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Washington DC is a great city to visit because so many of its attractions are free.  However, there are also some excellent premium attractions.  When visiting we use the Go Washington DC Card to get discounts and save money when going to multiple attractions.

Overview

The Go Washington DC Card is part of the Leisure Pass Group.  They offer discount programs to multiple cities in both the U.S. and around the world.  This includes a great program for our home city of San Diego.

I was born in the center of Washington, DC.  My family still lives in the area and we visit at least once a year.  Several of our favorite attractions are on the Go Washington DC Card.

Of course, it should be noted that the Smithsonian museums and major monuments in Washington, DC are free.  This even includes the National Zoo, which is operated by the Smithsonian.

You only need the Go Washington DC Card if you are going to the premium attractions.  For this reason, the Go Washington DC Card works differently from the Go San Diego Card.

There are basically two Go Washington DC Card options.  You can do a Build Your Own Pass option.  This basically gives users 20% off the price of 2 or more attractions.

The other option is the Explorer Pass.  The Explorer Pass is best used on the highest price attractions.  It can save you up to 47% on up to 5 attractions.

There is some math involved so we will give you an overview of how to consider which option is best for your particular situation.

Go Washington D.C.: Save up to 47% on top museums, tours, and activities, and pay nothing at the gate.

Explorer Pass

As mentioned, the Explorer Pass for Washington, D.C. is a little different from the San Diego pass.  With San Diego you buy a pass good for 1 to 5 days.  During that time, you can visit as many attractions as you like.

For the Washington, D.C. Explorer Pass you buy either 3, 4 or 5 attractions.  The pass is good for 30 days from the first attraction you visit.

At the start of 2020, a 3 Attraction Explorer Pass is $60, a 4 Attraction Pass is $76, and a 5 Attraction Pass is $90.

Basically, an Explorer Pass will get you into an attraction for $18 to $20.  This compares with a Build Your Own Pass that saves you a straight 20%.  Some attractions are priced less than $20 so it does not make sense to use an Explorer Pass if those are the primary attractions you wish to visit.

If I was personally building an Explorer Pass the 5 attractions I would include are:

• Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus
• International Spy Museum
• Roundtrip Mount Vernon Cruise
• Mount Vernon
• Big Bus DC Panoramic Night Tour

Individually these attractions would cost $168.  With the pass they cost $90 for a savings of 47%.

Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus

List Price $49.00

Washington, DC is the perfect city for this type of bus tour.  The Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus allows you to ride the double decker bus for 1-day.  This is convenient way to get to many of the top sites in Washington DC and across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia.  However, it is a lot of fun because you get to learn the history behind the many sites and monuments.  I have not taken a bus tour in years, but when I have it is amazing how many interesting facts I learned.

On our last two visits, we did a short driving tour that goes through part of the route.  This can give you a sampling of what you will see.

Washington DC Driving Tour

International Spy Museum

List Price $26.44

We have gone to the old International Spy Museums multiple times since it opened in 2002.  However, in 2019 they moved to a much larger building with twice the exhibition space.  We have not been to the new museum but assume it is only better.  You can see our last visit to the old museum in late 2018.

International Spy Museum Washington D.C.

Roundtrip Mount Vernon Cruise and Mount Vernon

List Price $28 for cruise, $20 Mount Vernon

George Washington’s home and farm at Mount Vernon is a favorite attraction of ours.  In recent years they have built a large museum focused on the life of Washington.  The large grounds and buildings have been restored to Washington’s days when Mt Vernon was a working plantation.

Mt Vernon is south on the Potomac past historic Alexandria, VA and the National Harbor.  Boat tours of the Potomac are a great deal of fun because there are so many sites.  This includes watching planes land at the Reagan airport.  The boat tour gives you 4 hours to explore Mt Vernon.

Note at $20, you are better using the Build Your Own Pass option if you are just visiting Mt Vernon and not taking the cruise.

