Philadelphia Day Trip from NYC: Washington DC and Philadelphia by Coach

Included in Every Option

Two things are included: the round-trip coach transfer from New York City and a bilingual licensed guide who explains in both English and Spanish. The audio guide option adds a downloaded audio guide for both cities, with instructions sent after booking and the Amigo Tours app recommended. The private option adds hotel pickup and drop-off between lower Manhattan and 125th Street. The listed sights are Washington from the coach plus the Iwo Jima Memorial and White House stops, then the Philadelphia walk and the Rocky Steps.

One honest note: the listing is ambiguous about what the $95 buys, because it is the cheapest of three differently named options and the description does not tie the price to a specific one. The fix is to check the option name at checkout before you pay, and to read whether audio guide or private is listed as an upgrade on the booking page.

What You Pay for on the Day

Food and drinks are not included, and there is no lunch stop written into the itinerary. The listing recommends bringing your own food to eat during free time in Washington, but the itinerary gives no stated free time, so plan to eat on the coach or in the short stops. Gratuities for the guide and driver are not included, and the listing states no tipping amount.

Souvenirs are your own cost. Hotel pickup is only on the private option, so on the shared tour you make your own way to Times Square.

The Sights and What They Cost on Their Own

No attraction entry is included anywhere on the tour, and none of the sights charge to be seen from outside. In Philadelphia the Liberty Bell Center is free, open daily 9am to 5pm and needs no ticket, and Independence Hall tours need timed tickets through recreation.gov at a $1 per ticket fee. In Washington the Lincoln Memorial is free and open 24 hours, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is free and open 24 hours. If you want to go inside anything later, the US Capitol offers free timed tours, which matters because this coach only passes it.

The table below sums up the line items for this listing, based on the operator's own inclusions and exclusions.

Out of Manhattan and Into Washington

The coach leaves at 5:00 AM from Two Times Square, and you should be there 15 minutes early. The drive to Washington takes a large share of the 15 hours. Amtrak says a train takes about three hours and buses on this corridor take about 4 to 4.5 hours.

Once in the capital the route passes the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Korean War Veterans Memorial with its 19 stainless steel statues, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the 555-foot Washington Monument, all from the coach with the guide narrating in English and Spanish.

The Two Washington Stops

The first stop is the Iwo Jima Memorial, dedicated to the US Marines, for 5 minutes. That is long enough for a photo of the sculpture and not much more, though the memorial grounds are open 6am to midnight if you ever return on your own. The second stop is the White House for 20 minutes, an outside view of the home and office of the president.

Note that the itinerary passes the FBI headquarters, a museum described as the most iconic in the country, and the US Capitol without stopping, so this is a drive-through visit to Washington with no timed free time.

Philadelphia: 30 Minutes Each

The coach then moves to Philadelphia, founded in 1682 and the first capital. At Independence National Historical Park the guide leads a brief 30-minute walking tour past the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Thirty minutes is enough to see both from outside and take photos, but not enough to enter Independence Hall, which runs timed tours at 20-minute intervals and needs a $1 ticket booked ahead.

The listing also describes a building that served as City Hall until 1854, passed without stopping.

The Rocky Steps and the Ride Home

The last stop is 30 minutes at the Rocky Steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where you can climb the 72 steps from the 1976 movie and photograph the Rocky statue, which now stands at the top of the steps. The coach also passes the Washington fountain at Eakins Oval. After that it is the drive back to the meeting point at Two Times Square, where the tour ends.

The return time is not stated, and the listing warns that the itinerary can change with traffic, so build nothing onto the evening.

Travelers Who Want Real Time in Washington

This tour gives Washington two stops of 5 and 20 minutes and no timed free time. If the capital is your priority, the Washington DC day trip by bus or van costs $107, also runs 15 hours, and gives 90 minutes of free time plus stops at Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol. It skips Philadelphia entirely.

Travelers Who Want to Go Inside Buildings

No entry is included and the schedule does not allow it. Independence Hall timed tours, the Capitol Visitor Center and the museums are all impossible in a 30-minute stop. If you want interiors, plan a separate visit or choose a trip with free time.

For a slower day inside the city itself, a hop-on hop-off bus ticket lets you spend as long as you like at each stop.

Families with Very Young Children

The listing gives age bands of 0 to 2, 3 to 11 and 12 to 99, and two rules bite. Infants under 3 must bring their own safety seat, and the operator warns that drivers do not provide child seats and are not responsible if you cannot board without one, so inform them well in advance. Guests under 18 may not be admitted at check-in unless accompanied by an adult.

A 5:00 AM start and a 15-hour day make this hard with toddlers.

Travelers Who Need a Hotel Start or a Small Group

Hotel pickup exists only on the private option, so on the shared tour you reach Times Square yourself. The shared coach takes up to 54 people, and the guide speaks two languages. If a smaller group matters more than the second city, the half-day NYC highlights coach tour runs with up to 35 people and costs $68 for 4 hours.

Anyone Hoping for Flexibility

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start, but after that no full refund is stated. The itinerary is explicitly subject to traffic and may be modified. If your plans might change, book only once the date is firm.

Finding the Lids Store at Two Times Square

The coach leaves at 5:00 AM from in front of the Lids store at Two Times Square, 714 Seventh Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets, and you must arrive 15 minutes early. That puts you there around 4:45 AM. The Times Square district runs from 40th to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues and averages about 330,000 daily visitors, No subway line or walking time is stated for this address, so plan your own pre-dawn route with a journey planner.

Give yourself margin, because the coach leaves on time and the cancellation window has closed by then.

What to Add Before or After

Because the tour ends back at the same corner with no stated return time, keep the rest of the day unplanned. Two cheap classics nearby work at any hour. The Staten Island Ferry is free and runs around the clock for a Statue of Liberty view, and an MTA local bus costs $3 if you want more riding after 15 hours on a coach.

If the tour leaves you hungry for city sightseeing instead, the guide to the NYC night bus tour covers the open-top evening options.

If You Would Rather do Philadelphia by Train

Many travelers search for a philadelphia day trip from nyc by train, and the honest comparison is time. A coach shared between two cities starts at $95 and reaches Philadelphia after the Washington stops. Doing Philly alone gives you a full day there, and you could add the free Liberty Bell Center and the $1 Independence Hall ticket at your own pace.

For a list of every coach option out of the city, start from New York City bus tours and compare before booking.