Arlington Cemetery Private Tour

Arlington National Cemetery is far more than a list of famous graves. With veteran guide Tom Schultz, you get context for the cemetery’s origins, a look at military customs, and time to visit a grave that matters to you. The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns is a key moment, but the quieter paths can be just as affecting.

I like the private format, which lets you set the pace and ask questions without a large group crowding the moment. I also like the custom approach: Tom has guided families to a parent’s or friend’s grave, built a Civil War-focused route, and adjusted walks for people with knee replacements or wheelchairs.

The main consideration is the price: $875 per group, up to six people, is a serious outlay for a four-hour visit. The value improves sharply with a full group, while solo visitors or couples may find public options less costly.

Key points to know before booking

• A veteran guide adds military context: Tom Schultz brings personal service experience and explains customs, ceremonies, and cemetery history in plain language.
• Your route can be personal: Request a notable grave, a loved one’s marker, Civil War sites, the Supreme Court section, or quieter parts of the grounds.
• The walking route is about 2.75 miles: It is hilly and mostly outdoors, so good shoes and seasonal clothing matter.
• The Tomb of the Unknowns is a central stop: The tour includes the changing of the guard and guidance toward a respectful viewing position.
• Pickup and drop-off are included: Service covers downtown Washington, National Harbor, Arlington County, and Alexandria, with other agreed locations within the stated service area.
• A full group gets the best value: At six people, the listed price works out to about $146 per person before gratuity.

Why Arlington works best with a guide

Arlington National Cemetery can look simple on a map. In practice, it covers a large area with hills, formal avenues, famous graves, military ceremonies, and quiet corners that are easy to miss. You can walk past a marker without knowing why it matters, or spend too much time crossing the grounds before reaching the place you came to see.

A private guide changes that. Tom Schultz can shape the visit around your interests instead of following a fixed group route. If your family wants military history, you can focus there. If you are visiting a parent, friend, or relative, you can build the morning around that grave and leave room for private time.

The guide’s veteran background is useful here. Arlington is not simply a cemetery with famous names. It is also a working military cemetery, where funerals, ceremonies, and daily operations continue alongside public visits. A guide can help you understand what you are seeing while keeping the tone respectful.

I especially value the balance between information and quiet. This is not a nonstop lecture. The day can include explanation while moving between sites, then pause when a family needs a private moment or when the setting calls for silence.

The 8:00 a.m. start and private ride

The suggested start is 8:00 or 8:30 in the morning. That early timing makes sense. Much of the tour is outdoors, and an early beginning gives you a better chance to cover the grounds before the day feels tiring. It also leaves room for a calm visit rather than a rushed circuit.

Pickup is offered at a lodging point or agreed meeting place in downtown Washington, National Harbor, Arlington County, or Alexandria. The service can also arrange an agreed address or intersection, airport, cruise port, hotel, monument or building, rail station, or bus station within the stated area.

Transport is in a private, air-conditioned 2017 Buick Enclave. Bottled water and onboard WiFi are included. This is not a luxury vehicle tour in the grand sense, but it is practical: you do not need to find parking, navigate the roads, or return to a fixed meeting point after walking.

The sample schedule allows roughly 20 minutes to reach Arlington, about three hours and ten minutes at the cemetery, and about 30 minutes for the return transfer. The exact timing can change with your pickup and drop-off points, but the plan gives you a useful block of time on site.

Walking Arlington’s hills and quiet paths

The tour is advertised as about four hours, with about 2.75 miles, or 4.4 kilometers, of walking if you explore on foot. That distance is manageable for many people, but the hills matter more than the mileage. This is not a flat city stroll, and you will spend most of the visit outdoors.

Wear supportive shoes. Dress for the season. Bring any personal mobility aids you need, and tell the guide about limits before the tour begins. One family used the tour for an older group, and another included a person recovering from two knee replacements. The guide adjusted the route with safety in mind.

A public trolley can be used on the cemetery grounds if mobility is limited. The tradeoff is simple: walking lets you see more of the cemetery at your own pace, while the trolley can reduce strain and make the visit more manageable. Ask about this option when arranging the tour rather than treating it as an afterthought.

A wheelchair user has also been accommodated on this tour, but the available information does not promise that every route or surface will be equally easy. Arlington’s hills and varied terrain remain important factors. A private guide helps with planning, but you should still judge the walking demands honestly.

The quieter sections are part of the appeal. You may spend time away from the busiest paths, where the scale of the cemetery becomes easier to grasp. The guide can point out less-visited areas and allow moments of silence instead of filling every minute with facts.

The Tomb of the Unknowns and changing of the guard

The Tomb of the Unknowns is one of the tour’s main sights. The changing of the guard gives the visit a formal military focus, with ceremony and discipline that feel different from an ordinary sightseeing stop.

Timing matters. A private guide can help place your group where you have a respectful view, but the tour details do not guarantee a particular ceremony time or viewing position. Ask Tom about the planned timing when you book or before the morning begins.

This is also a place where good behavior matters. Keep voices low, follow directions, and do not treat the ceremony like a casual photo stop. The guide’s role is useful because he can explain what is happening without forcing you to work out the etiquette on your own.

The Tomb may be the image most people associate with Arlington, but it should not become the whole visit. The best use of the tour is to pair the ceremony with personal and historical stops elsewhere in the cemetery.

