big bus tour dc reviews

Suggested companies

First abroad, friendship tours.

Big Bus Tours Washington DC   Reviews

In the Travel agent category

Visit this website

Company activity See all

Write a review

Reviews 1.1.

2,671 total

Most relevant

....the 'Big Bus' tour in Washington is TERRIBLE

....the 'Big Bus' tour in Washington, DC. Nothing they say is like it is. They say they have signs all over the place for pick up points. Never saw a sign when we were there. We were let off at the Vietnam Memorial (a designated stopping point) . When we went to board the bus again, the driver just pointed to the next stop and went on. We had to walk 1/2 mile to the next bus stop (marked for the Metro, no sign for Big Bus). They say the buses run 15-20 minutes apart. We waited over 45 minutes for a bus. When it stopped, the driver said he was due to be off and acted like he was doing a favor picking us up. We got two rides out of them. One from Arlington to the Vietnam memorial and from the WWII memorial to the drop off where we could walk to L'Enfant plaza to catch the Metro back to our hotel. We spent most of our time chasing buses on foot, as if we hadn't walked enough already. I rate Big Bus in Washington DC, NO stars and consider it to be a rip off by paying good money for very little promised service.

Date of experience : 04 April 2024

Purchased a 2 day pass

Purchased a 2 day pass. Observed the following: very old and ill repaired buses, such as leaking windows, mostly nonoperational headphone plug-in(s), dirty cracked seats and stained ceilings below, just to name a few. Also, noted an outdated U.S. history recording. Worse value for the price. Very disappointed!

Date of experience : 31 July 2021

Reply from Big Bus Tours Washington DC

Thank you for the review. We apologize for your experience.

Do not waste your money

Do not waste your money. Tour bus stopped at Lincoln memorial for 15 minutes and that’s it!!! We drove by Martin Luther King memorial and Black Lives Matter plaza and the audio recording never mentioned anything about them. We sat on the top and was continuously ducking to avoid being hit by tree limbs. Save your money or we e DC another way!!!

Date of experience : 18 July 2021

Terrible service

Terrible service, avoid Big Bus Tours Washington. Several buses never turned up after waiting hours at stops in freezing cold conditions. Calling the company only resulted in recorded messages and we never received a call back. There was no update or reason why the buses went missing and no apology. This company only wants your money and is very light on in providing an adequate service. You are better off using ride share services. This is not the only bad review, there is a clear pattern of complaints yet this organisation pays no attention to them. Avoid.

Date of experience : 26 January 2017

We are sorry to read you had a disappointing experience with us recently. So we may investigate your experience, can you please email us at [email protected] with more details? Can you please let us know when you rode with us, where you waited for the buses, and the time of day at each? Our frequency is currently every 30 minutes so you should have seen 2 buses per hour. We also do not stop our service without prior notice unless in the event of weather that is deemed unsafe for our guests and staff. We look forward to hearing from you.

Big Bus won’t refund

Due to an accident in front of the garage in Washington DC, caused that the bus service was suspended. The Supervisor said, that we with no problems could get our money back by making a request through the website. By now - more than 14 days after we send the application, The Big Bus Tours haven’t even made a reply !

Date of experience : 07 August 2019

Hey, Thank you for contacting Big Bus Tours of Washington, D.C. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced while touring with us. Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] so we can rectify any issue that you had while touring with us. Regards, Willis B

Handicap unfriendly, unresponsive

Would not allow collapsible (size of stroller) small wheeled seated walker on bus. Waited another half hour for promised alternate transportation only to be refused access again. Told to wait another half hour!! My wife, I, and my grandson wasted the day (our cost $1000/day for hotel, air, & food + $148 tickets) waiting for bus. Ended up hiring cab to get back to hotel. Tried to call seven times over 2 days with no live response. Emailed customer service no response. Very frustrating

Date of experience : 05 May 2017

Way too expensive and not very informative

It was way too expensive and very difficult to follow what was explained by the recorded guide. The landmarks were not pointed well enough, and what was explained was quite dull and superficial. On top of that, the headphones didn’t work on half of the seats at the top floor of the bus.

Date of experience : 21 July 2023

Rude Staff, Canceled Night Tour, Zero Stars

The a/c was out on the day trip, the gps was not working for select buses and they did not run on schedule, and the staff was ridiculously rude. The female attendant for the night trip decided to cancel the trip for a line full of remaining paid passenger with two empty buses remaining because she unilaterally determined she didn’t want to send a bus 2/3rds full. The staff were rude and confrontational. The phone line doesn’t even go anywhere, it is a conference line. Don’t waste your time, money, and energy on a company this poor - Please go to Old Town Trolley.

Date of experience : 17 July 2021

Worst customer service

I bought two 48 hour deluxe tours directly from their web site. But when our trip got postponed beyond the 6 month valid period they blew me off. No extension, no refund. Instead they said I bought the tickets through a third party and refused any further correspondence. I am going to eat the loss, but be very careful dealing with these people, especially with Jasmine Townsend.

