See the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the war memorials lit up after dark, on
a guided trolley, bus, bike or walk with time on foot at the memorials and free cancellation.
4.6 from 1,622 reviewsMonuments by Moonlight, the most-booked night tour here
Open 24 hoursThe National Mall memorials never close and cost nothing to enter
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before on every night tour
Time on footEach tour says how long you get out at the memorials
Night tours
Choose your night on the Mall
In the centre, the Monuments by Moonlight trolley with two 30-minute stops on foot. On the left, a
guided sunset walk for $39; on the right, a 12-seat van that stops at most of the memorials.
Walk the west end of the Mall with a guide as the lights come on: Einstein, Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean War, MLK and the World War II Memorial, ending at the floodlit Washington Monument.
What's included
Expert local guide
Einstein, Vietnam, Lincoln and Korean War memorials
The classic DC night tour: a guided trolley through the lit city with two 30-minute stops on foot, at the MLK and FDR memorials and at the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean War memorials.
What's included
Guided trolley tour with live commentary
30-minute stop at the MLK and FDR memorials
30-minute stop at the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean War memorials
Views of the White House, Capitol and Jefferson Memorial
A guide and a 12-passenger van take you round the lit Capitol, White House and memorials, stopping at most of them so you can walk in, with water, maps and phone chargers on board.
What's included
Professional guide and climate-controlled 12-seat van
Stops at Lincoln, Jefferson, WWII, Vietnam and Korean War
Three things sort most of it: how you want to move (walk, ride or pedal), how long you want on foot at
the memorials, and how many people you want around you.
Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before. Each tour page gives the meeting point,
the route and how long you spend on foot at the memorials.
After dark
The memorials never close.
The National Park Service keeps the memorials of the National Mall open 24 hours a day, every day, and charges
nothing to walk in. After sunset the floodlights come on: Lincoln glows inside his marble chamber, the Washington
Monument stands white against the sky, and the Reflecting Pool holds both.
Park rangers are on duty at the memorials from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The crowds of the day thin out, the summer
heat drops, and the stops are quieter than at noon. The Washington Monument itself is the one exception: you
can look up at it all night, but the elevator to the top runs only by day.
24 h
The memorials of the National Mall are open around the clock.
Lincoln MemorialReflecting PoolTidal BasinWar memorials
The Lincoln Memorial chamber after dark.
01
$0 to enter
No ticket for the memorials on the Mall, day or night.
02
10 p.m.
Rangers are on duty at the memorials until then.
03
2 miles
About the length of the Mall, Capitol to Lincoln.
04
555 feet
The floodlit Washington Monument, the tallest thing in DC.
Your evening
A night on the Mall, step by step
How the Monuments by Moonlight trolley runs. Other tours change the order, not the highlights.
01
Board at dusk
Meet the trolley at your departure point; the guide starts the stories as the city lights come on.
Start of the tour
02
The lit city
Ride past the Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian Castle and the Jefferson Memorial.
On board
03
MLK and FDR
Thirty minutes on foot by the Tidal Basin, at the Stone of Hope and the FDR waterfalls.
30 minutes
04
Lincoln at night
Climb the steps to Lincoln, then walk to the Vietnam wall and the Korean War statues.
In spring, cherry trees ring the Tidal Basin by the Jefferson and MLK memorials.
TrolleyFrom $59.95Monuments by Moonlight, 2.5 hours.
On footFrom $39A guided sunset walk, 2 hours.
Small groupFrom $99A 12-seat van, 3 hours.
By bikeFrom $65About 4 easy miles, 3 hours.
RiverFrom $35A 45-minute sunset cruise.
CancellationFreeUp to 24 hours before, every tour.
Getting there
The National Mall, after dark
From the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial
The Mall runs about 2 miles west from the foot of Capitol Hill to the Lincoln Memorial.
Every night tour here starts downtown or by the Mall and brings you back; each tour page names the meeting point.
On your own, Smithsonian Metro station sits on the Mall itself, and the National Park Service notes that every
station is at least a mile from the Lincoln Memorial.
4.6★★★★★ 1,622 reviews · Monuments by Moonlight, our most-booked tour Quotes below come from several tours
★★★★★
Our tour was fantastic. [...] Maggie was amazing - very informative and spoke passionately about the history of the monuments and sites. It was great watching the city turn to dusk and seeing the sites lit up in their full glory.
★★★★★
Nice to be able to sit down and ride around after touring DC on foot all day. The trolley makes three stops where you can get off and walk around and take pictures. [...] Tour guide was excellent.
★★★★★
Highly recommend! Not to be missed! Our guide, Derek, was outstanding!! [...] Derek gave us plenty of opportunities to take photos without feeling rushed. Washington D.C. is beautiful at night!
★★★★★
The guide was knowledgeable and shared details and fun facts that I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for this tour. [...] The city is flat, and the ride is super relaxed. I recommend it!
★★★★★
Our tour guide, Steve, and driver, Dean, were outstanding. The small group size was perfect, and the guide was extremely knowledgeable about the DC area and its history.
★★★★★
His wealth of knowledge of history and the area was well worth our journey. He and his driver made us feel safe and cared for while touring - making sure we had water and that we all made it back on the bus.
From the river
The memorials from the Potomac
Before the night tour, see the Lincoln Memorial and the Kennedy Center from the water as the sun goes down.
A 45-minute narrated cruise from Georgetown's Washington Harbour past the Kennedy Center, the Watergate, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and Arlington Memorial Bridge as the sun goes down, with a bar and restrooms on board. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The memorials stay open all night, the lights do the rest. Here is what you will see, in what order, and how to get round them.
