tours of the capitol building ixl

School Tours of the Capitol

Field trips to the U.S. Capitol can be powerful learning experiences.

The Capitol is open to school groups for guided tours only. Tours are conducted 8:45 AM – 3:30 PM, Monday through Saturday. The Capitol is not available for tours on Sundays.

You may want to include additional time in your schedule to view the House and Senate Chamber galleries and to visit your representative and / or senators’ offices. The gallery of the Senate Chamber is open to visitors when the Senate is in session. The House of Representatives Chamber gallery is open to visitors when the House is in session and additionally 9 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday when the House is not in session. Gallery passes may be obtained from the office of your senators or representative. Use the Find your Representative feature in the banner by entering your ZIP code or view by state. Find your senator on the Senate website .

For more information and to reserve a tour, visit the Capitol Visitor Center website .

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The Ultimate Guide To Booking a Tour of the U.S. Capitol

Michael Y. Park

Senior Editor & Content Contributor

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Jessica Merritt

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Keri Stooksbury

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Table of Contents

How to book a tour of the u.s. capitol building, how to get to the capitol, what to do inside the visitors center, what to expect from your tour, final thoughts.

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The U.S. Capitol Building is the center of government in the U.S., an instantly recognizable symbol of democracy, and a byword for everything that various people think is right or wrong about America today. (And, yes, this is where that … unpleasantness … took place in 2021.) Since its beginnings, the U.S. Capitol Building has been a public space where citizens and curious visitors alike can revel in the aspirations — and transparency — of the arrhythmically beating heart of the great American experiment.

But how do you actually get to take a gander inside the U.S. Capitol Building?

Don’t worry: We’ve gotcha.

The Capitol Visitor Center is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It’s below the East Front plaza of the Capitol on First Street and East Capitol Street between Constitution and Independence avenues. The visitor center is the main entrance for the public — don’t try to walk through the front door of the Capitol Building, as it’s strictly off-limits, and you’ll likely be intercepted by security.

To see the U.S. Capitol beyond the Visitor Center, you must be on an official tour — you can’t just wander around on your own. Tours are available from 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. , and the Capitol is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Inauguration Day. You’re free to hang out in the Visitor Center all you want without a tour guide while it’s open, though.

You’re strongly advised to make an advance reservation for a Capitol visit, but if it’s a last-minute decision, you can try to see if there are any limited same-day tickets still available at the Capitol Visitor Center. The earlier you go, the better. You won’t get any same-day tickets if you arrive after 2:30 p.m.

You can either make an advance reservation yourself or get tickets through your U.S. representative or one of your U.S. senators, if you’d like to go old school or if you like to spend as little time on the internet as possible and you’d rather have them take care of the details and minimize you having to go through the Capitol scheduling calendar.

Remember: Tours of the U.S. Capitol are free!

It’s a good idea to reserve your tour weeks or months in advance.

Getting a Capitol Tour Through the Capitol Website

You can make Capitol tour reservations yourself by heading to the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center website . You need an account to use it, so if it’s your first time, fill in the necessary information and wait for the activation email to be sent to whatever email address you used.

Activating the account is almost instantaneous — the whole process should take less than 5 minutes.

Now that you’ve got your U.S. Capitol Visitor Center account squared away, you can navigate to the reservations page. It’s an interactive calendar that shows which tour times are available, which are fully booked, and which have a limited number of open spaces left.

Find the date you’d like to visit, find a tour time that works for you (there are tours every 10 minutes), and click through.

That takes you to the actual ticket reservation page, which helpfully shows you how many open tickets are remaining, reiterates the date and time you chose, and offers you a pulldown from which you select how many tickets you need.

You also have to agree to the fine print and agree or disagree with getting a questionnaire about your visit.

Finally, enter the code to verify that you’re a human being and hit Reserve Now to make your reservation.

There are tours available in Mandarin and Spanish, which you can reserve 3 days in advance of your visit by emailing [email protected] . There are only 50 slots for each of these tours, and there’s only 1 of each tour per day, starting at 8:40 a.m. You can get more details, including in both languages, on the foreign language tours  page.