Date of experience : 17 January 2017

I so wish I read the reviews before…

I so wish I read the reviews before purchasing tickets. I experienced many of the issues posted in the reviews. Half of the top deck is encased in glass with NO air conditioning or circulation. People were profusely sweating and miserable; baking in the sun. When someone asked the guide if the air conditioning could be turned on, he made a sarcastic comment about there being a huge open hole at the back of the bus that air escapes from. We were so miserable from the heat ( mind you, I live in south Florida) after the first stop, we did not get back on the bus and finish the tour. Save your money and go elsewhere.

Date of experience : 03 August 2019

Hello, Thank you for sharing a review. We're sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. I reached out to you via. email to solve your issue. Your comments have been forwarded to our management team. Please get back with us at your earliest convenience. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Regards, Willis B

Poor Customer Service

Bought tickets in advance, online. Was directed from bus to clerk in office. She had to use a Walkie Talkie to get a code to confirm my tickets. Process took 10-15 minutes. It would have been quicker to just buy them onsite. Once on the bus we were not given any directions. Guests around us told us about the headphones. We missed commentary on a couple of monuments. Neither organized nor focused on their customers.

Date of experience : 25 November 2016

We are sorry to read about the inconvenience, Kristina. Please know this is not normally the process and the fact the Ticket Agents had to get a code from the office may be attributed to the fact that your ticket was purchased online for the same day it was used, so the machine had not synced with the online system. We encounter this issue very seldom but our team is working to end these rare instances. Thank you for the feedback. Should you have any additional feedback please send it to us at [email protected].

Bug Buses, DC were so hot and not air conditioned. Sigh. Cassie was a great tour guide. She brought enthusiasm plus interesting history, museum tips and fascinating DC antidotes. Loved her...she was about the only nice component to this experience. She deserves an A+ and all the praise.

Good Afternoon, Thank you for choosing Big Bus Tours of Washington D.C., I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience due to the lack of Air Conditioning, but I'm the flipside I will forward this information directly to our Management Team so that Cassie can be acknowledged for her incredible review.

The concept is great, BUT

The concept is great, a bus that stops at every important display in DC. Unfortunately, a company that is thrilled to collect your money, but not willing to put any of it back into maintenance. The first bus had no AC working and the air suspension system was gone. So the chassis was setting on the frame and rode like a buck board. The driver had no idea what an air suspension was, so probably never reported it. So, the next bus we got on had no room up top and the AC was not working downstairs, so it was an oven (in May no less, wait until J J & A). Out of six deferent busses we got on, only one had the AC working. The old relicts they called busses were well past their time. Except for one, the drivers were rude and offensive.

Date of experience : 27 May 2023

Worst tour ever!!!!!!!!!!

Staff did not open the ticket location for hours after it was scheduled to open. No one told us where the headphones were on the bus so there was no "tour". 30 degrees outside and all the windows were open. Used 45 minutes of our 2 day tickets. Could not locate a phone number to call customer service. I emailed and shockingly got no response. Totally unacceptable experience!!!!

Date of experience : 01 January 2017

We are sorry to hear about the inconveniences you encountered, Christine. Can you please contact us so we may discuss your experience? We need to know which ticket location you visited and which bus you rode on the 18th of December so we may work to ensure this does not recur. As for our phone number; the number is on your printed ticket, the back of the brochure, our advertisements in all of the free city maps, the back of our buses, and on our website. Should you wish to discuss your experience further, you may email me directly at [email protected]. Thank you for choosing Big Bus Tours.

Terrible...Never Again!!!!

Terrible.... we vacationed in Boston first. Used Old Town Trolley Tours.... "the best" Finished up in DC with Big Bus Tours. Horrible experience. My motherinlaw who is 77 was walking up to the top deck. Driver closes door, I asked her to wait before leaving so my mother in law wouldn't fall, she said " She would do the driving" very rude. There was no narrator most of the time.... lower part of the bus was hot.. very hot.. Terrible experience... Will not use again anywhere. Definitely going back to Old Town Trolley Tours. Sorry Big Bus but your service sucks.

Date of experience : 25 August 2017

We are sorry you did not enjoy your recent Big Bus experience, Mike. Could you please email me at [email protected] with more information about your experience so our team may look into your experience and work to improve our service?

Don’t waste your money on this trip

Don’t waste your money on this trip. Use Old Town Trolley instead. For starters, we encountered the very rude and arrogant Ashley Pitt at Union Station. She refused to answer any of our questions - and it appeared to be because of our race. As for the advertised “lively” narration, there was none. Apparently, the narrator was absent for the day....so we did our own. The day was hot and there was no AC on the buses. Most patrons hopped off instead of on. Our first stop was Arlington; however, we were never told about the additional tour fee there. We reported this experience to our hotel and they said that they would contact Big Bus and not recommend the tour to any more guests until the service is improved. We also reported a scathing review on Trip Advisors as a warning to others!