Why go at night
By day the National Mall is a long, bright walk between school groups. After sunset it changes. The memorials are
floodlit, the marble glows against a dark sky, and the Reflecting Pool turns into a mirror for the Washington
Monument. The National Park Service keeps every memorial on the Mall open 24 hours, free, with rangers on duty until
10 p.m., so a night visit is not a second-best option: for many people it is the better one.
Guests say it plainly. One called the sunset walk a chance to watch "the city turn to dusk" and see "the sites lit up
in their full glory". Monuments by Moonlight, the most-booked
night tour, holds 4.6 out of 5 from 1,622 reviews.
The Reflecting Pool after dark, looking east.
What you see, west to east
The big four of a night visit sit at the west end of the Mall. The Lincoln Memorial, with the seated statue lit
inside its colonnade. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a black granite wall a few minutes north. The Korean War
Veterans Memorial, where the steel soldiers seem to move through the bushes in the low light. And across the
Tidal Basin, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the FDR Memorial with its waterfalls and the domed
Jefferson Memorial reflected in the water. Between them, the World War II Memorial's fountains are lit too.
Short on time?The vintage car tour
covers the main memorials in 2 hours, with photo stops at each.
Walk, ride or pedal
The memorials are spread out: from the Lincoln Memorial round the Tidal Basin to Jefferson is a long loop on foot,
and the Capitol is about 2 miles east of Lincoln. That is why most night tours ride between the stops and walk at
them. The trolley gives you two 30-minute stops on foot, the
bike tour covers about 4 easy, flat miles, and the
sunset walk keeps to the west end, where the memorials sit
closest together.
Lamp-lit paths run the length of the Mall.
Safe, lit and busy
The memorials are lit, patrolled by the U.S. Park Police and rarely empty on a mild evening. The National Park
Service's own advice is simple: stay aware of your surroundings, keep to the paths, agree on a meeting point if your
group splits up and wear shoes with grip, as the stone can be slippery when wet. A guided tour keeps the group
together and gets you back downtown at the end. More in
is the National Mall safe at night.
Lamp posts and wide paths by the World War II Memorial.
Straight answers to what people ask most about the monuments at night and the tours.
Are the monuments in DC open at night?
Yes. The National Park Service keeps the memorials of the National Mall open 24 hours a day, and rangers are on duty from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Washington Monument is the exception: its elevator to the top runs by day only. More in are DC monuments open at night.
What are the best monuments to see at night in DC?
The Lincoln Memorial, lit inside its colonnade, comes first, with the Washington Monument over the Reflecting Pool. Then the Vietnam wall, the Korean War statues, the World War II fountains, and the MLK, FDR and Jefferson memorials around the Tidal Basin. See the best monuments at night.
Is there a night tour of the DC monuments?
Several. The best known is the Monuments by Moonlight trolley, 2.5 hours with two 30-minute stops on foot. There are also night buses, a small-group van, a bike tour, e-carts, a vintage car and a guided sunset walk, all compared on this page.
Is the Monuments by Moonlight tour worth it?
Guests rate it 4.6 out of 5 from 1,622 reviews. It suits a first night: a live guide, the lit city from the trolley and time on foot at Lincoln, the war memorials, MLK and FDR. If you want longer at each memorial, our comparison sets it against the other night tours.
Is it safe to walk around the DC monuments at night?
The memorials are lit, the U.S. Park Police patrol the Mall, and on a mild evening there are people about. Use the normal city sense the National Park Service asks for: stay aware, keep to lit paths, stay with your group and agree a meeting point. In an emergency call 911 or the Park Police on 202-610-7500.
Do you need tickets for the monuments in DC?
Not for the memorials on the Mall: they are free and need no ticket. The Washington Monument needs a timed ticket to go up (free at the window, or $1 per ticket online at Recreation.gov), and Ford's Theatre also uses timed tickets.
Can you walk to all the monuments in DC?
Yes, if you have the legs for it. The Mall runs about 2 miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, and the Tidal Basin loop to Jefferson adds more. At night most people ride between the stops and walk at them. See our night walking route.
How long is the Monuments by Moonlight tour?
About 2.5 hours, with two 30-minute stops on foot: one at the MLK and FDR memorials, one at the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean War memorials. The listing says a stop at the World War II Memorial replaces the Iwo Jima stop while a bridge is closed.
What is the best way to tour the DC monuments?
At night with a guide who drives you between them: a trolley, bus, van, e-cart or vintage car does the miles, and you walk at the memorials. If you like to move, the night bike tour covers about 4 flat miles; the sunset walk keeps to the west end, where the memorials sit closest.
Can you still walk up the stairs in the Washington Monument?
No, visitors go up by elevator. The non-stop ride to the 500-foot observation level takes about 70 seconds; on the way down you use the stairs from 500 to the 490-foot level, then the elevator. The monument opens 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What else can I do in DC at night?
Dinner on the Georgetown waterfront or at The Wharf, a sunset cruise on the Potomac, the lit White House from the Ellipse, and Metro until about midnight (2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday) to get back. More in things to do in DC at night.
Are the monuments in DC free?
Yes. The National Park Service charges nothing to visit the memorials of the National Mall, day or night. The Smithsonian museums on the Mall are free too, though they close in the early evening.
Ready to book
The memorials are lit tonight.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every tour on this site.
Best rated
★ 4.82 hoursFree cancellation
