Washington, built around your group
Every Cornerstone route runs privately with a licensed DC guide, on your date and at your pace. Beyond the routes, we build full days and multi-day itineraries from scratch, with the tickets, the timing and a private vehicle with driver handled by one team.
Pick the shape of your day. We build the rest.
A private version of any route
The same route and the same guide standard, with nobody outside your party. Pick your date and time and book it on the route page.
See the routesA full day, ready to go
Three full days we have built around what guests ask for most, with a private vehicle and driver so the day flows. Take one as it is or ask us to adjust it.
See the three full daysSomething built from scratch
Half-day, full-day or multi-day. Museums, neighborhoods, food, a theme, a proposal, a reunion, a company offsite. Tell us what you have in mind.
How custom days workThe same routes we run publicly, just for your group
Same guide, same route, and the same reserved entries on the routes that have them. Your own pace and your own date. Every private route is a $300 private booking fee plus the per-guest rate, and you can book it straight from the route page.
Capitol Hill
The Capitol with your entry reserved, plus the Library of Congress or the Supreme Court, at your group's pace and with your questions answered.
$300 private booking fee, plus $65 per guest Capitol & Library of Congress, or Capitol & Supreme Court
$400 private booking fee, plus $90 per guest BIG 3, all three inside
Arlington
JFK's gravesite, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Changing of the Guard, timed for your party alone.
$300 private booking fee, plus $45 per guest
Georgetown
The Old Stone House, the canal, the Kennedy houses and the Exorcist Steps, with a guide who can linger wherever you want to.
$300 private booking fee, plus $49 per guest
Lincoln Assassination
Ford's Theatre, the Petersen House and the night of 14 April 1865, told to your group and nobody else.
$300 private booking fee, plus $59 per guest
National Archives
The National Archives route, run just for your group and a dedicated guide.
$300 private booking fee, plus $65 per guest
Ready-made days, quoted for your party
Open a day for the full schedule, stop by stop. Take it as it is or tell us what to change.
The morning is Capitol Hill on foot with your Capitol entry reserved: the Rotunda, the Crypt and Statuary Hall, then the Library of Congress for the Great Hall and the Main Reading Room. After lunch your driver takes over and the afternoon moves along the National Mall from memorial to memorial, ending with the White House from Lafayette Square.
- Length About 8 hours
- Walking Moderate, around 3 miles across the day
- Vehicle Recommended from lunch onward
Best for first-time visitors and families who want the whole picture in one day.
- A licensed DC guide for the whole day
- Reserved entry to the US Capitol and the Library of Congress
- A private vehicle with driver from lunch onward
- A lunch reservation near the Hill, made for you
- Pacing built around your group, with stops added or dropped as the day goes
Arlington first, walked rather than trammed, so you are at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in time for the Changing of the Guard and standing at JFK's grave with a guide who can tell you why it is there. Then the Marine Corps War Memorial above the river, lunch, and an afternoon on the Mall at the memorials to the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam, finishing at the Lincoln Memorial.
- Length About 7 hours
- Walking Moderate, Arlington is hilly
- Vehicle Recommended, the day crosses the river twice
Best for veterans, military families and anyone who wants the day to mean something.
- A licensed DC guide for the whole day
- A private vehicle with driver for the whole day
- Arlington timed around the Changing of the Guard
- A lunch reservation, made for you
- Room for a personal stop: a name on the Wall, a particular grave, a moment on your own
It starts where the story ends: Ford's Theatre, the Presidential Box, Booth's escape through Baptist Alley and the Petersen House across the street, where Lincoln died the next morning. After lunch, the Capitol where he was inaugurated twice, with your entry reserved, and the day closes at the Lincoln Memorial as the light goes.
- Length 7 to 8 hours
- Walking Easy to moderate
- Vehicle Optional, the morning is walkable and a car makes the afternoon easy
Best for history lovers, older students and anyone who wants depth rather than a checklist.
- A licensed DC guide for the whole day
- Tickets to Ford's Theatre, the Petersen House and the Aftermath Exhibits
- Reserved entry to the US Capitol
- A lunch reservation in Penn Quarter, made for you
- A private vehicle with driver if you want one
Each day is quoted for your party once we know the group size, the date and the vehicle. Timings are typical and move with your group, and every stop can be swapped.
Built from scratch
Beyond a private version of a route or one of the full days above, we build itineraries from nothing: half-day, full-day and multi-day, across the monuments, museums, neighborhoods, food and local history of DC. We handle the planning, the timing, the tickets, the vehicle and the guide through our DC network, so you have one point of contact rather than a stack of separate bookings.
This is also where themed requests fit: proposals, family reunions, corporate offsites, a school group with a curriculum to match, and deep dives into a specific period or subject. Tell us what you have in mind and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
What we take care of
- Planning the day around your dates, your interests and your pace
- Timed entries and tickets, reserved before you arrive
- A licensed DC guide matched to your group
- A private vehicle with driver, sized to your party
- Lunch and dinner reservations
- Mobility, access and dietary needs planned in, not worked around
- One point of contact from first email to tour day
From a sedan to a coach, with a driver every time
Every vehicle comes with a professional driver, so your guide can guide. We arrange it, we time it, and it appears on one quote with everything else. Guest counts below already leave a seat for your guide.
Luxury sedan
Up to 2 guests
A couple or a small family who want door to door comfort and a quiet ride between sites.
Luxury SUV
Up to 5 guests
Room for a family with bags, or a party of friends, without splitting into two cars.
Sprinter van
Up to 13 guests
The private tour workhorse. High roof, big windows, and everyone in one conversation.
Minibus
Up to 29 guests
Larger parties and small conference groups, without the scale of a full coach.
Passenger bus
Up to 37 guests
Schools, associations and conference groups, with staggered guides on the ground so the walking still feels small.
Motorcoach
Up to 54 guests
Whole companies, big reunions and tour groups, one coach and a team of guides waiting at every stop.
A single route stays a walking tour. A vehicle earns its place on the full days, on Arlington plus the Mall, and for anyone who would rather not walk between sites. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included whenever a vehicle is on the day.
From first email to tour day
Tell us
Tell us your group, your dates and what you want out of the day.
We quote
We send back a written itinerary and a quote.
We refine
We adjust timing, pace, routes and budget until it fits.
Tour day
Tour day. Your guide's name and number arrive the day before.
Tell us what you have in mind
We reply within one business day.
Bringing a school, company or large group?
Group travelQuestions we get about private tours
Can we combine two routes in one day?
Yes. That is exactly what the full days above do. Tell us which routes and we build the timing and the transport around them.
Is everything on a private Capitol Hill tour private?
Almost. The 45 minute official docent portion inside the Capitol is run by the Capitol Visitor Center and shared with other visitors. Everything either side of it is yours.
How large can a private group be?
Any size. For larger parties we add guides and stagger the departures a few minutes apart, so it still feels like a small group. How many guides depends on the route and the group.
Do we need a vehicle?
Not for a single route, they are all walking tours. For the full days, for Arlington plus the Mall, or for anyone who would rather not walk between sites, a private vehicle with driver makes the day.
Can you plan around mobility or access needs?
Yes. Capitol Hill and the Lincoln route are step-free. Arlington is hilly, so we plan it with the tram or a staged vehicle. Tell us what you need and we build the day around it.