Date of experience : 01 May 2018

Substandard, deceptive

On Tuesday we took the bus tour starting at L’Enfante. Your person selling tickets assured me after I asked, that I would get the same price as online. When my credit card was processed there was a significant increase in price. When I questioned this she told me to hurry and get on the bus. She lied to me about the difference in price. Also on board there was no sign warning about the tree branches. I did hear the warning on the recording after I was hit in the face by branches. Additionally there were no seat belts on top causing my wife to hold onto our granddaughter. We have taken many big bus tours and this is my first negative experience

Date of experience : 19 August 2021

Very long wait

On our very first stop it took the bus 45-50 minutes to arrive. It was difficult to talk to anyone when we called the number provided. We were not the only customers waiting either. Once we got on the bus, it was not organized and no information was provided about the sites. We have gone on a couple other tours and they are always informative and enjoyable. This was not the case this time. Very disappointed.

Date of experience : 15 January 2017

NY and Philly definitely WAY better than DC

Took the Big Bus in NY and Philly. Service was great and the staff were fun and professional. However, DC was POOR. The only positive comments include: great customer service by Gregory at the Union Station and nice evening tour with Sam (guide - extremely knowledgeable) and Gloria (driver - always smiling). Don't usually read comments but after scrolling through some, I could agree with them. First bus at Arlington is noted for 9:37am on the brochure. App shows 9:31am. We just missed it at 9:33am. First bus broke down but a replacement bus was there within 10 minutes. Definitely not clean buses in DC and without AC for sure.

Date of experience : 16 August 2019

Good Morning Anu, Thank you for choosing Big Bus Tours of Washington D.C. , I would like to apologize for the inconvenience you've endured while touring with us. I would like for you to contact us directly at [email protected] so that we can rectify the situation. Kind Regards, Marcale B

FAILED to deliver as promised

Purchased this tour because it INCLUDED the National Cathedral (green line). Stood @ stop 40 minutes. NO BUS. Called #, put on hold for 20 min. FINALLY, man on the phone said, "sorry, the green line stopped running last week...." - DESPITE my DIRECT questions on Nov 5 when I purchased the tickets. The Old Towne Trolley Co came by a few minutes later and GRACIOUSLY offered us a FREE ride to the Cathedral and we paid for a city bus/metro back. Buses were LATE, Commentary was poor/minimal/crude.

Date of experience : 21 November 2016

We apologize for the miscommunication, Nancy. Please email us at [email protected] with more details about your experience so we may look into it. We look forward to hearing from you so we can work to redeem ourselves.

Big Bus Tours

• See all photos

Big Bus DC: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus

Big Bus DC: Monuments and Memorials Sunset Tour by Open-top Bus

Best of DC: Big Bus 2-hr Day Tour & 2-hr Panoramic Sunset Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Big Bus Tours - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

Big Bus Tours

• See all photos

Big Bus DC: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus

Big Bus DC: Monuments and Memorials Sunset Tour by Open-top Bus

Best of DC: Big Bus 2-hr Day Tour & 2-hr Panoramic Sunset Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Big Bus Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Big Bus Washington DC

Review Highlights

“ I would recommend that they add on the night tour to pass the MLK memorial, it's beautiful at night!! ” in 80 reviews

“ We chose the red loop , and the tour was very good, but we were not warned of a 12-minute stop outside of spy museum. ” in 12 reviews

“ We purchased a day pass , my wife and I didn't make it before the last bus left at 4pm. ” in 19 reviews

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

Located in:

Union Station

50 Massachusettes Ave NE

Washington, DC 20001

Serving Washington, DC Area

You Might Also Consider

Caddie Tours

At Caddie Tours we realize vacations are a very important part of people's lives. Choosing the right vacation involves many factors and we know you often need advice to make the right vacation choice for you. We are Ireland… read more

Vineyard Voyages

Visit 3 wineries in a day with Vineyard Voyages! Luxury bus, top wineries, unbeatable prices! We make exploring wine country easy AND affordable. Special perks for our guests. More wine, less worry – that's Vineyard Voyages. Book… read more

in Wine Tours, Bus Tours

Elevated Tours

3.9 miles away from Big Bus Washington DC

DC's premier monument tour company and i-71 cannabis gifting storefront. Top notch service, products and experience will leave you feeling Elevated. - Award winning products according to multiple editorials - Exclusive merchandiser… read more

in Historical Tours

About the Business

Business owner information

Big Bus Tours is the leading operator of open-top, hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tours in the Washington DC. As the official concessioner of the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, Big Bus Tours provides you with the official sightseeing tour of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. We are committed to providing the perfect introduction to great cities through our excellence in service and innovation. …

Ask the Community

Ask a question

Yelp users haven’t asked any questions yet about Big Bus Washington DC .

