Best Tours in D.C.

It's pretty easy to do D.C. on your own, but consider one of the following options if you're looking for chaperoned convenience.

Bike Tours

Bike and Roll. Based at L'Enfant Plaza, just off the National Mall, Bike and Roll offers a series of guided tours through D.C.'s top sites, including the Capitol, Supreme Court, and WWII Memorial. Bike rentals and Segway tours are also offered, and self-guided options stretch as far as Mount Vernon and even Pittsburgh. 955 L'Enfant Plaza SW, North Bldg., Southwest, Washington, District of Columbia, 20024. 202/842–2453; www.bikeandrolldc.com. From $44.

Capital Bikeshare. A great way to see the memorials and monuments at your own pace, this bike-share scheme lets tou can rent bikes by the hour and return them to any of the 500 stations throughout the city. There are also stations in Alexandria and Arlington, VA, neighboring Montgomery County, MD, and more, if you want to venture farther afield. 877/430–2453; www.capitalbikeshare.com. Membership fee, from $8, includes first 30 mins before additional costs accrue.

Fat Tire Tours. Yet another option for touring the monuments, Fat Tire Tours offers guided day tours, sunset trips, Segway rentals, and packages that include entrance into the Spy Museum and other sites. A typical tour is three hours of easy peddling. 955 L'Enfant Plaza, Southwest, Washington, District of Columbia, 20024. 866/614–6218; 202/842–2453; www.fattiretours.com. From $39.

Boat Tours

Capitol River Cruises. Sightseeing tours lasting 45 minutes are aboard the Nightingale and Nightingale II, former Great Lakes boats from the 1950s. Departures are hourly, noon to 8 pm, May through September, to 7 pm April and October. Washington Harbor, 3050 K St. NW, Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, 20007. 301/460–7447; www.capitolrivercruises.com. $18.

Odyssey III. Specially built to fit under the Potomac's bridges, the Odyssey III departs from the Gangplank marina near the District Wharf for daily dinner cruises, weekday lunch cruises, and weekend brunch cruises—elegant affairs with a dress code (jackets for men) at dinner. 600 Water St. SW, D.C. Waterfront, Washington, District of Columbia, 20024. 703/684–0580; 877/511–2628; www.odysseycruises.com. From $65.

Potomac Riverboat Company. With docks in Alexandria, Georgetown, Mount Vernon, National Harbor, and The Wharf, this company offers a monuments tour, a Mount Vernon cruise, and transportation to Washington Nationals baseball games and D.C. United soccer games. It also runs the sleek water taxi that connects The Wharf, Georgetown, Alexandria, and National Harbor. Alexandria, Virginia, 22314. 877/511–2628; 703/684--0580; www.potomacriverboatco.com. From $18.

Thompson Boat Center. Another way to see the monuments from the Potomac River is through Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown, which offers canoe, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard rentals for self-guided tours. Pack a lunch and paddle over to Roosevelt Island for a picnic. A double kayak rents for $22 per hour, while a canoe goes for $25 per hour and a stand-up paddleboard for $22 per hour. Sculls are also available for certified rowers. 2900 Virginia Ave. NW, Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, 20037. 202/333–9543; www.thompsonboatcenter.com. From $16 for a single kayak.

Bus Tours

Big Bus Tours. Brightly painted, red-and-yellow, open-top, double-decker buses provide a hop-on, hop-off service with different city loops. Discount tickets are sometimes offered online. 877/332–8689; www.bigbustours.com. From $49.

City Sights. This bus tour offers double-decker fun for those seeking to take advantage of warmer weather and get an elevated view of Washington. The group runs multiple loops around the city, some of which extend well beyond the Mall to include Georgetown, the National Cathedral, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Pentagon. All trips offer hop-on, hop-off convenience, and several multiday options are available for those on longer stays. City Sights also offers night tours, boat trips, and guided bike tours. 202/650–5444; 866/723–4400; www.citysightsdc.com. From $50.

DC Ducks. Ready for a unique take on Washington? DC Ducks takes the traditional jaunt through the city and adds a thrilling twist: the 90-minute guided tour ends with a splashdown in the Potomac River, where the amphibious Duckmobile gives visitors a rousing water leg to their trip. Tours, which run from mid-March to November, begin at Union Station, leaving every hour between 10 am and 4 pm. 866/754–5039; www.dcducks.com. From $45.

Gray Line. This venerable tour company specializes in lectured sightseeing tours of Washington. D.C., Mount Vernon, Gettysburg, and more. 202/779–9894; www.graylinedc.com. From $35.

