Two-Hour Walking Tour

Nearly 430,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Service members from every one of America’s major wars, from the Revolutionary War to today's conflicts, are laid to rest and honored here. These hallowed grounds reflect the history of the United States.

The following tour will take you to several of the cemetery's most iconic sites — President John F. Kennedy's Gravesite, Memorial Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — as well as the gravesites of military and civilian leaders whose lives exemplified American ideals. The tour also features some of the cemetery's many monuments and memorials, including a living tree and the mast of a 19th-century ship.

Please allow at least two hours for this tour.

To discuss: How should we approach the following section, since the times/distances are more complex?

Please note that the walk from the Welcome Center to these two sites is mostly uphill. As an alternative to walking, you may purchase tickets for the interpretive tram tour (see below for more information). Approximate walking times:

• Welcome Center to JFK Gravesite: 15-20 minutes
• JFK Gravesite to Tomb: 15-20 minutes
• Welcome Center directly to Tomb: 20-30 minutes

At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Changing of the Guard occurs once every hour (at the top of the hour) from Oct. 1 through March 31, and once every half-hour from April 1 through Sept. 30. To discuss: Should we include the following in this tour? We recommend that visitors time the start of their one-hour tour so that it aligns with the Changing of the Guard. You may either visit JFK's gravesite on the way to the Tomb, or walk directly to the Tomb and visit JFK's gravesite on the way back to the Welcome Center. This tour will adjust your route according to your preference.

As an alternative to walking, consider purchasing tickets for Arlington National Cemetery's interpretive tram tour. The live-narrated, hop on/hop off tour makes six stops: President John F. Kennedy's gravesite, John J. Pershing's gravesite, Memorial Amphitheater (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), Arlington House, Ord and Weitzel Gate (near the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial), and the Coast Guard Memorial. Tram tours depart every 20 minutes, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; tickets can be purchased in the Welcome Center. Click here for more information.