DC - hop on/hop off bus tours?

[azazela]

We are going to be in DC for a few days next week with a 7 year old and a 4 year old. My four year old is averse to walking long distances and I am thinking it will probably be pretty hot in DC in mid-July. I want the kids to see the monuments but I think walking around to see them will be too much of a trek. Has anyone done one of the hop on/hop off tour busses/trolleys? Are they worth it? Is there a company you'd recommend over others? There seem to be a few different ones. Thanks!

[KrisM]

I have no recommendations of one. But, my parents were there in early May and completely regret not doing the hop on/off trolley tours. They are in generally good shape, but were exhausted from walking between things. I'd find one for sure!

[mom2binsd]

And depending on the weather and where you live, the humidity in DC can be brutal.

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[MrsZaz]

We did the hop on/hop off during spring break. I am 'iffy' on it now compared to a few years ago when we did it. We waited a long time for some of the buses. Not sure whether they had their full fleet of buses running but we waited 40 minutes once for a bus to come by. If there is a chance for rain - don't do it. Unless of course you are willing to sit on the top in the rain. The downstairs of the bus was wet (water coming in from up top) which made the seats wet (saturated). The windows get so fogged up you can see out. Needless to say we were disappointed with the hop on/hop off this year. A few years ago we went in April and had a blast - but the buses were less busy.

Colleen

[azazela]

We did the hop on/hop off during spring break. I am 'iffy' on it now compared to a few years ago when we did it. We waited a long time for some of the buses. Not sure whether they had their full fleet of buses running but we waited 40 minutes once for a bus to come by. If there is a chance for rain - don't do it. Unless of course you are willing to sit on the top in the rain. The downstairs of the bus was wet (water coming in from up top) which made the seats wet (saturated). The windows get so fogged up you can see out. Needless to say we were disappointed with the hop on/hop off this year. A few years ago we went in April and had a blast - but the buses were less busy.

Colleen

Thanks for your reply! What company did you use? I'm thinking about doing the Old Trolley tours. I do think that in July they'll all be overcrowded...

[egoldber]

The good news is it isn't supposed to be that hot next week and low chance of rain. It will still be humid, but not quite as wretched.

[SummerBaby]

We did one in April break (the name of the bus company escapes me- it was a red open top bus). For is it was a huge disappointment and waste of money. The traffic was so bad the day we did it that we spent most of the afternoon just stopped in traffic. This also made for long waits to be picked up. We got off at Arlington National Cemetery. We waited an hour to be picked up, only to be smashed in the lower level like sardines. Then it took us an hour to get back into DC- just stopped in traffic. We actually only got on and off twice all day- at the mall and Arlington and it sucked four hours out of our day. It would have been much faster to walk or just keep getting on and off the metro. I would never do it again during a crowded time.

[azazela]

We did one in April break (the name of the bus company escapes me- it was a red open top bus). For is it was a huge disappointment and waste of money. The traffic was so bad the day we did it that we spent most of the afternoon just stopped in traffic. This also made for long waits to be picked up. We got off at Arlington National Cemetery. We waited an hour to be picked up, only to be smashed in the lower level like sardines. Then it took us an hour to get back into DC- just stopped in traffic. We actually only got on and off twice all day- at the mall and Arlington and it sucked four hours out of our day. It would have been much faster to walk or just keep getting on and off the metro. I would never do it again during a crowded time.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was afraid of... I won't buy tickets in advance and see how things go.

[lyt202]

I would look into the DC Circulator buses. They are $1 per ride and run to the major tourist locations. You won't get the narration but will get out of the humidity. There are only a few routes and the buses are nice and well air conditioned.