George Washington's home
The best Mount Vernon tours
Half-day trips from DC with the mansion tour, an estate ticket with audio guide and a bike-and-boat day from Alexandria. Here is how to pick one: whether the mansion is included, where tours meet and whether a tour beats the ticket.
See our 8 picks
The best Mount Vernon tour for most visitors without a car is a half-day trip from DC with the mansion tour included, from €88.
It takes about 4 hours, meets on Capitol Hill and drives through Old Town Alexandria.
If you drive, or take Metro and bus 101, the estate ticket with audio guide is from €27. The mansion needs its own timed ticket.
Our 8 picks for Mount Vernon tours
Five start on Capitol Hill, one is a ticket you use on your own, one starts in Alexandria and one adds Arlington. All eight have free cancellation.
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from €88 per person Our top pick 4 hours 4.2 (35) reviews on GetYourGuide
Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria from DC
Return transport from Capitol Hill, a guided mansion tour and time on the grounds. You see the tombs of George and Martha Washington and drive through Old Town Alexandria.
Best for First visit, no car
Check availability: Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria from DC on GetYourGuide - from €88 per person
5 hours from Capitol Hill
Mount Vernon half-day trip
5 hours 4.2 (32) reviews on GetYourGuide
Mount Vernon half-day trip with a licensed guide
A 5-hour trip from Capitol Hill with a licensed guide, estate entry and a reserved mansion time. Lunch is not included, but there is a food court on site.
Best for Visitors who want a set mansion time
Check availability: Mount Vernon half-day trip with a licensed guide on GetYourGuide -
from €27 per person At your own pace 4.6 (47) reviews on GetYourGuide
Estate ticket with audio guide
Entry to the grounds, gardens, tomb, farm and museum, with an audio guide of over 29 stops. The mansion is not included: you buy its timed ticket on the day or online through your voucher.
Best for Drivers and do-it-yourself visitors
Check availability: Estate ticket with audio guide on GetYourGuide - from €88 per person
4 hours, guided mansion
Mansion tour from DC
4 hours 4.1 (11) reviews on GetYourGuide
Mount Vernon ticket and mansion tour from DC
The same plan as our top pick, from another company: 4 hours from Capitol Hill, a guided mansion tour, the tombs and a drive through Old Town. Lunch is not included.
Best for Another date for the top pick
Check availability: Mount Vernon ticket and mansion tour from DC on GetYourGuide -
from €90 per person 6 h 30 min 3.86 (52) reviews on GetYourGuide
Bike and boat day from Alexandria
Bike the Mount Vernon Trail from Alexandria at your own pace, with estate entry and an audio guide. There is no guide. One option adds a boat back to DC. Rated under 4.0 on GetYourGuide.
Best for Fit riders with a full day
Check availability: Bike and boat day from Alexandria on GetYourGuide - from €71 per person
5 hours, pickup offered
Mount Vernon half-day
5 hours 3.68 (13) reviews on GetYourGuide
Half-day tour with entry and pickup
A 5-hour coach tour with live commentary and estate entry. The listing offers pickup. It says the tour is not for people with a low level of fitness. Rated under 4.0 on GetYourGuide.
Best for Visitors who want pickup
Check availability: Half-day tour with entry and pickup on GetYourGuide -
from €80 per person 6 hours 3.46 (17) reviews on GetYourGuide
Mount Vernon and Arlington Cemetery
Mount Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery in one 6-hour day with a licensed guide. Hotel pickup is offered for groups of 5 and up. It is not for wheelchair users. Rated under 4.0 on GetYourGuide.
Best for Two sights in one day
Check availability: Mount Vernon and Arlington Cemetery on GetYourGuide - from €88 per person
5 hours, live guide
Old Town and Mount Vernon bus
5 hours 4.0 (9) reviews on GetYourGuide
Old Town and Mount Vernon bus tour
A 5-hour bus tour from Capitol Hill with a live driver-guide through Old Alexandria. On the estate you get a live mansion tour and a recorded audio guide. Few reviews yet.