Getting a Capitol Tour Through Your Congressperson

One of the services that your congressmen or congresswomen, whether U.S. representatives or senators, should provide you is to give you access to the Capitol.

The exact layout and details may vary from congressperson to congressperson, but the basics should be the same. First, go to your representative or one of your senators’ official websites and look for the tab for U.S. Capitol or White House tours.

Once you’re on the tour request page, fill in the necessary details, including your name and contact information, the date and time you’d like a tour, how many tickets you need, and so on. They may ask for information you won’t necessarily need for the tour, such as the number of children and everyone else’s name. You don’t need identification at the U.S. Capitol to enter or for a tour.

Once you’ve submitted your request to your congressperson for a tour reservation, it can be a matter of days, weeks, or months before you hear back. You’ll either get an email confirming the date and time of your tour reservation or an email explaining that they were unable to fulfill your request.

The U.S. Capitol doesn’t have a street address! Think of it as the point from which all U.S. streets originate, or at least as the political center of the American universe. If you’re somehow having trouble finding it on a map of Washington, D.C., look for where First Street meets East Capitol Street, between Constitution and Independence avenues at the end of the National Mall.

Walking around Washington, D.C., but can’t figure out where the Capitol Building is? It’s the one with the biggest dome on top. (And, no, that’s not the White House.)

The U.S. Capitol’s pretty obvious and easy to find. The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center isn’t as simple. It’s underground, so you need to head over to the East Front plaza of the building — on the opposite side of the main U.S. Capitol Building from the National Mall or across First Street NE from the U.S. Supreme Court — and go down a couple flights of stairs. The U.S. Capitol Building is big, so if you’re coming from most of the other Washington, D.C., attractions on the National Mall side, you need to factor that in to give yourself enough time to make it around.

You can enter the address for the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center into maps to get directions: First St SE, Washington, DC 20515 .

Once you’re down the stairs on the right side of the Capitol Building, you may ask yourself: “Is this it?”

The entrance plaza to the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is underwhelming and nondescript. The line to get in, however, can get long and usually snakes up the stairs to the west, and you have to wait out in the open under the sun or in the rain. Security lets people through a few at a time.

What You Can’t Bring Into the U.S. Capitol

Once you’re inside the front doors to the center, you have to go through security, including a metal detector and bag checks.

Here’s what you’re prohibited from bringing inside the U.S. Capitol:

• Liquids, including water, though you may bring empty water bottles to fill inside
• Food or beverages of any kind, including fruit and unopened packaged food
• Aerosol containers
• Nonaerosol spray (prescriptions for medical needs are permitted)
• Any pointed object, such as knitting needles and letter openers (pens and pencils are permitted)
• Any bag larger than 18 x 14 x 8.5 inches
• Electric stun guns, martial arts weapons
• Guns, replica guns, ammunition, and fireworks
• Knives of any size
• Mace and pepper spray
• Razors and box cutters

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center opened in late 2008 and sees 3 million visitors a year. It’s big, it’s busy, and it’s where you go to get into the U.S. Capitol proper. Once you’re inside the big space, head inside and join the lines for tours on the left.

If you’re early, or if you’ve already done a tour and want to hang around, you can move about freely in the visitor center, which has a decent number of attractions for you to explore on your own.

Exhibition Hall

The exhibition hall is a free-to-visit space that features interactive exhibits about the history of the Congress and the Capitol. Part of the hall is dedicated to demonstrating how the legislature works by guiding visitors through the process of how bills become laws. (No, none of the docents are despondent, talking scrolls .)

Other parts of the hall show how the Capitol was built up over time. A display shows you what it looked like when Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated a second time, while other displays take you on virtual tours of the rooms and halls of the Capitol you don’t get to see on the tour.

Some of it is hands-on, including the Democracy Lab , intended for children aged 8 to 14. Here, kids collaborate in educational activities meant to teach them about the Capitol and the democratic process within. (Adults must accompany the kids.)

