Quick Orientation
Arlington National Cemetery sits on 639 acres on the Virginia side of the Potomac, directly across Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial. It was established in 1864 on the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and today is the final resting place of more than 400,000 service members, veterans and family members — including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.
🧮
USA Trip Cost Calculator
Planning your DC trip? Get a personalised budget with our free calculator — Arlington is free, but the $19.50 tram saves hours if you have mobility concerns or a tight schedule.
Unlike the National Mall monuments, Arlington is an active cemetery with 25-30 funeral services every weekday. Visitor behaviour and pacing matter here more than anywhere else in DC.
How to Get There
Arlington is 15-20 minutes from most DC hotels. Four options:
- Metro (best): Blue Line to "Arlington Cemetery" — the station is the Welcome Center entrance. $2.25-2.50 one-way.
- Walking from Lincoln Memorial: 25 minutes across Memorial Bridge. Genuinely nice in spring/fall.
- Uber/Lyft: $14-20 from downtown. Drops at the Welcome Center.
- Bus tour: all DC hop-on/hop-off loops include Arlington. Big Bus and Old Town Trolley both stop.
- Driving: paid parking at the Visitor Center, $3/hour, fills by 10am on weekends.
All visitors must enter via the main Welcome Center. There is no side entrance, and the cemetery is fenced. Security screening takes 5-10 minutes.
Changing of the Guard
At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the cemetery's highest hill, a sentinel from the 3rd US Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") paces a 21-step path every day of the year, in every weather, 24 hours a day. The tomb has been guarded continuously since 1937.
| Season | Change frequency | Recommended arrival |
|---|
| April-September (summer schedule) | Every 30 minutes | 15 min before the half-hour/hour |
| October-March (winter schedule) | Every hour on the hour | 20 min before the hour |
| Night hours | Every 2 hours | Cemetery closed to public |
- Ceremony length: 7-10 minutes. Watch the full inspection of the relieving guard's rifle.
- Plaza etiquette: complete silence is expected and enforced by a staff announcer. Stand up when requested.
- Wreath-laying ceremonies: often happen before the Changing — stay for both if you can, 20 minutes total.
- Location: 10-12 minutes walk uphill from the Welcome Center, or one tram stop.
The 9am change (October-March) is consistently the least crowded of the day. By 11am, school groups and bus tours fill the plaza.
JFK Eternal Flame
The grave of John F. Kennedy is the second most-visited spot at Arlington after the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Eternal Flame has burned continuously since Jackie Kennedy lit it on 25 November 1963, three days after the assassination.
- Who is buried here: JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, an unnamed stillborn daughter (1956) and infant son Patrick (1963).
- Nearby: Robert F. Kennedy's simple white cross is 50 metres away, added in 1968. Ted Kennedy's plot is adjacent (2009).
- How to find it: from the Welcome Center, follow Roosevelt Drive uphill 10 minutes. Signs are clear. Or take tram stop 3.
- View: the hillside site was specifically chosen for its panorama of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial across the river.
Other Key Sites
Beyond JFK and the Tomb, these are worth the extra 45-60 minutes:
| Site | What | Time |
|---|
| Arlington House | Robert E. Lee's pre-war mansion, now a museum | 20 min |
| Section 60 | Post-9/11 casualties, most recent graves | 15 min |
| Women in Military Service Memorial | Near the main entrance, free museum | 30 min |
| USS Maine Memorial | Mast from the 1898 battleship | 10 min |
| Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial | Section 46 | 10 min |
| Confederate Memorial | Section 16 (under review 2024-2026) | 10 min |
| Pierre L'Enfant grave | DC city planner, front of Arlington House | 5 min |
Section 60, the active burial section for recent service members, is a particularly moving and quiet place. Many visiting families prefer privacy — give them space.
Tram Tour vs Walking
Arlington is hilly and spread out. The tram is a real decision, not a tourist trap.
- Tram tour ($19.50): 40-50 minute hop-on/hop-off loop with 4 stops. Live narration, unlimited re-boarding. Perfect for mobility limits, families with kids, summer heat, winter cold.
- Walking (free): 2-4 miles total to cover the main sites. Rewarding if you are able-bodied and have time. Quieter routes between the main stops.
- Hybrid: tram out to Arlington House + JFK + Tomb, walk back downhill. Best of both.
The cemetery stops new tram boardings 1 hour before closing. If you arrive after 3pm in winter or 5pm in summer, plan to walk.
Respectful Behavior Rules
Arlington is a working military cemetery. The rules are strict and the staff enforce them.
- Dress: business casual or better. No tank tops, no short shorts, no flip-flops. Covered shoulders expected.
- Voices: quiet throughout. Silence at Tomb plaza and during any ceremony.
- Photography: personal photos fine. No selfies at the Tomb. No photographing active funerals.
- Food and drink: banned in the cemetery itself. Water bottles tolerated. Eat before or after.
- Running / cycling / picnics: all banned. This is not a park.
- Pets: service animals only. No other dogs.
- Headphones: acceptable but keep volume inaudible to others.
- Funerals: if you encounter a procession, stop, move aside and stand silent until it passes.
If you pass a funeral in progress, the respectful move is to remove hats (men), stop all conversation and wait quietly. Staff will guide you around if needed.