Big Bus DC Panoramic Night Tour

List Price $45

Assuming the weather cooperates, Washington DC comes alive at night.  This is a two-hour tour on a double decker bus that includes a stop at the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Korean War Memorial.

Additional Attractions

Go Washington D.C.: Save up to 47% on top museums, tours, and activities, and pay nothing at the gate.

Other attractions worth considering on an Explorer Pass are the ones priced $20 or more

Walking Tours ($20 to $40) 

Walking tours are a favorite activity for our family now that we have teenage children.  However, when our children were younger, we left them at home.  Note, you have a choice of 3 different walking tours included with the Pass, but these are ghost themed and intended more for adults.  The Talk Politics and Explore Capitol Hill Tour at $40 sounds like it would be the most interesting.

Washington National Cathedral ($22)

The Washington National Cathedral is a chance to see a European style cathedral.  It is the 6^th largest in the world and dominates the skyline of Northwest DC beyond Georgetown.  I have enjoyed coming here since I was a young child.  Not only are there gargoyles but they have a statue of Darth Vader.  Note that the pass includes the choice of a guided tour.  If you want to do a self-guided tour this would be a better option for a build your own pass

Museum of the Bible ($25)

We have seen the Museum of the Bible grow to its massive location near the Air and Space Museum.  It opened in 2017.  We have not been, but the museum gets good reviews on TripAdvisor.  However, as is the nature of the subject, the museum is controversial.

Bike and Roll DC Bike Rentals ($25.66 3-hour Bike Rental)

Washington DC is actually a great biking city.  Our favorite is the Mount Vernon Trail that goes 18 miles from Georgetown to Mount Vernon.  This is a flat trail with no vehicles.  It rides a dedicated bike path along the Potomac River.  Of course, a round trip is 36 miles which may be pushing it for a 3-hour tour.  However, Bike and Roll is at the halfway point in Alexandria, Virginia.  You can choose to go north to Georgetown or south to Mount Vernon for a roundtrip of 18 miles.

Build Your Own Pass

The Build Your Own Pass is the one we use most often in multiple cities (including San Diego).  This pass basically saves you 20% off regular admission when you visit two or more of the included attractions.

There are several attractions available only on the Build Your Own Pass option.  There are also many options under $20 which is the average attraction price with an Explorer Pass.  These lower priced attractions are better seen with a Build Your Own Pass.

The notable big-ticket items only available on the Build Your Own Pass are the DC Highlights Tour.  This is a 4-hour bus and walking tour that normally costs $54.  There is also the Sites by Segway Tour at $64.

The other sites for a Build Your Own Pass include:

• National Law Enforcement Museum ($23.21)
• National Geographic Museum ($15)
• ARTECHOUSE ($17.50)
• Hillwood Estates Museum and Garden ($18)
• National Building Museum ($10)
• Capital Wheel ($16.50)
• One Hour Wharf Siteseeing Cruise ($21)
• Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum ($22.50)

The only sites on that list we have been to are the National Building Museum and the National Geographic Museum.  They are family favorites, but the National Building Museum is currently closed for major renovation.

Note if you are going to Mt Vernon but not planning to take the boat ride, you will save more money on the Build Your Own Pass option.

Go Washington D.C.: Save up to 47% on top museums, tours, and activities, and pay nothing at the gate.

Conclusion

I am a hound for discounts and have used the Leisure Pass Group discount cards in multiple cities.  Our hometown of San Diego has some very expensive attractions and the multi-attraction Go City Pass is significantly more expensive than its Washington DC counterpart.

Washington DC is a little different.  Many of the attractions in the city are free.  The attractions that do charge do not cost as much because of intense competition for the tourist dollar.  Therefore, the Go Washington DC Card is less expensive as well.

Our recommendation is get the Explorer Pass if you plan on going to the International Spy Museum and doing a bus and boat tour.

If you are doing mainly the lower priced attractions, the Build Your Own Pass option is the way to go.  Personally, we use this option both in our hometown of San Diego and on our annual visits to Washington DC.

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