Why You Should Take a Washington DC Tour from New York

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If you’re vacationing in NYC can you still make a quick trip to Washington, DC? Yes! Read on to discover why you should book a day-trip and take a Washington DC tour from New York. 

Tours can be a great way to experience the “greatest hits” of your chosen destination, whether you want to visit a range of historic sites or are simply interested in looking around. However, like any holiday activity, no two tours will be identical.

Washington, DC—one of the most recognizable locations in the USA due to its prominence in history and current events—is no exception. As the USA’s capital, it is a city that foreign tourists and Americans often want to visit.

But why should you take a tour, especially if it is a tour that starts in New York rather than Washington itself?

Jefferson Memorial during the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. Photo by f11photo via iStock by Getty Images

Tours Can Provide an Authentic Experience

A tour from within DC might get you around faster, but it removes some of the authenticity of journeying into the city. A tour that starts outside of any major city gives you a great chance to see the parts of the city many people overlook—the suburbs and surrounding rural areas.

While this will not appeal to everybody who wants to explore Washington, DC, in all its glory, it can be an excellent addition for anybody who wants to know more about the Washington metropolitan area. Seeing the slow approach to the capital’s major landmarks can be a breathtaking experience.

A tour to Washington, DC, from NYC will allow you to see the countryside. Photo by Sean Pavone via iStock by Getty Images

Beyond that, a tour like this can settle you in and make it much more relaxing. Rather than feeling like you are being rushed around a carefully planned loop as fast as possible, a longer and more in-depth tour might give deeper glimpses into the areas that make Washington, DC, iconic.

They Aren’t Just Sightseeing Tours

A short tour is often little more than being driven around an area and getting told to look out of the window as you pass a landmark, rarely with a chance to stop and take a look for yourself. Tours from outside of DC need to be something more, which often makes them more diverse.

This means stopping for food with the rest of the tour and taking time to walk around areas like the National Mall, along with the opportunity to take more than just a few token pictures. Even if you are only there for the sights, you are bound to see even more of the area and get much better angles on a full tour.

A longer tour of Washington, DC, will give you time to get out and explore a bit more. Photo by Milton Rodriguez via iStock by Getty Images

These more extensive tours are even more special because they are usually designed with time to spare, given that they often take up a large portion of the day. You have time to stop and explore or get truly unique pictures instead of snapping the same angles as everybody else on the same tour bus.

You Might Meet People

Some of the best things about taking a tour, regardless of the main event, are the people you meet along the way. A tour from New York to DC is the perfect chance to meet new people, even if it is only for the duration of the tour. You will spend several hours in the same vehicles as them, so you will get time to socialize on your trip from landmark to landmark.

Get to know others taking the tour with you. Photo by vadimguzhva via iStock by Getty Images

You never know who you might meet, which can be part of the appeal for people not from the area themselves. It can be a good way to ease yourself into a long-term holiday in the USA or let you chat with people from completely different parts of the world during your downtime.

Even a brief conversation can sometimes lead to you learning useful tips for taking good photos, enjoying your time in the USA, or other important tidbits of information that might come in handy. The longer the tour, the more you might pick up from the people around you.

You’ll Get a Better Understanding of DC

Just hopping onto a tour bus for a two-hour round-trip of the city’s significant landmarks does not give you much knowledge of DC. A longer tour that involves stopping for food and walking through some of those landmarks yourself can offer a deeper, more personal understanding of the area.

You can talk with other tourists and locals willing to chat, and you can also experience local food and spend time in the city. The areas with no real historical significance or major landmarks can be just as beautiful and intriguing, and this way, you get to see them up close.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Photo by sborisov via DepositPhotos

You Still End Up in NYC

One of the big advantages of a tour like this is that you are always returning to your starting point. This means you do not have to arrange a day trip to DC for a quick tour. You can stay in NYC and still get the whole experience.

While this becomes more useful if you are not actively staying in DC at that point, it can be surprisingly helpful to remember. Going on a tour of DC without having to find parking or transport in DC itself can make a big difference to your vacation plans.

Ultimately, a tour like this is a fantastic chance to see a whole new part of the country while minimizing the planning required. This is invaluable for tourists on vacation to the United States but also becomes helpful to US residents who want to spend as little money as possible, seeing every part of DC they can.

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Planning Your Washington, DC, Tour from New York

If you are interested in a Washington, DC tour from New York, then it is an experience worth looking into. Regardless of your specific interests, a good tour like this can help you learn much about the area without over-complicating your visit.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you choose a tour you know you will enjoy. There are countless tour options to explore, so take some time to consider what kind of experience you are looking for. We invite you to check out Wander With Wonder for suggestions of things you can do in New York City and Washington, DC.

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Why You Should Take a Washington DC Tour from New York