Tours/Washington DC/Washington DC Mall Self Guided Audio Walking Tour
Viator · Private tour

Washington DC Mall Self Guided Audio Walking Tour

3.8(4)Washington DC1 hour
VIATOR3.5(2)TRIPADVISOR4.0(2)

Description

On our location aware smart phone guided walking tour you will see D.C.’s best-known monuments and museums with a few hidden gems in between using the power of our patented walking tour technology and story telling. Go at your own pace, and schedule. On our adventure you’ll see the Vietnam war, Lincoln, Washington, Korean War, world war 2, General Grant, Garfield, Buffalo Dancer, Joan Miro and Marc Chagall monuments, memorials and statues, to name a few. You will also see the Smithsonian museums of American History, Natural History, Air and Space, American Indians, the National Gallery and the sculpture garden, all free to enter, if they are open of course. And along the way I’ll share with you the stories of each site, it’s hidden secrets, and how they influenced and changed the United States. I’ll even suggest a spot to grab lunch and have a picnic along the way. Our tour starts at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, just next to the soldiers in poncho’s.

Tour Options

Washington DC Mall Self Guided Audio Walking Tour

Itinerary

7 min

The tour starts here, you'll see the amazing memorial and hear the story of Korea and how the war erupted and the US fought to help South Korea. In the end roughly 1,780,000 Americans served, with 36,574 killed, 103,284 wounded, and 4,714 taken as prisoners of war. Today it's known as the forgotten war.

6 min

You'll walk up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and learn the history of Lincoln, his rise to power, and why he changed the USA. You'll see the monument and learn a few secrets about the memorial and steps and debunk a few conspiracies.

6 min

The tour goes through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and you'll learn the story of Vietnam, how it started and the US involvement. You'll see the memorial and learn about it's history.

10 min

The tour goes to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and you'll hear about the historic events that went down here for Civil Rights an Martin Luther King's most famous Speech "I Have a Dream". And some Forest Gump history. You'll learn the history of the pool and walk to the WW2 memorial.

6 min

You will see the WW2 Memorial, learn about Kilroy, and the history and stories behind WW2, the memorial and more.

5 min

Discover the Story of George Washington, how he liked being British and was known as the "Town Killer" before he changed his mind and revolted, and won the war! To note, this does not go in the monument. Tickets are free, but not always available. You'll need to get a ticket before hand to guarantee entrance.

5 min

Get a chance to see Chagall and Miro statues, and learn their story. Stop for lunch at the Café and take in the art.

5 min

See the world's most famous artists including Da Vinci, Van Gogh and many more, and you'll learn their stories, history and more.

5 min

learn the stories of the Native Americans, the Buffalo Dancer, the 'Totem" poles and much more as we the tour walks around the Museum.

5 min

The tour stops at the capital reflecting pool where you'll hear the history of General Grant and the pool.

5 min

The tour ends at the steps of the Capital Building where you'll learn it's story and history.

Highlights

Go at your own pace, anytime. The tour never expires.
See the National Mall, memorials and museums, all free to enter
Tour on our walking tour app in Washington DC
Go anytime, the tour is all outside, go 24/7/365.

What's included

Included
Go at your own pace, anytime. The tour never expires.
See the National Mall, memorials and museums, all free to enter
Tour on our walking tour app in Washington DC
Go anytime, the tour is all outside, go 24/7/365.
Not included
No food or drinks.
Washington Monument ticket must be booked before hand, it's free. (but first come, first serve)

Traveller Ratings

3.8
4 reviews
5
2
4
0
3
1
2
1
1
0

Important Information

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • • Washington Monument ticket must be booked before hand, (Limited slots) it's free but first come, first serve.

Reviews(4)

J
jamie_h
June 13, 2026
Great self paced tour

Great tour that’s lets you move at your own pace, skip any of the stops you’ve already visited in the past

M
madelinel966
March 23, 2026
This tour was fine

Overall I feel mixed about this tour. There were a few instances which the information was interesting and valuable, but more often than not, it felt like a history lesson for what the monuments represent as opposed to facts and things to note about the monuments. Maybe that’s a misalignment of my expectations, but if I want to know what they’re about, there’s a placard at each one with the same basic overview. What I would have hoped for are interesting and educational facts about the design, charter and history since these memorials have been erected. What I ended up with was a banal history lesson and Forest Gump quotes. It got the job done as far as touring me around, (timing was fairly accurate, but I did have to pause at times) but I would have learned more with my phone and some quick wiki searches

E
Elena_N
February 13, 2026
Dissatisfied

BEWARE! I am sorry to say that I must leave a negative review. We had a guided tour booked, which was cancelled due to the snow and icy conditions. We rebooked a recorded tour for the 4 people in our party. The recorded tour was very difficult to access and required the download of 2 separate apps and furnishing a lot of personal information. Then, after wasting a fair amount of time on all of that, we were only ever able to access one recorded tour on one of our phones. The other three were inaccessible and every time the other members of my party tried to access the recording it would just link back to the one on my phone. So, we paid 4 times for 1 tour. When I asked for a refund, they refused, saying that they have a 24-hour cancellation fee. Which was rich, given that they cancelled our guided tour with 2 hours’ notice! The snow had been on the ground for 2 weeks, so they had plenty of time to provide us 24-hour notice but didn’t. Also, although I can understand a 24-hour policy for a guided tour where a person must plan to be there, the required 24-hour notice for a recorded tour is ridiculous. Again, they were the ones who cancelled on us. Very disappointing; DO NOT recommend.

Operator response

Hi! Did you hear that all you have to do is get the walkntours app. Then you enter your email and that opens the app. There really isn’t any personal information as besides email. :) It sounds like you use the same email login for every tour. What you’ll need to do is each phone needs to register a different email address as mentioned in the ticket. That sounds like it was the issue that you only use one email address.? I’m happy to issue a refund. I didn’t see anybody contact me on this. Email me please at Greg @ walkntours.com I’m happy to find a solution for you Sorry it didn’t work out for you. Most people download the whole tour in less than a minute and write me great reviews so I’m really sad. It didn’t work out for you. Greg @ walkntours

M
melaniecW8639QS
June 7, 2023
Best tour ever!!

I'm not one to usually take the time to write a review, but....This is the best tour!! It was very user friendly, and can be used for one person or a group. --I'd choose this tour over an in-person tour guide any day, because you can do it at your own pace, and stop and restart whenever. I stuck my AirPods in, and followed along to the narrator. He provided awesome tips and trivia, which is right up my alley. He tells you exactly where to walk for the entire length of the National Mall with stops at all of the memorials. He is even as specific was which crosswalk or intersection to walk on. He allows time for you to get to these specifc spots while filling in the time with additional fun facts. He even goes over each of the Smithsonian's as you walk by them! I learned so much information that I did not know about DC and the memorials.. including the coolest fun fact at the WW2 memorial. And if all that is not enough, he even sends a follow-up email with alll the tour highlights. Who does that?!! I'm so impressed. Do yourself a favor and get this tour!!

You might also like...