Capitol Cafe

There is a public cafeteria in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center with a salad bar and food stations that will instantly be familiar to anyone who’s been to the biggest museums in Washington, D.C., or New York City (like the American Museum of Natural History). You get all the greatest hits of any major school field trip destination, including but not limited to burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza, a rotating “ethnic food” station, and crowd-pleasing but easily mass-produced desserts like Key lime pie and cookies .

Members of Congress have separate cafeterias, restaurants, and coffee shops in the wings of the Capitol that the public isn’t allowed in.

There are 2 gift shops in the visitor center where you can buy Capitol- and D.C.-related knickknacks, including, yes, astronaut ice cream, just like in every other museum gift shop anywhere in the capital.

Tours begin every 10 minutes from morning until 3:20 p.m. You should try to get to the visitor center early, allowing for plenty of time to race down the Mall, if need be, and get through security. Don’t count on them being loosey-goosey with the schedule. We were 2 or 3 minutes late because there was a snag at security ahead of us, and we missed our tour. We only got to take a Capitol tour because the man at the ticketing desk took pity on us and gave us same-day tickets for the next tour. All tours are led by professional tour guides — you’re handed a clunky listening device on a lanyard and a pair of headphones that are tuned to your specific guide’s frequency. That’s the only practical way you get to hear what they say, since the cavernous halls of the Capitol echo so loudly with the sounds of the thousands and thousands of people inside. You have to give the listening devices back when the tour’s over.

A typical tour takes you to the crypt, the rotunda, and the National Statuary Hall but never goes into the  Senate and House galleries . You must arrange gallery visits by contacting your U.S. representative (for the House) or senator (for the Senate).

A Capitol tour usually lasts around an hour.

The crypt doesn’t actually have any dead people in it. This relatively cozy space was built to be the permanent resting place of George Washington — who had already been buried for years and whose family, it turned out later, had no intention of digging him up. (Note to Capitol builders: Maybe check in with the widow before building a crypt for someone.)

It’s also where you get to see, close up, a number of the rotating statues that each state has sent to represent the important people in their histories. You may find some of these choices obvious, some of them baffling, and some of them infuriating. And there will be at least a few where you give your traveling companions the “Who the hell is that?” look.

Capitol Rotunda

The dome is in many ways more awe-inspiring on the inside than the outside. As the guides explain to visitors, the massive dome and the intricate details and artwork are the result of 2 centuries of painstaking work, setbacks, resets, and arguments — lots of arguments.

National Statuary Hall

The main display space for those state statues, the National Statuary Hall , looks both grandly majestic and like an extra set from the director’s cut of “Caligula.” Your guide will have more information about the statues in the hall during your visit — probably with some sort of quiz — but this, apparently, is a busy space for congresspeople to go whizzing by as they rush to make a vote. (Yes, even that one.) In fact, the outer door to the current speaker of the House and third line to the presidency, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, is so close that it looks like it could be National Statuary Hall’s cloakroom.

Want a Specialty Tour?

Was the hour-long vanilla tour not enough to quench your congressional thirst? Go to the specialty tours page to see when and where to join deeper-dive tours on specific subjects (women’s rights, Indigenous peoples, the grounds, etc.).

The U.S. Capitol is one of the most instantly recognizable buildings in the world (even if so many people get it mixed up with the White House) and is a symbol of American democracy, America’s foibles, and everything that’s both right and wrong with the country. Its history, both as a building and an institution, is remarkable, and taking a tour of it should be on the bucket list of anyone interested in American history, politics, or astronaut ice cream.

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How Do I Tour the U.S. Capitol and See Congress in Session?

Learn all you need to know about visiting and touring america’s center of democracy..

UPDATE: The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All tours are free and are led by professional tour guides and do not include the Senate and House Galleries. The tour route is subject to change. Note that advance reservations are required for a tour. Visitors enter through the Capitol Visitor Center, located underground on the east side of the Capitol. Please leave time to go through security and review the U.S. Capitol’s prohibited items list before your visit.

