Tours of Ford Theater in Washington DC: A Visit Guide

Step 1: Plan tours of Ford Theater in Washington DC

Ford's Theatre is a self-guided visit, and you need a timed ticket for it. Washington, DC guided tours can add a guide to the rest of your day, but this site has no guide of its own.

The visit has three parts. You see the museum, the theater and the Petersen House, where Lincoln died the morning after he was shot. The National Park Service says President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, so the theater is where it happened. The National Park Service also lists the Aftermath exhibits.

Here is the Ford's Theatre visit in one picture.

Two ticket routes exist, and the second is free.

The National Park Service says the $5 fee goes to the Ford's Theatre Society, the park's partner. It also says free same-day tickets last only while supplies last. On the Society's page, you may take four same-day tickets per person. That page says same-day tickets often run out by 9 am from March to June.

Entries run every half hour. The park's hours page says entries run from 9 am to 4 pm. The Society's own page says 9 am to 4:30 pm. Check the booking calendar for the day you want. Ford's Theatre is closed on Thanksgiving Day and December 25.

The theater is a working stage. It can close for rehearsals and matinees, and some tickets cover only the Petersen House and the exhibits. Pick an entry that lists the theater if that is your main goal.

How long does the visit take? The park and the Society publish no typical length, so any number would be a guess. The entries are self-guided, and some include a 15 to 20 minute ranger talk. Leave a flexible block and do not book anything tight right after it.

Key Takeaway Book the $5 ticket a day ahead, or be at the box office before 8:30 am for a free one.

Step 2: Get to Ford's Theatre and know the rules

Ford's Theatre sits at 511 10th Street NW, between E and F streets. The park's directions page names two Metro stations within walking distance. They are Metro Center (Red, Orange, Silver and Blue lines) and Gallery Place-Chinatown (Red, Yellow and Green lines).

The Kennedy Center is not near this stop. No official page we could read names its closest Metro station, because kennedy-center.org refused our access, so see Step 4. From Metro Center, leave by the 12th and F Street NW exit. Walk two blocks on F Street, then turn right onto 10th Street. The theater is on your left.

The site has no parking. The park says parking is very limited downtown, so use the Metro if you can.

Lines form outside, so the Society's visit guidelines say to arrive no more than 10 minutes early. They also say to dress for the weather.

Pack light. The same page says there is no coat check, and luggage and oversized bags are not allowed. Only bottled water may go inside. Tripods, pets and knives are banned, and so is smoking.

Strollers can enter the museum, the theater and the Aftermath exhibits. They cannot enter the Petersen House.

An audio guide costs $5, and it is only for entries that include the museum.

One option comes after hours. The Ford's@5 tour is a 90-minute guided tour of the museum and theater, for ages 21 and up. A 30-minute talk over wine and cheese follows it.

Pro Tip Collect an audio guide at the box office in the main lobby before you join the outside line.

Step 3: Add the National Cathedral

The Washington National Cathedral is known for its long building story. Per its history page, construction began in 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt helped lay the foundation stone, and ended in 1990 with the final stone atop the towers. It is an active member of The Episcopal Church, and its own site calls it "A House of Prayer For All People". It sells its own tickets, and you can see it on a separate trip. It is at 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW. The Cathedral's location page says the nearest Metro stations are Tenleytown and Woodley Park. Many Metrobus lines stop near it. Wikipedia adds that it is Neo-Gothic in style, the second-largest church building in the United States and known for the gargoyles and grotesques on its exterior.

The Cathedral's sightseeing page lists the choices.

Prices vary, and no fee is posted on that page. Ticket fees support the Cathedral. Worship services and private prayer never cost anything.

Hours also vary. The calendar for the week shows self-guided sightseeing from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday, October 26, and from 11 am to 5 pm on Tuesday. Check the calendar for your day.

There is limited parking on the grounds. Bags above 11 by 17 by 6 inches are not allowed. There is no coat check.

The central tower is under repair, so the Garth and the All Souls Memorial Garden are closed. The Bishop's Garden is open.

The Cathedral sits in northwest DC, not downtown. Plan it as its own stop.

Step 4: Check the Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center is a performing arts center on the Potomac. Its own website blocked our check, so we cannot state its tour times, its free shuttle details or its distance from an airport. For the Metro, Wikipedia's transit box and its Foggy Bottom-GWU station page give Foggy Bottom-GWU (Blue, Orange and Silver lines) reached by the Kennedy Center shuttle, with Metrobus D10 also listed. That is a second source, not an official page, so confirm the shuttle on kennedy-center.org before you go.

You can see the building from the water. The Potomac River sightseeing cruise passes the Kennedy Center, the Watergate Complex and the Lincoln Memorial, says the listing. It runs 45 minutes and is from €27 per person, with a 4.2 rating from 214 reviews. It leaves from Georgetown Washington Harbour at 3050 Water St NW and shows free cancellation. It is run by CapitolRiverCruises, with up to 60 people, and wheelchair users are not suited to it. See Potomac river cruises for more boat options.

Step 5: Tour on your own or with a guide

Ford's Theatre costs $5 or nothing, so you do not need a tour to see it. All three tours below have free cancellation, and none of them goes inside Ford's Theatre. On trust: each listing names its operator, and the review counts are 13, 146 and 214, so the 4.7 night tour and the 4.2 cruise rest on far more reviews than the 4.6 walking tour. The ticket is the tour. A guide helps for the rest of the city, where the sights are far apart.

The highlights guided walking tour runs 2 hours and is from €50 per person, with a 4.6 rating from 13 reviews. That is a small number of reviews. It names the White House, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. It does not list Ford's Theatre. You pick a private or a shared tour, and Guydeez runs it. It shows free cancellation, offers English and French, and gives a map code rather than a street address as its meeting point. Entry to monuments and museums, food and tips are not included.

For the evening, the small-group night tour lasts 3 hours and is from €88 per person. It has a 4.7 rating from 146 reviews. You ride in a climate-controlled van for 12 and meet at 1000 H St NW. Hotel pickup is not included, and the group is capped at 12 people. The tour shows free cancellation, and See DC Today, LLC runs it.

Things to Do in Washington DC's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 26 walking tours out of 207 bookable DC-area experiences, from €22. For free sights to walk between, see National Mall and monuments.

One honest limit. No tour will get you into Ford's Theatre faster, because the park sells timed tickets itself. Skip a paid listing that only resells the same entry.

Some of the best history lessons in a city cost a few dollars.