Graves that make the visit personal

The private format is most valuable when you have a specific person to find. You can request the grave of a loved one, a longtime friend, or a public figure. One family used the tour to locate a father’s grave and received private time there. That kind of help can be difficult to arrange when you are working from a map and a tight schedule.

You can also ask for notable sections. One route included the area associated with members of the Supreme Court, which gave the visit a civic as well as military dimension. Another focused on the Civil War, with the guide creating a custom plan around that subject.

The tour can also include graves you did not know to seek out. Tom’s role is not just to point at famous markers. He can connect places to larger events, military service, and the way Arlington developed over time. The result is a visit that feels less like collecting names and more like understanding how the cemetery functions.

If you are coming to Arlington before a funeral, the guide can also help you understand some practical details, including aspects of grave marker carving and the setting you may encounter on a solemn day. That preparation can be valuable when your attention is already occupied by family and grief.

Military funerals and respectful timing

The planned experience may include observing part of a full military honors funeral while moving from one section to another. This is not entertainment, and the tone should remain quiet and restrained. The ceremony is part of Arlington’s daily purpose, not a performance arranged for tour groups.

Your guide can help you keep an appropriate distance and understand what you are seeing. Exact funeral activity cannot be guaranteed, since it depends on the cemetery’s schedule. If one is taking place during your visit, treat it as a solemn responsibility to stay out of the way.

This is one reason an early start and private format help. You have more flexibility to pause, reroute, or move quietly through the grounds. A large group with a rigid timetable would have less room to respond sensitively.

The $875 price and who gets good value

The cost is $875 per group of up to six people. Admission to the cemetery is free, so you are paying for the guide’s time, private transportation, planning, and the convenience of pickup and drop-off rather than an entrance ticket.

For six people, the cost is about $146 each. For four, it is about $219 each. For two, it is $437.50 per person, before gratuity. That math makes this a much better fit for a family or small group than for a solo visitor.

The price can make sense when you have a personal goal, such as finding a relative’s grave, fitting the cemetery into a short Washington visit, or helping an older family member manage the hills. It also makes sense if you want a custom military history route and do not want to spend time arranging the details yourself.

The value is weaker if you simply want to see the best-known sites and are comfortable reading signs, using a map, and walking independently. Arlington is free to enter, and the tour’s main advantage is guidance and private logistics.

Lunch is not included, and gratuity is not included. Bottled water, air conditioning, WiFi, and transportation are included. Build your plans around the four-hour window, especially if you have another timed activity afterward.

Who should book this private tour

I would recommend it most for families with a shared purpose. That may be visiting a relative’s grave, preparing for a funeral, honoring a veteran, or introducing several generations to Arlington without forcing everyone to follow a generic route.

It also suits visitors who want military context from a veteran guide. Tom Schultz has handled custom requests ranging from Civil War history to major civic figures, and he has shown a willingness to adjust pace and route for different physical abilities.

Couples can enjoy it too, especially if the cemetery has personal meaning. But the fixed group price is harder to justify for two people unless the custom planning and private ride are central to your visit.

This is not the right pick for someone seeking a quick, low-cost stop. The walk can be hilly, the subject matter is solemn, and the four-hour format asks you to give Arlington real time. You should also be comfortable spending much of the morning outside.

Booking, cancellation, and practical details

Confirmation is provided at booking. The activity is private, so only your group participates, and English is the offered language. Arlington is near public transportation, but this option removes the need to manage transfers on your own.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours are not accepted for a refund, and the cutoff follows local time.

Bring water if you prefer more than the supplied bottle, wear shoes suited to hills, and dress for the forecast. If you need a trolley or have a mobility concern, raise it before the visit so the route can be planned sensibly.

Should you book Arlington Cemetery Private Tour?

Book this tour if you want Arlington to be personal, not just photographic. The strongest reasons are the private vehicle, the ability to request specific graves or themes, and Tom Schultz’s military background and flexible pace.

For a full group of six, the price is easier to defend. For a smaller party, book only if the custom route, personal grave visit, accessibility planning, or veteran guidance matters more to you than saving money.

I would choose the early morning start, give Tom your priorities in advance, and allow the cemetery to be quiet at times. The changing of the guard may be the headline, but the private moments and less-visited paths are likely to stay with you longer.

FAQ

How long does the Arlington Cemetery private tour last?

The tour lasts approximately four hours. A sample 8:00 a.m. schedule includes pickup, about 20 minutes of transit, roughly three hours and ten minutes at Arlington, and about 30 minutes for the return transfer.

How many people can join the tour?

The private tour is priced for a group of up to six people. Only your group participates.

Where can pickup and drop-off take place?

Free pickup and drop-off are offered at lodging points within downtown Washington, DC, National Harbor, Maryland, Arlington County, Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia. An agreed address, intersection, airport, cruise port, monument, rail station, or bus station may also be possible within the stated service area.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Transport is provided in a private, air-conditioned 2017 Buick Enclave. Bottled water and WiFi on board are also included.

How much walking is involved?

The walking route is about 2.75 miles, or 4.4 kilometers, and includes hills. Most of the tour is outdoors, so seasonal clothing and suitable shoes are important.

Is there an option for people with limited mobility?

Yes. There is an option to use the public trolley on the cemetery grounds if guests are mobility limited. The tour has also accommodated wheelchair users and people with knee problems, but the terrain remains hilly.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not refunded or accepted.