Best for Visitors who want Old Town explained
Check availability: Old Town and Mount Vernon bus tour on GetYourGuide
Mount Vernon tours compared
| Tour | From | Duration | Pickup | Mansion inside | Who it suits | Why we picked it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria from DC | €88 per person | 4 hours | Meeting point | Yes, guided | First visit, no car | Everything in one booking, 4.2 from 35 reviews. |
| Mount Vernon half-day trip with a licensed guide | €88 per person | 5 hours | Meeting point | Yes, reserved time | Visitors who want a set mansion time | A reserved mansion slot, 4.2 from 32 reviews. |
| Estate ticket with audio guide | €27 per person | At your own pace | Meeting point | No, timed ticket extra | Drivers and do-it-yourself visitors | The top-rated pick, 4.6 from 47 reviews, but it is a ticket, not a tour. |
| Mount Vernon ticket and mansion tour from DC | €88 per person | 4 hours | Meeting point | Yes, guided | Another date for the top pick | A second company with the same plan, 4.1 from 11 reviews. |
| Bike and boat day from Alexandria | €90 per person | 6 h 30 min | Meeting point | No, $2 timed ticket | Fit riders with a full day | The only active way there, but rated under 4.0 (3.86 from 52 reviews). |
| Half-day tour with entry and pickup | €71 per person | 5 hours | Pickup included | Not stated | Visitors who want pickup | The cheapest guided trip, from €71, but rated under 4.0 (3.68 from 13 reviews). |
| Mount Vernon and Arlington Cemetery | €80 per person | 6 hours | Pickup included | Not stated | Two sights in one day | Both places in one day, but rated under 4.0 (3.46 from 17 reviews). You can also reach Arlington on your own by Metro. |
| Old Town and Mount Vernon bus tour | €88 per person | 5 hours | Meeting point | Yes, guided | Visitors who want Old Town explained | Live commentary in Old Town, with only 9 reviews so far. |
Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria from DC
€88 per person4 hours 4.2 (35)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Mansion inside
- Yes, guided
- Who it suits
- First visit, no car
- Why we picked it
- Everything in one booking, 4.2 from 35 reviews.
Mount Vernon half-day trip with a licensed guide
€88 per person5 hours 4.2 (32)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Mansion inside
- Yes, reserved time
- Who it suits
- Visitors who want a set mansion time
- Why we picked it
- A reserved mansion slot, 4.2 from 32 reviews.
Estate ticket with audio guide
€27 per personAt your own pace 4.6 (47)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Mansion inside
- No, timed ticket extra
- Who it suits
- Drivers and do-it-yourself visitors
- Why we picked it
- The top-rated pick, 4.6 from 47 reviews, but it is a ticket, not a tour.
Mount Vernon ticket and mansion tour from DC
€88 per person4 hours 4.1 (11)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Mansion inside
- Yes, guided
- Who it suits
- Another date for the top pick
- Why we picked it
- A second company with the same plan, 4.1 from 11 reviews.
Bike and boat day from Alexandria
€90 per person6 h 30 min 3.86 (52)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Mansion inside
- No, $2 timed ticket
- Who it suits
- Fit riders with a full day
- Why we picked it
- The only active way there, but rated under 4.0 (3.86 from 52 reviews).
Half-day tour with entry and pickup
€71 per person5 hours 3.68 (13)
Details
- Pickup
- Pickup included
- Mansion inside
- Not stated
- Who it suits
- Visitors who want pickup
- Why we picked it
- The cheapest guided trip, from €71, but rated under 4.0 (3.68 from 13 reviews).
Mount Vernon and Arlington Cemetery
€80 per person6 hours 3.46 (17)
Details
- Pickup
- Pickup included
- Mansion inside
- Not stated
- Who it suits
- Two sights in one day
- Why we picked it
- Both places in one day, but rated under 4.0 (3.46 from 17 reviews). You can also reach Arlington on your own by Metro.
