The Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1 to 3, 1863, was the largest battle ever fought in North America. Roughly 165,000 soldiers fought across 25 square miles of Pennsylvania farmland over three days. About 51,000 were killed, wounded, or went missing. Five months later, Lincoln came back to dedicate the Soldiers National Cemetery and delivered the Gettysburg Address in under three minutes.
This chauffeured day trip departs Washington DC and gets you to Gettysburg and back in 10 hours. Gettysburg is 80 miles north of DC via I-270 and US-15, about 105 minutes each way depending on traffic around Frederick, Maryland.
Why this trip warrants a full day
You can see Gettysburg in 3 hours if you rush. But Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, Cemetery Ridge, Pickett’s Charge ground, and the Soldiers National Cemetery each deserve time. The Visitor Center cyclorama alone is 377 feet around and 42 feet tall. Trying to compress this into a half day means standing at each stop for 8 minutes and moving on. The 10-hour format gives you a proper visit.
The battlefield is spread across a large area. There is no practical way to see the key sites on foot. The standard approach is a driving tour with walking stops at the locations that matter most. The chauffeur drives the loop, you walk the terrain at the sites you choose. This is a custom, self-paced private tour: the schedule below is a starting point, so you can linger at Little Round Top, skip a stop, or work in the Eisenhower site as the day allows. To shape the trip around your interests from scratch, build your own DC tour.
Schedule (typical)
- 8:00am: DC hotel pickup
- 9:45am: Arrive Gettysburg National Military Park, start at the Visitor Center
- 10:00am: Visitor Center museum and Cyclorama painting (about 1 hour)
- 11:00am: Battlefield driving tour with walking stops: Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, Cemetery Ridge, High Water Mark at the Angle
- 1:00pm: Lunch in Gettysburg town (Lincoln Square, one block from the David Wills House where Lincoln stayed the night before the address)
- 2:00pm: Soldiers National Cemetery and the Lincoln Address Memorial
- 3:00pm: Optional stop at Eisenhower National Historic Site (Ike’s farm, 2 miles from the cemetery)
- 4:30pm: Depart Gettysburg
- 6:00pm: DC hotel drop-off
This schedule is adjustable. If the Eisenhower site is not a priority, you have more time at the battlefield or in the town.
Key sites on the battlefield
Little Round Top: The rocky hill on the Union left flank that Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine defended on July 2. The views from the top cover a large portion of the southern battlefield. A short walk from the parking area.
Devil’s Den: The boulder field below Little Round Top. Confederate sharpshooters used it on Day 2. One of the most photographed spots on the battlefield.
Cemetery Ridge: The center of the Union line. Pickett’s Charge on July 3 crossed roughly a mile of open ground toward the stone wall at the Angle. You can walk that ground or see it from the vehicle.
The Angle: The section of stone wall where the Confederate charge reached the Union line on July 3. A small marker identifies the high-water mark of the Confederacy.
Soldiers National Cemetery: The 17-acre cemetery where Lincoln spoke on November 19, 1863. The Gettysburg Address Memorial marks the approximate location of the platform. The cemetery holds the graves of 3,512 Union soldiers, most of them in semicircular rows organized by state.
Gettysburg town: Lincoln Square in the center of town has the David Wills House (now a museum) where Lincoln completed the Gettysburg Address the night before the dedication. The town has good lunch options within a 2-block radius.
What’s included
- 10 hours of private chauffeur service, departing and returning to your DC address
- Round-trip transport (approximately 160 miles)
- Vehicle waits at battlefield parking throughout the day
- Bottled water and snacks for the long ride
- Parking at all stops (no extra charge)
What’s not included
- Visitor Center admission (free; the cyclorama has a small separate fee)
- NPS Licensed Battlefield Guide (roughly $75 to $95 for a 2-hour tour, booked at the Visitor Center; worth doing if Civil War history is the main draw)
- Smart Limo ride-along guide add-on, if you want it ($250 for the first 4 hours, then $62.50 per hour; this is general narration, not an NPS-licensed guide)
- Lunch in town
- Eisenhower National Historic Site admission ($10 per adult)
What are the guide options?
Three separate roles, and it helps to keep them straight.
Your Smart Limo chauffeur drives the loop, parks, waits, and gets you to each stop. A chauffeur is not a battlefield interpreter, so do not expect a running history lecture from the driver’s seat.
For in-depth narration, the gold standard is a Licensed Battlefield Guide through the National Park Service program at Gettysburg National Military Park. These guides pass a rigorous NPS exam, ride in your vehicle, and narrate the driving tour with military detail the average visitor does not have. They book at the Visitor Center and run roughly $75 to $95 for a 2-hour tour. If anyone in the group is serious about Civil War history, this is the best money you will spend all day. This program is run by the park, not by Smart Limo.
Separately, Smart Limo offers an optional ride-along guide add-on of our own: $250 for the first 4 hours, then $62.50 per hour. This is a general narrator who travels with the group, not an NPS-licensed battlefield specialist. It suits visitors who want light context and commentary on the drive without the deeper military analysis of a licensed guide. Availability is confirmed by call or email, so ask the dispatcher when you book. Many groups skip both and simply walk the marked NPS trails with the free Visitor Center materials.
Do we need park tickets in advance?
No advance tickets are needed for the park itself. Gettysburg National Military Park and the Soldiers National Cemetery are free to enter, and the battlefield roads are open to the public. The only paid items are the Visitor Center film and Cyclorama experience (a modest separate fee), an optional Licensed Battlefield Guide booked on the day at the Visitor Center, and Eisenhower National Historic Site admission ($10 per adult) if you add that stop. There is nothing to buy before the trip. Your only fixed cost is the chauffeured day rate.
Best time to visit
May through October is peak season. Summer weekends are the busiest. The battlefield and cemetery are open year-round. A November visit has historical resonance (the anniversary of the Address is November 19) and the crowds are a fraction of summer. Weekday visits in any season are noticeably quieter.
Who does this tour
Mostly history-focused adults and student groups. It is popular for 8th grade DC trips that add a second day, AP US History classes, family visits with older children, and Civil War enthusiasts doing a deeper dive. The Gettysburg Address is one of the most studied documents in American history and the cemetery is one of the most visited historic sites in the US. The battlefield itself is a National Military Park managed by the National Park Service.
How does this compare to a full-day DC monuments tour?
The monuments tour covers Washington DC. Gettysburg covers Pennsylvania. They are complementary, not competing options. The DC monuments tour is better for first-time visitors who want to see the capital. Gettysburg is better for visitors who want to spend a full day outside the city on a single historical subject. School groups sometimes do both: DC monuments on day one, Gettysburg on day two.
Pricing
Starting at $1,100 for 10 hours in the Town Car sedan (1 to 3 guests), $1,200 in the Executive SUV (up to 6 guests). Group pricing in Mercedes Sprinter Van at $1,400 (up to 13 guests). Book online or call (202) 609-9811.
Other DC tour packages
Browse the full DC tours hub for the complete lineup. If you are building a history-focused trip, the Mount Vernon tour and the armed services memorial tour are the closest heritage siblings to this one. For groups doing a combined trip, the DC tours for student groups page covers the full-day DC format that pairs most naturally with a Gettysburg second day.
Book this chauffeured Gettysburg day trip from DC
Call (202) 609-9811 or book online. A dispatcher answers 24/7. Summer weekend dates book out several weeks in advance. Calling ahead lets us confirm vehicle availability and talk through the schedule before you put a deposit down.