The U.S. Capitol Building is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and the center of American democracy. The world-famous domed building is home to the United States House of Representatives and Senate; where America’s congressmen and congresswomen conduct business, debate laws and pass bills on behalf of the American people. The U.S. Capitol and U.S. Capitol Visitor Center  is also one of DC’s most popular monuments and museums and welcomes millions of visitors each year.

Tour groups in United States Capitol Building Rotunda - Attractions and landmarks in Washington, DC

How do I arrange a tour of the United States Capitol Building?

Plan your visit in advance! A public tour of the U.S. Capitol is free and open to anyone who makes an advanced reservation, although there are some same-day tickets available by standing in line at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center (note that lines will be long during spring and summer).  We recommend reserving a  reserving a tour date and time .

All tours begin and end at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, open Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Inauguration Day).  Tours typically take about 90 minutes and are  fully accessible for people with disabilities.

What will I see on a Capitol tour?

Guided tours begin with a 13-minute intro film, followed stops in the Capitol Rotunda, where guides point out the center point of the District of Columbia, as well as demonstrate the unique acoustical effect where a speaker several yards away can be heard more clearly than a speaker close to the listener. The Capitol Dome is encircled by murals, and the fresco on the eye of the ceiling is called The Apotheosis of Washington showing President Washington rising to the heavens in glory with Liberty and Victory/Fame beside him. Below, on the walls of the Rotunda, are large paintings depicting significant events in American history: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Baptism of Pocohontas, The Embarkation of the Pilgrims, The Landing of Columbus and General George Washington Resigning His Commission. Other stops on the 45-minute walking tour include the Crypt, National Statuary Hall and connecting corridors of the U.S. Capitol, where you’ll see statues representing every state

Can I see Congress in session?

The guided tour doesn't include the Senate and House galleries. However, visitors can obtain free passes through their congressmen to view both chambers when Congress is in session. International visitors can ask about gallery passes at the House and Senate Appointment Desks on the upper level of the Capitol Visitor Center. When Congress is not in session, the galleries are open to the public Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. However, viewing hours are subject to change and are not always the same for the House and Senate galleries. You can check the schedules with your Congressional office when requesting gallery passes. Read more information about  watching Congress in session  and viewing the House and Senate galleries.

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What’s in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center?

You’ll find a cafeteria and gift shop in the Capitol Visitor Center. The gift shop carries merchandise inspired by the art and architecture of the U.S. Capitol. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for continental breakfast and lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you haven’t printed your tour reservation, bring along the number you were assigned. There are free listening devices in multiple languages for international visitors.

How do I get to the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center?

Because there is very little parking, it is best to travel via the  Metro or the DC Circulator. There are three Metro stops within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol: Union Station (Red Line), Capitol South and Federal Center SW (Orange, Silver and Blue lines). The Capitol Visitor Center, which serves as the main public entrance, is located beneath the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol at First and East Capitol streets.

Looking for more in the neighborhood? Take advantage of  our guide to Capitol Hill .

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How to Get US Capitol Building Tour Tickets

This post is about how to get tickets to tour the United States Capitol Building.

We also include tips on how to get gallery passes to watch the Senate and the House of Representatives in action as well as tour highlights.

• How to Reserve Tour Tickets
• Plan Your Visit
• Tour Highlights
• Senate + House Gallery Passes

Tips From Locals and Travelers

Our sister company, VISITDCTours offers a tour that has reserved tickets to tour the Library of Congress and the US Capitol for you.

This semi-private small group tour is limited to ~12 people and does have a ticketed cost.

You will see the Supreme Court and enter the Library of Congress and the US Capitol. Your guide will tour the Library of Congress with you and give you tickets to the US Capitol tour after our tour.

Allow an additional 50 minutes after the tour for the Capitol tour.

You can book this tour with our sister company, VisitDC Tours!

Is the US Capitol Building Open to the Public?

Yes and no.

While you can schedule a free tour of the United States Capitol, it is not accessible to the public for any other purpose.

You must pass through security to enter the building; unless you have a tour scheduled, they won't let you through.