Old Town and Mount Vernon bus tour
€88 per person5 hours 4.0 (9)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Mansion inside
- Yes, guided
- Who it suits
- Visitors who want Old Town explained
- Why we picked it
- Live commentary in Old Town, with only 9 reviews so far.
- All 8 offer free cancellation.
- Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026. Prices are "from" prices in euros and can change; the booking page shows the live price.
Guided tour of Mount Vernon: what each one includes
Most tours from DC include the mansion. The estate ticket and the bike-and-boat day do not.
Five of the tours meet at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave NW. The Arlington combo meets in Arlington and offers pickup for groups of 5 and up.
The Mount Vernon mansion tour: timed tickets
You enter the mansion with a timed ticket. Tours that include the mansion book the time for you.
With the estate ticket, you buy the mansion time on the day, if slots are left, or online through a link on your voucher.
The bike-and-boat listing says its mansion link costs $2 per person.
Which tours include the Mount Vernon house tour?
Check the "Mansion inside" column in the table above.
- Included: both half-day trips from DC, the mansion tour from DC and the Old Town bus tour.
- Not included: the estate ticket and the bike-and-boat day.
- Not stated: the half-day tour with pickup and the Arlington combo list estate entry, but they do not say "mansion".
George Washington's Mount Vernon: tour or go on your own
Going on your own costs less, but you plan the trip. A tour costs more, and it does the driving and the booking.
The estate's site shows an adult ticket of about $28, on a page that still had 2025 rates. Check it before you go.
By public transport, take Metro to Huntington, then Fairfax Connector bus 101 to the estate. The bus fare is $2.25, per Fairfax County.
The estate is about 15 miles south of DC, its site says.
Mount Vernon is one of the easiest day tours from DC. Compare it with Gettysburg, Annapolis and Baltimore.
For trains and buses in the city, see getting around DC.
Driving is a real choice: you set your own pace and leave when you like.
Mount Vernon by bike and boat
The bike-and-boat day starts at 1199 N Fairfax St in Alexandria. You ride the wooded Mount Vernon Trail at your own pace.
There is no guide on the day. You get a bike, a helmet, a lock, estate entry and an audio guide.
It is rated under 4.0 on GetYourGuide, so read the listing before you book.
The Mount Vernon boat tour option
One option adds a boat ticket back to DC's Wharf, at Pier 4. Choose it when you book if you want the ride home on the river.
A Potomac River cruise from Alexandria, VA
The main Potomac cruise company also lists a Mount Vernon cruise on its site. We could not read its prices or season dates, so check there before you plan on it.
Old Town Alexandria on the way
Most tours from DC drive through Old Town Alexandria on the way. The listings point to its old buildings and cobbled streets.
The Old Town bus tour has a live driver-guide there. It passes the George Washington Masonic temple and other landmarks.
Going on your own? Our guide from Alexandria to Washington DC covers Metro and bus 101.
Before you book a Mount Vernon tour
Check the mansion line
Look for "mansion" in what is included before you book. The estate ticket and the bike day leave it out.
Be early on Capitol Hill
Five tours meet at the Hyatt Regency, 400 New Jersey Ave NW. Get there a little early.
Check the hours
The estate's site gives 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April to October, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November to March. Check before you go.
Lunch is extra
The tours that mention lunch do not include it. One listing says there is a food court at Mount Vernon.
Free cancellation
All eight have free cancellation on GetYourGuide. Check the cut-off time on your booking.
Real questions about Mount Vernon tours
How long does a tour of Mount Vernon take?
Can you tour the inside of Mount Vernon?
What is there to do in Alexandria near Washington, DC?
More Mount Vernon tours, live
More options with live prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide.
See every tour with today's prices and open dates on GetYourGuide.
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Sources (5), facts checked on 25 October 2026
Written by the Things to Do in Washington DC editorial team.