Alexandria Virginia Best Boat Tours

When I was roaming around Alexandria, I found a water taxis company. So, I decided to ride a few and tell you my honest opinion about the experience. The best boat tours in Alexandria, Virginia are easy to find. Go to the one small booth located on the Alexandria waterfront.

Alexandria Virginia Best Boat Tours

When I went, I tried out three of boat tours. All the boats are well-maintained and several of the vessels provide narrated tours about Alexandria, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

Note: The signage is terrible.

The owner expects you, the tourist, to spend your vacation time translating his brochure. It’s a crazy brochure that you would need to have a graduate degree to figure out or a lot of time to understand it. However, the lady at the ticket desk is really helpful. But, I watched several people including myself, get confused.

If the signage was a little clearer and easier to read I think the tourist would have a better experience. Hopefully, they will start to provide tips that distinguished one trip from another. A simple list of tips would be very helpful. Therefore, since the signage and the brochure are not very helpful, ask the ticket lady for help. If you ask for help, you will buy the right tour for you. Also, ask her which one is the best to take at the time you want to go.

She knows which one is the most popular. The ticket lady is really nice and will help you take the right tour for you. I think she was the best part of my experience.

Best Boat Tours in Alexandria Virginia

#1. The best boat taxi is the DC Water Taxi – it’s simple. Go to National Harbor. At National Harbor, there is a Ferris wheel, shops, and restaurants.

#2. Alexandria to Georgetown Harbor The narrated tour goes to Georgetown. You can disembark at the Georgetown docks. From here, you can walk around the Georgetown sights unescorted to see Georgetown University, the stairs are where they filmed Exorcist, cobblestone streets, or the Alley where emancipated slaves once lived and historical miniature row homes. When done seeing the sights, hop on Georgetown Monument Tours. Use the water taxis as everyday transportation. Going to Georgetown by boat avoids the road, paying for parking, and traffic. The limited schedule is the only negative. The set schedule and the set departure times requires some planning by you. If you want to use the taxis – you will have to plan around their departure times. But, with a little planning, catching the boat ride back to Alexandria is better than driving.

#3. Alexandria to Washington Mall – On this ride, passengers beware, the place where visitors disembark to reach the Washington Mall isn’t really a dock. Be ready to jump because there is only one step for disembarking.

Some people complained that it felt unsafe and a little dangerous. I thought it was fine.

#4. Alexandria Harbor tour was least exciting tour with tons of little kids running around. It is a 45-minute tour of the Alexandria harbor. The boat tour takes you to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the Boathouse and then back to the Alexandria waterfront.