You do not need a reservation to enter the Capitol Visitor Center - where you can find the cafeteria, gift shops, museums, and part of the National Statuary Collection.

UNITED STATES CAPITOL TOUR TICKETS 

Taking a tour of the Capitol Building requires a ticket, which is free, but reservations are the only way to guarantee a spot (well, there's our tour as well ).  

We recommend booking up to 3 months in advance if you plan to visit during the peak Spring/Summer touring months.  

Tours run Monday-Saturday every 10 minutes from 8:30 am - 3:20 pm, but this schedule can be changed for any of a number of reasons.

The Capitol (as well as the Library of Congress and Supreme Court) is closed on Sundays.

Tours can last between 50-80 minutes and the tour route can be changed without notice due to activities inside the Capitol.

There are no self-guided tours of the US Capitol Building.

There are 4 options to get tickets:

(Option 1) - Take a tour with a Capitol Visitor Center docent.  

These tours are staffed by professional docents, who have extensive knowledge of the building. 

Guests are organized into groups of 20 and listen to their guide through headsets. 

The docents are very knowledgeable, and the tour includes a short video of the building's significance and history before heading into the publicly accessible areas.

(Our favorite option) - Join us on our Capitol Hill & Library of Congress Tour.

This is our walking tour of the Capitol Building campus with a photo stop at the Supreme Court , visits to the interior Library of Congress, and ends with timed tickets for a tour with a docent of the Capitol Visitor Center we discussed above.

(Option 2) - Book your US Capitol experience through the offices of your representative or senators.  

This option offers tours that are staffed by office personnel, usually interns.

The advantage here is that the groups are usually smaller, sometimes just your family.

Also, your guide is likely to be from your area or state, and it's always interesting to hear about their life on "the Hill".  

This option may give you the chance to meet your representative or senator.  

One potential drawback is that your guide may be pretty fresh and not as knowledgeable as the docents. We think this option is worth a try.  Book here .

(Option 3) - Walk up.

If you want to try to get onto a tour without advanced reservations, there are walk-up options.

We do not recommend doing this during March and April, as well as the peak summer months. All other times are likely to be OK.  

The advantage here is that you have more flexibility when you decide to take the tour.  

Walk-up tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and are given out only for the next tour time slot, so you won't be able to grab tickets for later in the day.

Capitol Visitor Center Hours:

One way to visit the U.S. Capitol Building without a tour is to stop in at The Capitol Visitor Center.

This center is open Monday – Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

There are occasions when the building is closed for special events or security reasons! These sometimes happen on short notice.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

In this section, we cover what to expect during your visit with tips on how much time you will need (below), how to get to the visitor center , parking, security , and dining options .

Depending on what you want to see, expect to spend at least 90 minutes to get through security and complete the tour and an additional 30 - 60 minutes to visit one of the voting chambers. 

Add an additional 30 - 60 minutes if you want to spend some time in Emancipation Hall (see highlights ).

The Capitol Building is adjacent to both the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress , and many visitors choose to visit all three at the same time. We recommend this as well.

But plan 3 - 5 hours in total to do so. You can easily spend 60 - 90 minutes at the Library and another 60 minutes at the Supreme Court.  

How to Get to the Capitol Visitor Center

The Capitol Visitor Center entrance is on the east side of the Capitol, which is the side opposite the National Mall. Click here for directions to the visitor center .

There are two Metro stations that are close to the Capitol, Union Station Metro, which is serviced by the red line as well as the Capitol South Metro, which services the orange, blue and silver lines.

If you are new to the DC Metro, then read our how-to guide to DC's subway .

All the major hop-on, hop-off, and shuttle tour bus companies make stops at the U.S. Capitol Building.  

Due to security restrictions, all tour buses must drop passengers off on the West Front (National Mall side) of the building.

Visitors then must walk up Capitol Hill for 8-10 minutes to reach the visitor center.  

There are motorized golf carts to take those who need assistance to get up the hill. Use this map for directions from the West Front drop-off .  

Be sure to read our post on choosing the best bus tour in DC .

There is no parking around the Capitol Building. In fact, unless you're in a taxi or your personal car - you won't be able to drive up there at all.

