Monuments by Moonlight Nighttime Trolley Tour: an honest review
The verdict: the most-reviewed tour in this catalogue by a long way, and the one to pick when the walking has already been done. Two and a half hours on a trolley with three stops where you get off; everything in between is seen through a window while the driver slows down. It does not include the undercroft. It is the wrong tour for anyone who wants unhurried time inside the memorial chamber.
What the route does
Three stops where passengers get off. One covers the Lincoln Memorial with the Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans memorials, about half an hour. One covers the Martin Luther King Jr. and Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials, about the same. The third, a photo stop at the Marine Corps War Memorial at Iwo Jima, is not currently being made because of a bridge closure, and the operator says it is replaced by a stop at the World War II Memorial. In between, the trolley passes the White House, the Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial and the Smithsonian buildings, and the operator says the conductor will tell you when to have a camera ready.
One caveat about the listing rather than the tour: in the copy we captured, the “included” and “not included” lists had run together, so tips, hotel pickup and food all sit in the same block and we cannot tell you which side of the line they are on. Check that on the booking page before you pay.
This tour does not include the undercroft museum, and nothing in its title says so. Sixteen of the eighteen tours we track are in the same position: they stop at the memorial, which is free and needs no ticket, while the museum underneath takes a separate timed ticket you book yourself. See how undercroft tickets work or what the museum is.
The evidence: the strongest here
More than 1,500 ratings averaging 4.6. That is a large enough sample to mean something, and what it means is that the format works and the guiding holds up across a lot of different drivers. The most useful review on the listing is the one that sets expectations about the stops:
“Excellent. 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. There isn’t a lot of time at the stops, but it is sufficient. Tour guide was excellent.”
“The guide had a great sense of humor was very knowledgeable about all of the sites that he pointed out.”
Half an hour at the Lincoln Memorial is enough to climb the steps, stand in front of the statue and read one of the two inscribed side walls properly. It is not enough for the undercroft, which needs its own ticket and has closed for the day before most of these departures reach it.
What works
- The biggest review sample in the catalogue, and a steady 4.6 across it
- A seat, and no distance covered on foot between memorials
- Half an hour at the Lincoln Memorial rather than a drive-past
- The listing describes the tour as wheelchair accessible
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Worth knowing
- Two and a half hours, much of it seated on a trolley
- The Iwo Jima photo stop is currently dropped for a bridge closure
- No undercroft, and the museum is shut for the later departures anyway
- Sights without a formal stop are seen from a moving vehicle
- The included and excluded lists ran together on the page we captured
Who should book this
Visitors who have already walked the Mall in daylight and want the lit version without doing the miles again, families with children who will not walk for two hours, and anyone with one evening and a long list. Anyone who wants to linger, or who wants the museum, should look at the walking tours or do the undercroft separately. The memorial is lit and open all night either way, which is the argument on the memorial after dark.
The alternatives worth comparing
Small groupDC Monuments & History Electric Cart Tour, Day or Night
On footMonuments & Memorials National Mall Sunset Walking Tour
Guide + undercroftNational Mall Evening Tour with Lincoln Undercroft Tickets
Frequently asked questions
Does the Monuments by Moonlight trolley tour include the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft?
No. It stops at the Lincoln Memorial for about half an hour, which is the free part. The undercroft museum needs a separate timed ticket, and it has closed for the day before most evening departures reach the memorial.
How long do you get at the Lincoln Memorial?
About 30 minutes, in a stop shared with the Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans memorials. One reviewer describes that as tight but sufficient.
Is the Iwo Jima stop still running?
Not currently. The operator states that the Marine Corps War Memorial stop has been dropped because of a bridge closure and replaced with a stop at the World War II Memorial.