Recommended Reviews

• 1 star rating Not good
• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
• 3 star rating OK
• 4 star rating Good
• 5 star rating Great

Select your rating

Overall rating

637 reviews

Ashley and Elaine were AMAZING!! It was pouring rain when we arrived for our tour. They were helpful, friendly and patient. They made the tour extremely enjoyable! They both went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed and made us laugh during a stressful situation.

We had a very poor experience with the Big Bus Tour. First, we got on, and the lower portion of the bus is completely unheated. It was a chilly day, and the reason for booking a bus tour, as opposed to walking, is so that we could warm up on the bus. Obviously I wouldn't expect the upper, open portion of the bus to be heated, but one would think that the enclosed lower portion would be heated. Second, our guide talked so fast it was nearly impossible to understand him. Third, they applied graphics to the exterior of the bus windows making it seem like you're looking through very dirty glass. Why would a bus tour company do that? it's ridiculous. None of the other bus tour companies appeared to do this. And lastly, we missed our second bus of the morning because the driver literally stopped for 15 seconds before moving on to the next stop. The least they can do is have their drivers stop for a minute to give people a chance to find them and get on. Their stops do not have clear signage, so you're sort of waiting in a general "area" for their bus, and when you see the bus pull up, apparently you need to spring over to it. At this point (after 1 stop) we decided it would be more enjoyable to just Uber from one landmark to the next. So we essentially paid $80 for 2 people to get on at the US Capitol and get off at the Spy Museum. I would NOT suggest Big Bus Tours. Save your money and book elsewhere. Or just Uber/Lyft from location to location.

Where do I start. The first day, they stored my walker & we went to the upper level. I guess it came loose & they came up after us screaming at us to come take care of it. My daughter was like, you stored it there in the first place, but she took care of it. While whe was there there was a sleeping baby in a stroller and they yelled at the mother to take the baby out of the stroller and she refused. They made her for get off the bus. They came to a stop and barely stopped. A guy peaked upstairs and decided no one was getting off and so they left for the next stop. At the next stop and elderly couple came down complaining that they had just stood up when the but took off again at the last stop. (It is a 90 minute loop one way so they couldn't go back to the last stop!!) The second day, there was a marathon. We ubered to the bus stop we wanted to start at and then we waited with 2 dozen other people for 45 minute for a bus when finally someone showed up, not to tell us they had moved the bus stop but to sell tickets!! There was no signage. Nothing on the app. No phone number. It was 2 degrees with the windchill! The city bus managed to get to the same bus stop several times! They made no mention of it when we were checking in and other people were buying their 2 day tickets the day before!! Generally, these people are rude and the buses are irregular.

Go with any other tour service. Did the two day and it says buses are 15 to 20 mins apart. That's a joke. They are about 1 to 1.5 hours apart. We only had one polite driver the rest are not helpful and don't want to be bothered with questions. The night tour is a joke as it starts at 7 and isn't dark. It lasts for 1.5 hours and is not hope on or off so how do you see the Lincoln Memorial at night. They will say it's traffic and can't be helped but all the other tour services ran on time and multiple buses before one BigBus came through. Just pick another. David has the biggest attitude.

The customer service is terrible. Andrei will tell you they run a blue line, but when you get to the stop the employees state there is no blue line running. Andrei also insinuated i was lying when i told then what we are being told. Not cool. Also the app is not accurate, it shows 17 stops if you have an I phone, but only 13 if you have an android phone. They will leave you stranded and say good luck, may as well have said FU. Also the busses run late and not every 20 to 30 minutes as they state more like 45 minutes consistenly for the next bus through out the day. I recommend any is DC trolleys instead.

Great way to see the city if you want to hop on and off at popular attractions. Nice sunny day and awesome views. Live guide tour through earphones, friendly sales staff. The two day deal is $59, seems pricey but allows you to see more of the city without limiting yourself to staying on the bus and trying to see all the sights in one day.....its helpful for me since I'm staying close to union station and have the time.

We purchased tickets for 6/26 Sunday. We tried to get on the bus from the pick up location indicated on the map. We went to the location and the bus was not there. After waiting there for an hour we learned on our own that the bus was not going to come to that location. In the mean time we reached out to the app as it was recommended. There was no update on the app. We started to walk to the second pick up location. We waited there in the heat of the sun and the bus did not come. It was Sunday and we started to get concerned about museums hours etc. we started to walk to the Metro station. Since 6/26 I started to call the company and emailed the company multiple times without any success. We spent $162.00 and I am asking for the company to give my money back ASAP. This is a bad business model for not providing any customer servcie. The only option is avialble is to buy tickets and give the company money.

