The Best Way to See the Monuments in DC? Rent an E-Bike for a Night-Time Solo Tour

The city is lined with protected bike lanes and paths, including an excellent one along the Potomac River. Once on the National Mall, bike-friendly paths are everywhere, and the perk of doing the tour at night is that there are far fewer people around. Rather than constantly weaving around pedestrians and street vendors, I largely had the paths to myself the entire time. At popular sights like the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, there were a few people – but I had no issue seeing what I wanted to see up close and then moving on.

How to rent an e-bike in Washington, DC

Just outside my hotel were multiple bike options to choose from. Lime operates e-bikes rentals throughout the capital, parked randomly throughout town much as the company’s scooters are. There were a few of these within a block of my hotel, and I was delighted to learn I could rent one through my Uber account. Also available throughout town is the Capital Bikeshare, a city-sponsored bikeshare program that stocks e-bikes at designated racks throughout the city center. Though I chose the Lime bike for this excursion, I rented multiple bikes from Capital Bikeshare throughout my time in DC.

It cost $1 to unlock the bike and 15 cents per minute to rent the Lime e-bike. In total, my ride cost $39. This is the same price as Capital Bikeshare, though if you’re a member that price is slightly lower at 10 cents per minute following the $1 fee to unlock.

Routing an e-bike tour of the National Mall

Foggy Bottom is northwest of the National Mall. As such, I began my monument tour by pedaling southeast on 26th Street. NW towards Virginia Avenue. I then dipped south onto 23rd Street, past the US Institute of Peace and onto the National Mall. My first stop was the Lincoln Memorial. I pedaled around the back of the memorial and parked my bike on the south side. From there I proceeded on foot up the steps to see the Big Guy himself.

From there I did a full circle around the reflecting pool, of course stopping to remember all the famous movie scenes and iconic news photos that have happened here. I stopped again at the Korean War Veterans Memorial. I then pedaled along the south side of the pool to the World War II Memorial, and onto the Washington Monument. The map embed below is the suggested route by Google Maps, though note that the route I took (pictured in the above screenshot) showcases a bit more of the city.

After seeing these sights, I felt like cruising for a bit. I pedaled through the rest of the National Mall, past the United States Botanic Garden, and took Maryland Avenue over the highway to the Peace Monument. I could see the lights on the Capitol Building this entire stretch of the ride, and though I had that as my unofficial target, I had no idea what to expect at the building itself – obviously, I couldn’t go inside, it was inspiring to ride behind the building past the Garfield Memorial and to the Peace Monument, where I stopped for a few minutes to rest and plan my route back to Foggy Bottom. Much of what I hadn’t seen on the National Mall was in the middle and largely consisted of the Smithsonian Museums, some of which I intended to visit if time allowed throughout my stay, but that wasn’t on the docket for tonight.

Instead, I decided to ride past the White House and to McPherson and Farragut Squares en route to The River Inn. This brought me up Pennsylvania Avenue to 15th Street, where I hung a right and rode up to I Street, where I met McPherson Square. I pedaled through Farragut Square and hit the Washington Circle roundabout, then took New Hampshire Avenue back in to the hotel off 25th Street.

How to plan for an e-bike tour of the National Mall

The entire ride took about 90 minutes, including stopping to check out the sights along the way. With detours not noted on the map, like the jaunt I took down to the Potomac, I ended up cruising about 12 miles, though the route itself is only about seven. It’s largely flat, and because I was on an e-bike the entire time, I didn’t exert a whole lot of effort – though the bike itself was a Level 1 pedal assist, so I did burn a few calories.

If you opt for a bike from Capital Bikeshare, there are racks where you can return or pick up a bike throughout the route, including one near the National Museum of Asian Art and another just south across Independence Avenue. From where I started, the closest was the pickup point at New Hampshire Avenue just south of Washington Circle, a couple blocks from The River Inn.

I visited in September and the weather was nice – it was about 65 degrees during my ride. However, temperatures and conditions can fluctuate, so bring warmer riding clothes in a backpack in case you need to add or remove a layer at any point.