Big Bus Tours Washington DC Reviews 2,681

I booked 3, two-day tickets for the Big Bus Tours during our Jan 19 & 20 trip to DC. After booking, I received an email saying that the buses will not be operating during our stay due to the inauguration events...which was fine and totally understandable. I emailed the customer service gal back (twice) to set up a refund, no reply. I called the office 5 times over a period of 5 days, left 5 messages...no return call. I have now returned from my trip and will give it one more shot on Monday, after that I will be calling my credit card company. I researched all the tours offered and this company seemed to be the most trustworthy, I was very disappointed with the experience.

We traveled on the coldest day in DC and the buses were very inconsistent in the pick up times. We waited more than an hour at least three times. We ended up catching uber to get out of the cold. On the plus side, the night tour was wonderful!

Good and polite guides & bus drivers. They were helpful and patient. I only wish I knew before hand that when I get off at a particular stop, I should walk around the area and visit all the important places around and I should be told what places I could see from that particular point. That would have prevented me from hopping in and out again almost immediately.

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.

We took 3 different routes with both recorded and live commentary. They were all 3 fun and informative.

Bad experience

I paid for a two day pass and only used it once. When I went to use it a second time the bus that appeared for the blue line was full to capacity, had no second level and took 15 minutes to arrive. The driver simply said that he could not load anyone else and we would have to wait for the second one to arrive which could take another 50 to 60 minutes. At that point I simply took uber to the pentagon area. Once I was finished there I went back to the bus stop where what appeared to be the same bus with the same driver showed up again and told me once again that the bus was full. At that point I Uber to Arlington national Cemetery. By this time, I was tired of waiting for no reason and did not use the bus service anymore. this is quite unfortunate because I have used the big bus company in London, Rome, Paris, New York, Miami and had never had this experience. Unfortunately I don't think I will be using them again. i feel like i eas robbed.

Well organized tour on time, guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant, professional. Have plans to use them again.

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.

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.

The busses does not come past every half hour. Big bus personnel at bus stop rude and unhelpful. We waited 45 min and when we asked if the bus is comming they said yes in 5. Then they went inside a shop (out of the cold) and 20 min later appeared just before the bus arrived. So they knew the bus was not going to be there in 5 min also that was not the only time the bus did not arrive on the 30 min mark. This wastes a lot of your sightseeing time if you have to wait 15-30 min each time for the bus!

My three children and I took the DC night tour and it was amazing. Our guide was fantastic, energetic and so much fun. We learned a ton of history and lots of silly fun facts the kids loved and will remember forever. The jokes, games and laughs were priceless. Thanks!

The route is only a short walk from our hotel.
Coverage is aligned with our targeted attractions and the commentary is just nice. Kids love it.

Taped anecdotes. Repeated music. Cold bus with no heating

I'd highly recommend the Big Bus Tour to get a great overview of Washington DC. With head phones provided onboard so we could listen to the recorded tour Guide we were able to learn the history behind the monuments, museum and buildings. We bought a 2 day pass so we also experienced the night tour of the monuments which was really beautiful and worth every moment despite the cold winter's night.

we got tired of waiting for the buses at the bus stops and found ourselves walking to the next sight

Great service, great routes, and amazing tour guides!

We booked the 48 hour pass and utilized it both days. All tour guides were very informative and the busses were on time. We always use the Big Bus tours when we are on vacation to a new city and love it!

Great night tour. Georgetown tour was odd. Driver left bus without saying anything to passengers and gone for 10 minutes???? Tried to ask question and he kept walking. Been to DC several times but never took a tour. A few long waits when transferring but overall very informative and enjoyed the stops.

I had a great experience with the Big Bus service in DC. but in some stops, its hard to find the sign. i think that your bus sign should be place a bit bigger.
other than that, it worked just fine for us.