Coaches and large vans are not allowed near the entrance and must drop off and pick up guests on the west (National Mall) side of the building.  

You can find 2-hour on-street parking in the residential area around East Capitol and 2nd St NE/SE, but you, more likely than not, will spend some time finding parking.

A more reasonable option is to park at Union Station.

However, if you plan to visit Smithsonian Museums as well, then there are some parking garages south of the Capitol, in the Federal Center SW area. 

SpotHero  is a popular service in DC that makes finding parking a whole lot easier.

They allow you to view which parking garages will be accessible and book a guaranteed space near where you’re headed. Pretty simple.

Security Check

Security at the Capitol Building is pretty tight and similar to airport security (though you won't have to take off your shoes).

You will need to go through a metal detector and there are many items that are not allowed into the building:

• Any food or beverage, including water, and anything bottled or unopened. (empty water bottled are allowed)
• Any pointed object, including knitting needles.
• Bag larger than 18 inches wide and 8.5 inches deep.
• Mace or pepper spray, razors, and box cutters.
• Any weapon of any kind, even army knives as well as replicas/toys.
• Any liquids, gels, sprays, aerosols - like lotions, makeup, sunscreen.

You may bring in mobile phones, wallets, and cameras.

While strollers are permitted in the Capitol Visitor Center, they are not in the House or Senate galleries.

These are subject to additional screening at the entrance as well.

While you may not run into any congresspeople in the Visitor Center Restaurant, you may overhear some lobbyists, and it is a surprisingly good place to grab a bite to eat if you arrive early for your tour (or after).

It’s located on the lower level of Emancipation Hall, just to the side of the ticket desks.

They have a broad range of meals and snacks ranging from pizza to roast turkey to sushi.

We’re particularly fans of their breakfast sandwiches if you’re visiting in the morning, and the giant cookies are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

Here’s a link to the menu .  They have received 4 of 5 stars on TripAdvisor.

While we do our best to provide all the information you'll need to visit the US Capitol, sometimes you require answers to specific questions related to your personal experience.

Thankfully, our Washington DC Travel Tips group on Facebook is the perfect place to look for any answers you may need.

Here are a few examples of interesting and helpful tips and tricks provided by members of our group:

This is probably the most common question about visiting the US Capitol Building, which is why we answer it at the top of this article.

As Jennifer notes, even if you just wanted to see the gift shop and visitor center, you'd need to pass through security (though as of 2024, you no longer require reservations just to enter the Visitor Center)

One nice thing about the US Capitol Building tour is that it's reasonably paced, so you should have enough time either before or after for other activities.

The only real place to eat lunch in the area is the Capitol Building itself, but they actually have a lot of great menu options, so it's not necessarily a bad option!

Many group members recommend getting a tour through your state representative because they will send down an intern and give you a less rushed experience. Despite some guest's experiences, you only sometimes get a private tour. In peak seasons, March-August, you'll often be with a large group.

That said, public tours are led by official docents, so you can trust that they will also provide an excellent service.

Diana notes that anyone who has booked a tour should show up at least a little bit early to ensure they can get through security without any issues and meet their docent on time.

10-15 minutes is probably sufficient for the entire process of getting from the entrance of the building to the starting point of your tour.

This is another common question we see on our group, and the unofficial answer is at least 2 weeks before the tour and up to 90 days ahead of time.

Even so, some of our members have indicated they scheduled their tour through their representative's office 6 months in advance.

For more helpful advice and suggestions, make sure to check our Washington DC Travel Tips group on Facebook, and consider asking our users any question you may have!

CAPITOL TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Exhibition Hall and Visitor Center Gallery

Once you get through security, you’ll find yourself in the beautiful Capitol Visitor Center.

This is where you’ll pick up your tickets if you’re taking a tour of the Capitol, but there are lots of things to check out before the tour even begins.

The beautiful, light-filled lower level is named Emancipation Hall , in remembrance of the slave labor that went into constructing the Capitol building and the United States as a whole.