Waste of money! I purchased a two day package with night tour. There was a festival going on the first day which removed half the stops. I do not blame the tour company for this, however, it made the service useless. We found that renting scooters was the easiest and much cheaper option to see the main sights. The bus was convenient for more "off" the main sights like the cemetery. My frustration was with the night tour. The bus was not fully open up top and the enclosed space did not have working air. The employees refused to allow us to switch to another bus that was fully open up top and there was alot of attitude with us even asking if it were possible. The app was easy to use but had a significant amount of lag on the live bus locations.

Hot- air conditioning didn't work on half the buses I rode on. Late- buses would spend an ungodly amount of time at each stop, so we would be burning up while waiting on the top. Staff literally slept while we riding. Overall, I would not use this again.

Purchased my tickets in advance to enjoy the last of the sunny days on a bus tour in DC (September). The system is so flawed and unorganized it turned my relaxing day of sightseeing into a chaotic nightmare. The guides waiting at the initial stop told me to walk to another pickup, even though there was a bus clearly coming in 5 minutes ( I could see it out in the distance). I walked all the way around the hotel pickup and was told to go back and missed both buses. We were not provided with headsets or provided with any useful information while on the trip. The driver was completely unhelpful when I was trying to get off the bus and just walk back to my hotel. He stated that it would be easier for me to just wait and get off at the drop off. That would require me to stay on this awful bus for over an hour! I ended up jumping out in Georgetown and walked all the way back to Pennsylvania Ave where my hotel was. It was a LONG walk, but I wanted to burn off some steam as well. I called to see what the issue was with the tour that day and I was told that there was an event and half of the buses were down. Ok, I want my money back.

49 other reviews that are not currently recommended

Keller Transportation

Melonie P. said "We used their services for a Church trip to Sight and Sound in PA. Booking was very easy and they by far had the nest prices. Some companies were $200-400 more. Our driver, Erik Featherstone, was amazing. He got us to each location.…" read more

Rikimah Glymph - Cruise Planners

As someone that's traveled to over 128 countries, I have an in depth knowledge of countries spanning from Europe to Southeast Asia to Africa to the Caribbean and beyond. In addition to having traveled all over the world, I've done… read more

in Travel Agents

Collections Including Big Bus Washington DC

The Capital of The United States - Washington DC

D.C. and Me

By Richard R.

Washington DC Sightseeing

By Ivanna D.

Washington DC

By Jennifer L.

By Jammie J.

People Also Viewed

Hop-On-Hop-Off Open-Top Double-Decker Bus Tour

DC Circulator

Old Town Trolley Tours Washington DC

Zohery Tours

Signature Tours of DC

All Washington View

Sam & Sal Tours

Capitol Express Tours

Kennedy Center Shuttle

Best of Washington

Things to do in Washington

People found Big Bus Washington DC by searching for…

Big Bus Night Tour Washington, DC

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour Washington, DC

Hop On Hop Off Stops Washington, DC

Paddle Boat Washington, DC

Best Red Bus Tour in Washington, DC

Dc Bus Trolley Tours in Washington, DC

Rooftop Restaurant in Washington, DC

Tourist Attractions in Washington, DC

Trolley Tour in Washington, DC

Bug Bus in Washington, DC

Duck Boat Tour in Washington, DC

Tourist Bus in Washington, DC

Browse Nearby

Restaurants

Transportation

Dinner Cruise

Other Bus Tours Nearby

Find more Bus Tours near Big Bus Washington DC

Related Cost Guides

Town Car Service

Big Bus Tours

• See all photos

Big Bus DC: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus

Big Bus DC: Monuments and Memorials Sunset Tour by Open-top Bus

Best of DC: Big Bus 2-hr Day Tour & 2-hr Panoramic Sunset Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Big Bus Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Big Bus Tours

• See all photos

Big Bus DC: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus

Big Bus DC: Monuments and Memorials Sunset Tour by Open-top Bus

Best of DC: Big Bus 2-hr Day Tour & 2-hr Panoramic Sunset Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

BIG BUS TOURS (Washington DC) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Suggested companies

First abroad, friendship tours.

Big Bus Tours Washington DC   Reviews

In the Travel Agency category

Visit this website

Company activity See all

Write a review

Reviews 1.1.

2,671 total

Most relevant

OVERRATED,UNPROFESSIONAL AND A WASTE OF TIME!READ TIL THE END***

READ TIL THE END*** I strongly advise against taking the Big Bus Tour especially if you are on a tight schedule, SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND MONEY AND LOOK FOR OTHER OPTIONS FIRST! There are plenty of other tours in DC. They make you wait for over 30 or 40min before a bus shows up at the stop. After it happened to us a few times during the day we ended up taking UBER ALL DAY to make up on the lost time after waiting and waiting and waiting! It was seriously unbearable, especially when you see all the other tour companies stop once or twice and the BIG BUS doesn't show up! Also two of our digital commentary didn't work and there was no guide aboard the one and only bus we ended up taking! On top of it all, they are also liars, I obviously asked for a refund to which they agreed after I submitted all the proofs they requested, yet a month later I still have not received the money and when I called to find out the person said she could not help me and HUNG UP ON ME because she didn't want to hear my complaints! This is an UNPROFESSIONAL AND OVERRATED COMPANY!

