Alexandria: Mount Vernon Bike and Boat Tour
Description
On this independent bike tour from Old Town Alexandria, enjoy views of the Potomac River as you cycle along the scenic Mount Vernon Trail to historic Mount Vernon Estate, George Washington’s famous 18th-century home. Explore the stately mansion, gorgeous gardens and fascinating educational exhibits at your leisure, and hop back on your bike for your return trip or upgrade to relax on a narrated Potomac River cruise back to Alexandria. (If you choose to return by boat, you must select this option at the time of booking) This is a fun, active and scenic way to experience Mount Vernon. As a heads up, boats will leave from Mount Vernon at 1:30PM, so please plan accordingly. Return Stop – Alexandria, VA Arrival in Alexandria: approximately 2:40 PM Address: Alexandria City Marina, 0 Cameron St, Alexandria, VA Final Stop – Washington, DC Arrival: approximately 3:10 PM Address: Transit Pier at The Wharf, 950 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore Old Town, Alexandria, learn about the history and take photos!
Unlimited Biking: Alexandria is located right next door to the Union Street Public House on 125 S Union Street Alexandria VA 22314.
Admission to the grounds included in your experience.
Explore Mount Vernon, learn about the history and take photos!
Ride along and enjoy views of the Potomac River. Route is relatively flat with a few rolling hills. Ride is approximately 10 miles to Mount Vernon (about a 1 hour ride). You may go direct or take your time and stop and see various sites, such as Jones Point Light House.
This option is SEASONAL depending on when the boats run (End of May-September) and the boat back to Mount Vernon is only available for those that purchase the option. Otherwise, guests can bike back or opt to leave the bikes at Mount Vernon (after letting our staff know)
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- As a heads up, boats will leave from Mount Vernon at 1:30PM, so please plan accordingly.
- Arrival in Alexandria: approximately 2:40 PM Address: Alexandria City Marina, 0 Cameron St, Alexandria, VA
- Final Stop – Washington, DC Arrival: approximately 3:10 PM Address: Transit Pier at The Wharf, 950 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC
- Admission tickets to the grounds and Boat tickets will be provided to customers in Unlimited Biking's store.
- All children must be *one year or older* to be on any bike/bike attachments. It is for the child's own safety
- Admission to the estate is not included in this package, but can be purchased as a guided tour on-site.
- Riders must be at least 16 to ride electric bikes. We cannot attach children's attachments to ebikes.
- Any riders who are under 18 years of age must have an adult present to check in and sign the waiver form in behalf of them. We require a valid identity card upon check in
- For all our riders' safety, we are not able to accommodate any riders who are 300 pounds and over as this exceeds the weight limit the manufacturer has advised for the bike's build. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we do prioritize your safety during the ride
Reviews(65)
Thanks to Vikram @wanderlustwithvik on Instagram for the wonderful experience that was the climb of Le Morne, sharing tea on the peak. For the second experience (the first being the 7 waterfalls) you accompanied us sensitized and we all shared the essence of the place, its history, its beauty, and so many other Vikram things that you and I can feel.
It's not exactly as advertised. And when they advertise hybrid bikes but all they have are pedal bikes, it turns into a nightmare, especially in the heat. Don't do this anywhere near summer heat!
This deserves a solid 1 star. Beyond spending another additional $100 on uber to get to and from this experience. There was no parking by the bike shop. Once we barely made it to mount Vernon on the worst bikes I’ve ever rented, one broke down and we walked. The QR codes we were told got us into the park and on the boat, however only got us into the park. We got the boat ramp at 12:53 and there was no boat despite being promised a river cruise following the bike ride. We then took a $70 uber back to DC where we parked. No part of this experience was worth $188 and I have requested a refund from viator.
The ride was beautiful and we enjoyed Mt Vernon mansion tour and museum. It said we could leave the bikes at Mt. Vernon and take our own ride back. Not so! When we arrived, the operator said that we would have to bring the bikes back (from a 10 mile trek each way). So we had to Uber to our rental car to pick it up and then go back to Mt. Vernon and retrieve the bikes .. place them I the vehicle and then travel back to the bike office. This took approx 1.5 hours out of our vacation (and we were lucky to have a rental vehicle that would hold 2 bikes). So call and double check as what they adversitied re: the return option was not at all reality. We wanted to ride 1 way to MT Vernon as advertised and to leave the bikes there (we wanted to ride 10 miles 1 way and then return on our own and NOT have to return bikes as advertised if we told them in advance..However this was not honored on account of it being a “very busy day”. We’ll then I would have appreciated getting 1/2 my money back for our added time and hassle as a visitor to the area.
We did this tour in the fall when the leaves were changing and beginning to fall. The colors along the path were so vibrant and beautiful. Highly recommend!
We loved the ride, It was quite the ride for someone that is not athletic so be ready. We did get lost and got out of the trail in error, map or guided direction signs would be so helpful.
That was an amazing trip. Alexandria is soo beautiful. All the scenery and glimpses of the river along was amazing.
We were met at the storefront and quickly and easily got our bikes. The boat cruise was not in season when we went so enjoyed the 10 miles there and 10 miles back. Weather was perfect and the trail was just challenging enough. Mt. Vernon was a nice way to break up the 20 miles of riding. Parking our car was a bit tough as everything close by was only 3 hours and the tour is all day. Make sure to have a plan in place to park your car for the day. Would definitely recommend and do it again!
Getting the bikes was easy, and the contact person we spoke with was super friendly. We loved the bike route to Mount Vernon, but the bikes were not of great quality. No matter the gear or surface, it was a lot of pedaling, and often the gears stuck. However, we still enjoyed the beauty of the landscape and our trip to see Washington's home. If you get a chance, have lunch at the restaurant not the food court. :)
George Washington’s Mount Vernon is an American treasure and is being cared for as such. The tour is as cursory or immersive as one wants it to be. We toured both the grounds, mansion and museum for around 2.5 hours. We had a light lunch from a food truck on the grounds and that was refreshing. The bike route was lovely, shady, scenic and of mild difficulty. The path is not particularly smooth so speed is not your friend on this trip. The bikes are of marginal quality and condition. One of ours shifted roughly and both squealed out of poor lubrication the whole trip. The attendant was adequate but no better than that. So go for the great scenery and a wonderful historic opportunity.