Around Emancipation Hall you’ll see many statues ranging from a native Hawaiian king to an astronaut.

These are overflow from National Statuary Hall which you’ll generally see on the Capitol tour, and we discuss a few paragraphs down.

There are two gift shops on the upper level - North and South. There was a congressional order passed that everything sold in these gift shops must be made in America.

In the center of Emancipation Hall is a 19.5-foot (6 m) Statue of Freedom , the original plaster model of the allegorical figure that sits atop the Capitol dome.

She is perfect to scale, and this allows you to get up close and notice the incredible detail put into the work.

Our favorite detail is the eagle’s head that sits atop her helmet and is adorned with a Native American headdress.

Just behind the statue of Freedom is the Exhibition Hall.

In this small museum, called Out of Many One , you can learn both about the history of the U.S. Congress and its work and the construction of the Capitol Building.

Highlights here include an 11-foot (3.5 m) tall model of the Capitol Dome , which you are encouraged to touch, and live feeds of the House and the Senate when they are in session.

It may seem odd to have a crypt in the middle of what is basically a government office building, but there are no actual remains interred here.

In some of the original plans of the Capitol, it was thought that George Washington and his wife Martha might be buried here.

But the first president wished to be put to rest at his home in Virginia, Mount Vernon, where he remains to this day.

The Crypt does still carry great importance, as it marks the center of Washington, D.C. Around the room are 13 statues, of important individuals from the 13 original colonies. 

Old Supreme Court

The judicial branch of the United States government met in this room from 1810 to 1860, when it then moved to the Old Senate Chamber which is also often included on the tour.

Generally, you enter the robing room, where the Supreme Court Justices once all donned their black robes together before entering the court.

At the back of the room are Justice’s desks, some of which are original to the 19th century and were actually used by the Justices when the Supreme Court occupied this chamber.  

One of the most remarkable aspects of the room is the vaulted ceiling designed by Benjamin Latrobe which was inspired by medieval engineering techniques and resembles an umbrella.

The Rotunda

The heart of the building and undoubtedly the most iconic aspect of the Capitol Building is the Rotunda.

It is where honored citizens have laid in state, including Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, and most recently, Billy Graham. 

In the original design of William Thornton, the rotunda was intended to be a simple dome modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.

However, when the building was expanded in the mid-1800s, it was clear that the dome needed to be enlarged as well, and construction of the massive wedding cake-style dome was begun.

Around the inside of the Rotunda are many pieces of art depicting important figures and events in American history.

At the center, there is the fresco the Apotheosis of Washington by Constantino Brumidi. It shows George Washington sitting in the heavens, flanked by the goddesses Liberty and Victory, and surrounded by 13 maidens representing the original 13 colonies.

Lower down the dome is a ring of friezes depicting American history from the landing of Columbus to the birth of aviation.

There are also many statues around the Rotunda, including one of Abraham Lincoln by Vinnie Ream, the first woman artist who received a commission from the American government.

National Statuary Hall

Like so many rooms in the Capitol, Statuary Hall is heavily influenced by ancient Greek architecture, drawing parallels between the origin of democracy and its rebirth in America.

Originally this room was intended to be a chamber for the House of Representatives.

However, the curved ceiling created strange acoustics, with whisper spots where someone speaking softly could be heard many yards away.

It was distracting during sessions, and many of the members didn’t like the idea of rivals hearing their secrets, so the House was relocated.

For many years, it was debated what to do with the room, until it was decided to dedicate it as space for states to honor their most eminent citizens.

Each state is invited to send two statues of their choosing in either marble or bronze, depicting people who have made a significant contribution to the history of that state.

Originally, all statues were placed in Statuary Hall, however as more and more states began sending their statues, the hall became was severely overcrowded.

Statues had to be placed behind each other, in some places 3 statues deep, and there were worries that the floor could not hold the huge weight.

Today the statues are scattered throughout the Capitol building as well as in the hall.

Old Senate Chamber

Since the country used to be much smaller, the Capitol building was as well. This is actually the third chamber that the Senate has met in.

