drop-off are too, which quietly removes the other transport problem the Mall creates. It meets at 701 D Street NW.
What it does not include is the obelisk. If going up the Washington Monument matters to you, that is a separate ticket and a separate tour — see Washington Monument tickets for how the 10 a.m. release works.
What works
- Highest rated of the six tours on the Mall
- About four flat miles, which is a whole walking day compressed
- Bike, helmet and gratuities all included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Three hours with a guide, so context as well as ground covered
Worth knowing
- Not suitable for pregnant women, per the operator
- You are riding in a city, not on a closed course
- No Washington Monument ticket included
- Keeps moving — not the tour for long stops
- The dearest of the six at $65
What riders say
Kit quality comes up first, which is not always true of bike tours. Jane (New Zealand) wrote: “Our bikes were of a high standard. Our guide Greg was awesome, very knowledgeable and accommodating.” Kat (US) said “Marcus is the best guide ever. A great storyteller, good at checking the group,” and that second half is the detail I would look for in a guide leading strangers through traffic.
Romana (Austria) had “a fantastic tour with Joe.” Julie (UK) summed up the audience: “As an American History fangirl I loved it.” Kristin (US) summed up the rest of it: “Perfect way to see the monuments, burn off last night’s dinner, with a knowledgeable guide.”
Take the earliest departure you can in summer. There is very little shade on the grass panels in the middle of the Mall — the elm rows along the sides are where the shade is, and you will be glad of a start before the heat settles in.
Who should skip it
Pregnant riders, because the operator excludes them and that is not a judgement call for me to soften. Anyone who has not been on a bike in years and does not fancy a city street as the place to find out. Anyone whose Mall day is really a museum day, since eleven Smithsonian museums line the Mall and they are all free — see the free museums. And anyone who wants to sit still, which is what the trolley on the moonlight review page is for.
Other tours worth a look
Most bookedDC Monuments & History Electric Cart Tour – Day/Night
Cheapest guidedWashington DC: National Mall Walking Tour
Goes up the obeliskMonument ticket includedDC: Washington Monument Ticket & National Mall Memorial Tour
Frequently asked questions
Is the DC monuments bike tour hard?
About four miles over three hours on flat ground, with a guide setting the pace and stops along the way, so it is closer to a long stroll than a workout. The comparison with walking the same ground is on how long the walk takes.
Is the bike tour suitable for pregnant women?
No. The operator states it is not suitable for pregnant women. If you want the same ground without pedalling, the electric cart tour covers the memorials sitting down, and the bike tours page explains the category.
Does the bike tour include hotel pickup?
Yes, pickup and drop-off are both included, along with the bike, the helmet and gratuities. That solves the problem Metro leaves you with, since the trains serve the edges of the Mall rather than the middle.
Why is the bike tour rated higher than the other National Mall tours?
At 4.8 from 419 reviews it has the best score of the six, and the reviews credit the bikes and the guides in roughly equal measure. It is also self-selecting: people who book a bike tour want to ride, so nobody arrives disappointed about the pedalling.