Date of experience : June 18, 2018

Reply from Big Bus Tours Washington DC

Thank you for reaching our to us. I am very sorry to hear about your experience with our company. However, in order to further assist you can you please reach out to me directly at [email protected] and I will be glad to assist you in a timely and efficient manner. I do look forward from hearing from you as Customer Service is our main focus. Best, Kaneeka

This was the Worst experience!

This was the Worst experience! Not only do they lie about their time for pick up and drop off, but they lie about having a mobile ticket option. We bought four two day deluxe tickets, downloaded the app and opted for the mobile tickets. We used the mobile QR code “tickets” twice the first day. On the second day they claimed our mobile QR code ticket didn’t scan and that there was nothing they could do about it! We road the bus twice for $210 dollars and we also got a mysterious $80.00 charge applied to our credit card! Their staff are unprofessional, they lie and clearly did not have to possess anything but a pulse to work for them. I witnessed the Big Bus employees lie and mistreat a woman with an autistic son, they would not allow her or her son on a bus and lied and said another bus would come in 20 minutes, she had been waiting for an hour and a half with a highly agitated disabled son! Seems like the ADA should look into this business. Their recorded tour narration was also not in synchronization with the ride either! Uber if you have to, do not take this bus!

Date of experience : March 28, 2018

We are sorry to read you did not enjoy your recent experience on Big Bus Tours. Per the receipt you received after your purchase; you may either print the ticket we sent you, or if you requested to have your tickets sent to your smartphone, you were to follow the following information from your emailed receipt: "Simply show the e-ticket page to a Big Bus Tours staff member - they’ll issue you a receipt that you’ll be able to use to hop on the bus throughout the validity period of your ticket" The receipt printed when you first had your QR code scanned was to be used for the remainder of your time hopping on and off with us. Because you already had your QR code scanned the first day, it would not scan on the second day. In regard to charges; our records indicate the total was $210.80, with no further transactions from us. If you wish to discuss this further, please email us at [email protected] and a member of our Customer Service team will assist you. We would like to hear more about the staff you encountered so we can work with our Operations team to improve our team's service. The customer experience is of the upmost importance to us. Thank you for sharing your observations and feedback with us. Sincerely, Brian

The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

My husband and I bought the 48 hour pass recently. It was the perfect option for seeing much of DC, learning A LOT bout the sites, their histories, and fun facts. The hop-on and -off options saved us from having to stress over the metro for sight seeing. Each tour guide we had was great. They knew much about the history of DC, but also the kinds of things that are helpful for tourists to know: where to eat, the best times for visiting places, and other tidbits about navigating the city. This was money well spent!

Date of experience : December 02, 2016

Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are delighted you enjoyed the tour and the insight from the guides.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY! Paid for the 2 day tour & the 1st day the buses weren't running till later in the day so had to spend more money on the metro for transportation around DC. The 2nd day the buses were running all day & our 1st stop was to be at the Holocaust museum well it took us well over 2 hours because for some reason we had to keep making stops that had us sitting for at least 20 minutes each time in 100 degree weather & we were never told we would be sitting like that numerous times. We ended up getting off the bus & walked to our destination because it was a lot quicker. We no longer used the Big Bus tour after that because we found that you could take the metro anywhere for a a small fee or ride the Circulator bus for free which had AC & got you everywhere quickly. I would of saved myself about 80.00 if I didn't buy the Big Bus tour. Lessened learned never ever go through them again! I feel I deserve a refund of some sort but I'm sure they have a policy to cover themselves somehow. So until I get some kind of refund I will continue to post this same review anywhere & everywhere I can & gladly remove them all once I get a refund!

Date of experience : July 20, 2019

Chris Lee is an excellent tour guide.He …

Chris Lee is an excellent tour guide.He is so knowledgeable of all the details of the places we went and appreciated all those extra other information he put in from his own readings and experiences and plus the jokes. He is fun as a tour guide to be with.

Date of experience : July 02, 2017

Bought a voucher for a museum that said it works at any time, upon arrival they said they were sold out and couldn't accept our $100 tickets

Date of experience : April 15, 2022

Dear reviewer: The voucher on your ticket does not say available at any time. That is patently false. It clearly states before you purchase your ticket with us, and on your receipt that you must schedule a time with the museum by showing the voucher to them. It is subject to their availability. We cannot control that. By purchasing with us, you get the benefit of the Bus and Museum at a discounted rate when are running specials. We are sorry for your experience.