The first had to be abandoned after just 6 years because it was crumbling and rotting, and the second was burned down by the British during the War of 1812.

Finally, the Senate convened here for 40 years.

In 1859 the Senate moved to its fourth and current chamber, and the Supreme Court moved in until it got its own building in 1935 ( which you could also tour ).

The Old Senate Chamber is richly decorated in crimson and gold and was inspired, like so much of Washington DC, by buildings in Paris.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES GALLERY PASSES

To visit the House of Representatives Gallery, which is where members of the House debate and take their votes, contact your representative or senator to obtain passes.

International visitors may inquire at the House of Representatives' appointment desk on the upper level of the Capitol Visitors Center.

These passes are not timed and can be used at any time during that year.

The House Gallery is open to visitors whenever the House of Representatives is in session ( see schedule ) until adjournment for that day.  

It is also "usually" open whenever the House is in recess, from 9:00 am until 4:15 pm, Mondays through Fridays.

You will have to go through additional security and leave all belongings outside of the gallery in storage containers.

You can bring a pen and paper, but that is about it!  Absolutely no photography.

PRO TIP:  You will need an additional 30 - 60 minutes to visit either of the legislative galleries. If time is short, then we recommend visiting the House Gallery.  

It is here that the President of the United States delivers his annual State of the Union Address and you are more likely to see action on the floor.

SENATE GALLERY PASSES

To visit the Senate Gallery, which is where members of the U.S. Senate debate and take their votes, contact your representative or senator to obtain passes.

International visitors may inquire at the Senate appointment desk on the upper level of the Capitol Visitors Center.

Open to visitors whenever the Senate is in session, from 30 minutes before the Senate convenes ( see schedule ) until adjournment for that day, which is usually 4:15 pm.  

It is also regularly open whenever the Senate is in recess for 1 week or more.

When in recess, visitors are permitted to view the gallery from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm, Mondays through Fridays.  

There is no access on Saturdays unless the Senate is in session.  

You could also call the Senate to confirm if the gallery is open - 202.224.0057.

You will have to go through additional security for either and leave all belongings outside of the gallery in storage containers.

You can bring a pen and paper and that is about it!   Absolutely no photography.

Related Posts

• How to Tour the Supreme Court 
• How to Tour the Library of Congress
• Other Things to do in Washington, DC

Consider our guided tour of Capitol Hill , which includes tickets to tour the U.S. Capitol Building.

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After closing for 2 years, tours begin at the U.S. Capitol

Kelsey Snell

Vincent Acovino

Kathryn Fox

NPR's Kelsey Snell takes a tour of the Capitol Building, which is open again for public tours after being closed for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copyright © 2022 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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Tips for Visiting the Capitol

The Capitol Visitor Center is usually less crowded on weekday mornings, right after opening at 9:00 a.m. If you are interested in a tour of the Capitol, be sure to book one in advance through our  Advance Reservation System  or through the offices of your  Senators  or  Representative .

Come by Public Transportation

Avoid the frustration of looking for a parking spot by taking public transportation to the Capitol. Two Metrorail stops, Union Station and Capitol South, are close by. Additional information on riding Metro is available at the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority homepage  here .

Allow Enough Time

Factor in time to get to the Capitol. No matter your method of transportation, you may find yourself with several blocks of walking to do before you arrive at the Visitor Center. Once at the Capitol, remember that there is an enormous amount to see and do. Your guided tour of the Capitol begins with a 13-minute orientation film and takes about an hour in all. The Capitol Visitor Center also includes a large Exhibition Hall, two Gift Shops and a spacious Cafe.

Visiting with Young Children

Younger children may appreciate some of the excitement of visiting the Capitol such as viewing the Capitol Dome through the large skylights atop the Capitol Visitor Center's Emancipation Hall. They may also enjoy the Exhibition Hall and the grounds, especially if you let them and their interests be your guide.

Visiting with Older Children

Get your children interested by talking, reading, and learning about the U.S. Capitol before your visit. Along with this Web site, the  House  and  Senate  also have sites with a rich array of resources.