National Mall Walking Tour
Walk from the Capitol to the Tidal Basin through the nation’s landscape of memory and debate.
United States
Self-guided tours in District of Columbia
The walk
About District of Columbia
Washington, D.C. was planned as a capital from the start, and its center was laid out as a stage: a long open mall with the Capitol at one end and, eventually, the Lincoln Memorial at the other. Most of the city's monuments, museums and memorials sit on or beside that one stretch of ground, which makes it a place you can understand on foot in an afternoon. Our D.C. tour is the National Mall Walking Tour, eight stops over 4.2 miles from the Capitol's West Front to the Jefferson Memorial. It covers how the Smithsonian came from a British chemist's will, why the Washington Monument changes color partway up, the stories behind the World War II and Vietnam Veterans memorials, who was allowed to sit up front at the Lincoln Memorial, and how Martin Luther King Jr.'s words were carved into a stone of hope on the Tidal Basin. The walk takes about 2 hours 4 minutes with the stories. It's flat and long, so carry water in summer, and expect the biggest crowds in spring when the cherry trees bloom. Each stop is a complete story, so you can split the walk over two days.
Where to go in District of Columbia
District of Columbia: questions people ask
What audio tours are there in Washington, D.C.?
The National Mall Walking Tour: eight stops from the U.S. Capitol to the Jefferson Memorial, 4.2 miles and about 2 hours 4 minutes with the stories.
Can I walk the National Mall in one day?
Yes. The walk takes about 2 hours 4 minutes with all the stories. Going inside the museums is what turns it into a full day.
Is the tour self-guided?
Yes. Start whenever you like. unlock the rest to hear it on the web or in the Stories app, which also works offline.
Is there a self-guided tour of District of Columbia?
Yes. "National Mall Walking Tour" is on Stories. Unlock it once for your group for $4.99 and play it in your browser; the app plays each story as you arrive.
Every Stories tour plays in your browser, no app needed. How it works
Know someone headed to District of Columbia? Give a walk as a gift, emailed on the day you pick.