Poor customer service and incredible…

Poor customer service and incredible long waits. Waited over an hour for the first bus. Then bc bought ticket online had to get off and wait again at another stop

Date of experience : April 16, 2019

Over crowed too many FULL Buses

Every time throughout the day, the buses were FULL. Several times we had to wait an additional 20-30 mins for the next bus. We were never able to get a seat on the top deck. BigBus needs to add more buses especially on the weekends.

Date of experience : November 19, 2016

We are sorry you experienced unsatisfactory conditions while aboard Big Bus Tours on your recent trip. While our tours do experience a high volume of guests, we monitor the demand and plan for an increased number of buses at busier times to avoid overcrowding. Please email [email protected] so we can look further into the cause of your experience to try and improve our service going forward.

It was my first explorer tour in New…

It was my first explorer tour in New York and Washington DC. Firstly, my sincere thanks to all the staff of BUS BIG TOURS, Union Station in Washington DC. The staff were very knowledgeable, hospitable and showed a willingness to help during my visit to Washington DC in August 2019. Particularly, Miss Lanise Scott Bood, a kinder lady I have ever met. I will highly recommend. She was worth meeting at the Union Station and fortunately for me, I met her again outside the Spy Museum. Such an incredible member of staff of the BIG BUS TOURS. Lanise is worth meeting because she made my visit worthwhile. My sincere gratitude to Lanise Scott Bood, staff of BIG BUS in Washington DC, for her dedication and passionate attitude towards tourists. The Museum of the Bible and Spy Museum tops it all. I will highly recommend the use of the BIG BUS Tours.

Date of experience : September 18, 2019

Hey Mary, Thanks for taking the time to share how Lanise was able to make this a great touring experience for you. I will be sure to share this review with her as well as the management team. Michael-Ann H

Very helpful and well organized

Loved that one of the stops on the yellow loop was right in front of our hotel - The Mayflower. All the drivers and tour guides were most helpful and friendly. Peaches on the night tour that leaves from outside the Willard Hotel is excellent. We ordered our ticket on-line but were not able to figure out how to input for the 10% discount from using the Big Bus in NYC in June of this year.

Date of experience : November 15, 2016

my first time visiting Washington DC in …

my first time visiting Washington DC in early Apil.weather a little cool.(dress appropriately).if you want to see and hear a lot of history. and don"t want to do a lot of walking ,reading and standing.this is one way to do it. washington is a beautiful city with so much history. also.if short on time in the city.our tour guide was a gentleman name Nur. knowledgeable, friendly ,helpful and funny.would recommend this as well to senior citizens.

Date of experience : April 25, 2017

Thank you for sharing your experience, Cynhia! We are delighted to read you enjoyed the experience with us and Nur as your guide.

No Customer Service

Have used Big Bus in London, New York and Washington DC. Have not had any need to write a complaint, until today because the service was good and staff courteous and knowledgeable. Today, in DC had the most unfortunate experience with the most abnoxious, rude and ill-mannered driver. I tried calling the customer service number and like many reviewers who have had to go through this experience it is extremely painful. There is NO customer service! You really only know how good a company is until there is a problem. I am now pursuing my complaint via an alternative route. I warn all future users of Big Bus, use them carefully and make sure you have all the details at your fingertips should something go wrong, as well as a huge amount of patience because you will need it to get your compliant handled. I suspect that is Big Bus customer care strategy - make it as difficult no frustrating for customers to lodge a compliant and the compliant will disappear.

Date of experience : May 31, 2017

Fun! Fun! Fun!

We used this tour company in Washington DC and LOVED our experience. The tour guides were full of personality and very helpful. They had reliable buses and loved the headphones! The buses run every 15-20 minutes and are usually always on time. This tour is hop on and off which allows u to explore on your own time. Please do a night tour of you get the chance. Can't wait to use this company in another city !

Date of experience : November 20, 2016

Thank you for the review, Dijana! We can't wait to have you aboard the bus in another Big Bus location.

great over view of DC

We had such a great experience using BBT on our trip to DC. So much so we added and extra day. We originally booked the two day dlx tour but added an extra day because it was a great way to get around town and see everything. I would strongly recommend doing the yellow tour in the morning if you would like to spend any time in Georgetown. If taking the evening tour dress warmly. We traveled right after the election and it was cold as soon as the sun went down. There were protests going on while we were there and the crew were quick thinkers and they were able to change our route a little to avoid the protesters

Date of experience : November 27, 2016

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Janice. We are so glad to read you enjoyed the experience so much, you decided to take advantage of our new extra day ticket.

Great Experience!

The bus drivers and tour guides were very friendly and informative. We did have to wait 25-30 minutes between the different tours. Overall I would recommend using Big Bus Tours while you visit Washington DC.

Date of experience : January 20, 2017

Thank you for the recommendation, Robin! We are happy to read you enjoyed your experience with us.

