Tour Bus, Motorcoach & School Tour Bus Information

Alexandria welcomes tour bus, motorcoach, and school bus trips. Buses are allowed on most streets in the City except cobblestone streets and streets posted with “no truck traffic” signs.

Quick Links

• Motorcoach Parking Reservation System
  
• Visit Alexandria Motorcoach Information 
  
• Motorcoach Task Force
• Visiting the region? Please check the different policies in Washington, DC and Arlington County. 
  

Questions?

If you need more information about motorcoach, tour and school bus travel in Alexandria, please call the Alexandria Visitors Center at 703.746.3301 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

A 24-hour information hotline is available at 703.746.4020.  

To report tour bus, motorcoach, or touring school bus parking or traffic violations, citizens may submit information online.  If enforcement action is requested, please call the Police Non-Emergency line at 703.746.4444.

Loading & Unloading

Tour buses should load and unload at designated locations only. Permits are not required to load or unload.

• Motorcoach Parking and Loading Map updated for 2018

There are six primary loading and unloading areas in Old Town Alexandria:

• For the Waterfront, the King St Trolley, or the Torpedo Factory Arts Center: Unit block of King St 
• For groups headed to walking tours, Market Square or the Visitors Center: 300 block of King St (additional space is available at Market Square on the 100 block of N. Royal Street between 4-10PM March-June)
• For access to Christ Church, shopping & dining if traveling southbound on the George Washington Memorial Parkway: 100 block of N Washington St 
• For access to King Street, shopping & dining if traveling northbound on the George Washington Memorial Parkway: 100 block of S Washington St 
• For Gadsby’s Tavern Museum or Restaurant: 100 block of North Royal St 
• For The Lyceum: 200 block of S Washington St 

Short-Term Parking

Motorcoach parking in Alexandria is allowed at designated locations only. Some spaces in historic Old Town Alexandria require a permit which must be obtained in advance; paid all-day parking is also available. Additional free, unreserved parking locations are available within three miles of Old Town. Idling while parked is not allowed.

Short-Term parking permits are free through June 30, 2020. Starting on July 1, 2020, Short-Term parking reservations will cost $5 per permit. Please note that there is an additional $25 fee for permits booked through the Alexandria Visitor's Center

Short-Term 4 hour parking with a permit is available at the following locations:

• Five spaces near the waterfront in the 500 block of North Union Street 
• Three spaces in north Old Town in the 900 block of North St. Asaph Street 
  

Daily parking for a flat-fee of $20 is available at the following location:

• 25 spaces at the George Washington Masonic Memorial (101 Callahan Drive)
  

7 Unreserved, free (first-come, first-served) parking spaces are available within 2 miles of historic Old Town on the 400 block of Swann Avenue.

Long-Term/Overnight Parking

All motorcoaches staying for a period of 24 hours or more are required to park at the George Washington Masonic Memorial (101 Callahan Drive). Overnight parking at the Masonic Memorial requires a $45 permit and must be obtained in advance on-line or from the Alexandria Visitors Center at (703) 746-3301. Beginning July 2017, an additional $25 fee is assessed for permits made through the Visitor's Center, totaling $70. Reservations made through the City's online self-reservation system will remain $45.

Traffic Rules and Regulations

The City of Alexandria actively enforces idling, double-parking, and loading and unloading in undesignated locations. These violations are subject to fines in varying amounts based on the violation.