Quick Orientation
Arlington National Cemetery sits on 639 acres on the Virginia side of the Potomac, directly across Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial. It was established in 1864 on the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and today is the final resting place of more than 400,000 service members, veterans and family members — including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.
🧮
USA Trip Cost Calculator
Planning your DC trip? Get a personalised budget with our free calculator — Arlington is free, but the $19.50 tram saves hours if you have mobility concerns or a tight schedule.
Unlike the National Mall monuments, Arlington is an active cemetery with 25-30 funeral services every weekday. Visitor behaviour and pacing matter here more than anywhere else in DC.
How to Get There
Arlington is 15-20 minutes from most DC hotels. Four options:
- Metro (best): Blue Line to "Arlington Cemetery" — the station is the Welcome Center entrance. $2.25-2.50 one-way.
- Walking from Lincoln Memorial: 25 minutes across Memorial Bridge. Genuinely nice in spring/fall.
- Uber/Lyft: $14-20 from downtown. Drops at the Welcome Center.
- Bus tour: all DC hop-on/hop-off loops include Arlington. Big Bus and Old Town Trolley both stop.
- Driving: paid parking at the Visitor Center, $3/hour, fills by 10am on weekends.
All visitors must enter via the main Welcome Center. There is no side entrance, and the cemetery is fenced. Security screening takes 5-10 minutes.
Changing of the Guard
At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the cemetery's highest hill, a sentinel from the 3rd US Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") paces a 21-step path every day of the year, in every weather, 24 hours a day. The tomb has been guarded continuously since 1937.
| Season | Change frequency | Recommended arrival |
|---|
| April-September (summer schedule) | Every 30 minutes | 15 min before the half-hour/hour |
| October-March (winter schedule) | Every hour on the hour | 20 min before the hour |
| Night hours | Every 2 hours | Cemetery closed to public |
- Ceremony length: 7-10 minutes. Watch the full inspection of the relieving guard's rifle.
- Plaza etiquette: complete silence is expected and enforced by a staff announcer. Stand up when requested.
- Wreath-laying ceremonies: often happen before the Changing — stay for both if you can, 20 minutes total.
- Location: 10-12 minutes walk uphill from the Welcome Center, or one tram stop.
The 9am change (October-March) is consistently the least crowded of the day. By 11am, school groups and bus tours fill the plaza.
JFK Eternal Flame
The grave of John F. Kennedy is the second most-visited spot at Arlington after the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Eternal Flame has burned continuously since Jackie Kennedy lit it on 25 November 1963, three days after the assassination.
- Who is buried here: JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, an unnamed stillborn daughter (1956) and infant son Patrick (1963).
- Nearby: Robert F. Kennedy's simple white cross is 50 metres away, added in 1968. Ted Kennedy's plot is adjacent (2009).
- How to find it: from the Welcome Center, follow Roosevelt Drive uphill 10 minutes. Signs are clear. Or take tram stop 3.
- View: the hillside site was specifically chosen for its panorama of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial across the river.
Other Key Sites
Beyond JFK and the Tomb, these are worth the extra 45-60 minutes:
| Site | What | Time |
|---|
| Arlington House | Robert E. Lee's pre-war mansion, now a museum | 20 min |
| Section 60 | Post-9/11 casualties, most recent graves | 15 min |
| Women in Military Service Memorial | Near the main entrance, free museum | 30 min |
| USS Maine Memorial | Mast from the 1898 battleship | 10 min |
| Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial | Section 46 | 10 min |
| Confederate Memorial | Section 16 (under review 2024-2026) | 10 min |
| Pierre L'Enfant grave | DC city planner, front of Arlington House | 5 min |
Section 60, the active burial section for recent service members, is a particularly moving and quiet place. Many visiting families prefer privacy — give them space.
Tram Tour vs Walking
Arlington is hilly and spread out. The tram is a real decision, not a tourist trap.
- Tram tour ($19.50): 40-50 minute hop-on/hop-off loop with 4 stops. Live narration, unlimited re-boarding. Perfect for mobility limits, families with kids, summer heat, winter cold.
- Walking (free): 2-4 miles total to cover the main sites. Rewarding if you are able-bodied and have time. Quieter routes between the main stops.
- Hybrid: tram out to Arlington House + JFK + Tomb, walk back downhill. Best of both.
The cemetery stops new tram boardings 1 hour before closing. If you arrive after 3pm in winter or 5pm in summer, plan to walk.
Respectful Behavior Rules
Arlington is a working military cemetery. The rules are strict and the staff enforce them.
- Dress: business casual or better. No tank tops, no short shorts, no flip-flops. Covered shoulders expected.
- Voices: quiet throughout. Silence at Tomb plaza and during any ceremony.
- Photography: personal photos fine. No selfies at the Tomb. No photographing active funerals.
- Food and drink: banned in the cemetery itself. Water bottles tolerated. Eat before or after.
- Running / cycling / picnics: all banned. This is not a park.
- Pets: service animals only. No other dogs.
- Headphones: acceptable but keep volume inaudible to others.
- Funerals: if you encounter a procession, stop, move aside and stand silent until it passes.
If you pass a funeral in progress, the respectful move is to remove hats (men), stop all conversation and wait quietly. Staff will guide you around if needed.