Good route choices, easy to use

We liked the different loops and were able to get around quite easily. The headsets were a hit with our kids. My only complaint if any, was the ticketing system. A card or something would have been easier to manage than the little receipts for two days. An app showing what time the bus would arrive at a given stop would be very helpful. We would arrive at a stop and not know if it would be there in 5 or 30 minutes and that can make a huge difference!

Date of experience : November 24, 2016

Thank you for the feedback, Alice. We have recently made updates to the free mobile app that make it more convenient for our guests but we have further plans to develop the app and adding live updates is in that vision. Should you have any additional feedback please send it to us at [email protected].

Don't waste your money

For the red route, you get ear buds to listen to a taped narrative. You basically travel town in a circle and see buildings on the right going one way and the left going the other. You do not get to see Georgetown, at least on the day tour. Honestly you do not get to see much. You are able to transfer to the blue route at the Lincoln Memorial and it will shuttle you over to the Arlington Cemetary. And shuttle is all you get. You are dropped off and have to walk in. From there you have the option of either walking the cemetary or paying an additional $15 to jump on the tram. Both the red and blue route drivers were rude and seemed as if they could care less about their jobs or customers. Fair warning, this company is not worth it. Look for another.

Date of experience : May 20, 2021

Thank you for the review. We apologize for your experience.

after our tour of Arlington Cemetery we…

after our tour of Arlington Cemetery we missed the last bus of the change over J Johnson told us not to worry he would get us to the closest stop to our hotel you are so lucky to have him for your employee he does your co. proud

Date of experience : October 15, 2019

Hey, Thanks for taking the time to review your tour with us. I will be sure to share your great review with Jay Johnson as well as the management team. Please hold on to your tickets for discounts on future tours with us. -Marcale B

can't wait to use the Big Bus Tours again

We used the Big Bus for 4 days. Will use them again. The yellow paper showing it is a yellow route should be a lot bigger, due to a lot of people having to ask the driver which color the route is. It also caused problems with people having to get back off when finding it was the wrong color route. All workers were very friendly, except one driver who was rude. Peachy on the night tour was outstanding, he went above and beyond to make it very interesting. The small signs at each stop needs to be bigger.

Thank you for the feedback, Kurt! We will pass along your feedback on the Loops Identifiers to our Operations Team. As for the Stop Signs; they are as large as the city allows. If we could make them bigger and with flashing lights to make it easier for our guests to spot, we certainly would! If you have additional feedback, please be sure to share it with us at [email protected].

Everything was great

Everything was great. Guides were very informative (Tom and Pam are the only names I remember....) but everyone did a very good job. Only one small mixup (possibly/probably our misunderstanding??) about the last run so we ended up quite a distance from our hotel. The very nice man from Big Bus gave us a free day for the next day. We found the buses to be punctual. One driver saw us running and waving and he waited for us. No hesitation to get this company again.

Date of experience : February 08, 2018

Big Bus Tours Washington, DC

Explore the nation's capital on big bus tours, the official tour of the national mall..

The open top bus visits the City's most iconic landmarks and allows unlimited access to hop-on and -off for 1 or 2 days. Classic Panoramic: Experience all of the sites from a safe vantage point above the trees. Red Loop: The National Mall visiting the City's iconic landmarks. Blue Loop: Cross the Potomac to visit Arlington Cemetery. Yellow Loop: Visit the White House Gift Shop and the National Geographic Museum. Ticket inclusions available depending on ticket: Access to all of the Loops. Walking Tour. Live English-speaking Tour Guides (Night Tour Only) or recorded commentary in the following languages: English,Spanish, German, Italian, French, Mandarin, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese. Deluxe (2-Day) Ticket Inclusions: Access to all of the Loops. Free Walking Tour Free Night Tour . Night Tour: Experience the Capitol's standout landmarks beautifully illuminated after dusk. Accompanied by your knowledgeable guide, you will be able to hop off the bus to discover more about Washington's iconic landmarks. Your guide will explain the history of these national monuments and reveal the perfect position to capture the most impressive photos.

• Foreign Language Guides
• Guided tours available
• Private Tour
• Open to public
• ADA compliant

Additional Information

Attraction rates, length of tour, service type.

FIT/Voucher Program, Group Charter, Handicapped Accessible, Handicap Accessibility, Incentive Programs, Multilingual Guides, Multilingual Tours, Regular Scheduled Tours, Step On, Student Tours

Affiliation Discounts, Coupon Discounts, Membership Discounts, Season Pass, VIP Cards, Voucher Program, Military Discounts, Show Your Badge, Consumer Campaign

Metro Station

Union Station

Washington , DC United States

[email protected].

View Gallery

Nearby Favorites

Planet word museum.

Language is what makes us human.

Clyde's of Gallery Place

Clyde's of Gallery Place is located in the heart of Chinatown, ne...

The Escape Game DC, Downtown

From undercover missions to breaking out of prison; The Escape Game of...