Old Town Trolley Tours. D.C.'s longest-running tour company offers one of the best narrated glimpses of the city's many historic wonders, with the option of hop-on, hop-off service at 24 different stops. Two loops are available: one wraps around the Mall, the Capitol, and the Wharf; the other extends from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. (Transfers between the loops are part of the deal.) Visitors can begin their tour at any of the stops, and buses swing by every 30 minutes beginning at 9 am; the last re-boarding is at 4:45 pm. 844/356–2603; www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc. From $57.

OnBoard D.C. Tours. The daily, six-hour "D.C. It All" tour lets you hop on and off with the guide at 12 locations, and, from mid-March through October, the tour includes a one-hour private Potomac River cruise and stops at the Pentagon and Air Force Memorial. Several other tours are offered, including a three-hour "D.C. The Lights!" nightlife tour. 301/839–5261; www.washingtondctours.onboardtours.com. From $60.

Segway and Scooter Tours

Rest your feet and glide by the monuments, museums, and major attractions aboard a Segway. Guided tours usually last between two and three hours. D.C. city ordinance requires that riders be at least 16 years old; some tour companies have weight restrictions of 250 pounds. Tours, limited to 6 to 10 people, begin with an instruction session.

Capital Segway. More than 25 historic sights are included on this company's Segway tours, which depart from the corner of 17th and I Street NW. 818 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202/682–1980; www.capitalsegway.com. From $60.

Scootaround Inc.. This company rents mobility scooters and wheelchairs for self-guided tours. Washington, District of Columbia. 888/441–7575; www.scootaround.com. Scooters from $32 per day; wheelchairs from $27 per day .

Specialty Tours

DC Metro Food Tours. Some 20 tours, each lasting 3½ hours and conducted on weekends year-round, explore the culinary heritage of different neighborhoods in D.C. and nearby Virginia. Private tours can be arranged. 202/851–2268; www.dcmetrofoodtours.com. From $60.

Smithsonian Associates. Experience D.C.'s art, history, and culture through the lens of the Smithsonian Associates. Tours of Arlington National Cemetery, nearby Civil War battlefields, and an Anacostia River hike are some of the excursions on offer. 202/633–3030; www.smithsonianassociates.org. From $45.

A Tour de Force. Local historian and author Jeanne Fogle will escort you via custom-designed tours, by limo or on foot, of historic homes, diplomatic buildings, and off-the-beaten-path sites. You can opt for half-day, full-day, multiday, or evening tours. 703/525–2948; www.atourdeforce.com.

Washington Photo Safari. Founder E. David Luria promises opportunities for photographers of all skill levels (even camera phones are fine) on his half-day and full-day "Monuments and Memorials" workshops. Special themed tours, led by a team of professional photographers, are held on selected weekends. 202/669–8468; www.washingtonphotosafari.com. From $89.

Walking Tours

Capitol Historical Society. This group leads guided tours around the grounds of the Capitol weekdays at 5:30 pm, March through Memorial Day, 7 pm Memorial Day through Labor Day, and 5:30 pm Labor Day through October 31. The two-hour tour starts at Garfield Circle, at the intersection of First Street and Maryland Avenue Southwest. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance. 800/887–9318; 202/543--8919; www.uschs.org. $30.

Cultural Tourism DC. This nonprofit group has 17 self-guided Neighborhood Heritage Trails, plus a citywide African American Heritage Trail, all of which are highlighted with historic markers. All the tours can be downloaded from its website. One week each fall, the group leads free guided walking tours that highlight the history and architecture of certain neighborhoods, from the Southwest Waterfront to points much farther north. You can also check out other cultural events happening around the city, many free, on the website. 202/355–4280; www.culturaltourismdc.org. Free.

DC by Foot. Dozens of tours, including the Tidal Basin and National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, Capitol Hill, Georgetown, and U Street, are led by guides who work for tips, guaranteeing a highly entertaining experience. Tours last two to four hours and are available year-round, but days and times vary by season, and advance reservations are required. 202/370–1830; www.freetoursbyfoot.com. Guides work for tips.

DC Walkabout. Download a tour to any mobile device, and set off in your own time and at your own pace, guided by a narration, historical recordings, and even music and sound effects. Tours, ranging from 1 to 2 miles, include "American Scandal," "Capitol Hill," "Georgetown Ghost," "Haunted History," "Lincoln Assassination," "National Mall," and "Tidal Basin." www.dcwalkabout.com. $9.

History on Foot. Relive the night of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination with Detective McDevitt on this two-hour walking tour. From Ford's Theatre you'll follow the escape route taken by assassin John Wilkes Booth on the 1½-mile trek, ending at Lafayette Park. Tours are offered March through October. 202/347–4833; www.fords.org. $18.

Washington Walks. The wide range of tours offered by Washington Walks includes "Hamilton's D.C." and "Women Who Changed America." 202/484–1565; www.washingtonwalks.com. $20.