Not to be missed. I highly recommend booking a tour that includes timed tickets to the US Capitol. I used DC by Foot. Reason for using a tour guide is It's extremely crowded at the Visitors Center, and constant crowds of students on field trips to learn about our branches of government. The DC by Foot guides are very knowledgeable, they know where to go in the Capitol. The guide I had got House Gallery passes for our group and the commemorative 250 yr (US Semi quincentennial) admission tickets. I learned you can tell if the House or Senate is in session by looking to see if the flag is raised or not on the House or Senate side. The other part of the tour is watching a presentation then going with the US Capitol guides in red jackets and using audio to view the art and history. I also liked the souvenir shop there too so I got commemorative 250 items. read more

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Definitely ask your elected official to get a tour! Such amazing history. Schedule a morning tour, and then go to the restaurant when it opens about 11 AM. Surprisingly, this restaurant actually was good, and the desserts were excellent. It was better than trying to find someplace to eat. They also had one of the best gift shops I had seen all week. The tour guide was extremely helpful with tips of other places to go, pointing out that we had direct access to the Library of Congress. This is definitely a must see. I had no idea you could walk to it from the capital, and then it actually was an active library. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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17 years. I am not proud of it but it is the truth. I have been in this town 17 years and never did the Capitol tour until now. When I was in business school, I did visit the house and senate chambers but the main tour was something that had eluded me. Thankfully, out of town friends is the best excuse the remedy the circumstance. I don't want to belabor the obvious - you should do this. Everyone should do this. This is our nation's capitol. It is the foundation of the greatest experiment in self government in the history of the world. I do not want to spoil some of the genuinely wonderful surprises in store. Take a tour and marvel. Citizen well, my friends. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Capitol visitor center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Plenty of clear signage and staff to direct visitors to the appropriate queues for tours. Lovely main hall where tours originate and several noteworthy statues to view during the brief wait for tours to begin. Safety precautions are in place and screening process to enter via metal detectors at entrance is quite stringent. Staff are professional and efficient. Photography is allowed. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Capitol Visitor Center main hall for organized tours - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Cool tour... we were in line for about 2 hours during the freezing cold "low season," the day after Christmas. We arrived at 1:30, and the tour was scheduled for 2:30, made it inside right before closing. It was a nice experience but please be prepared to wait. They don't honor the scheduled times. read more

No trip to DC is worth it without visiting the US Capitol! We visited the Capitol in late March of 2025 and the weather was pleasant with temps in the low 60's. It was also cherry blossom season and the grounds were speckled with these flowering trees adding picturesque beauty to the landscape. Due to time constraints, we were unable to enter the visitor center grounds. We were only there for a few days and were on a tight schedule. Like most buildings in the area, monuments like the Capitol are grand and massive! If you are visiting, set aside 60-90 minutes to leisurely walk the grounds and take pictures. read more

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While visiting Washington, DC, I had the chance to see the U.S. Capitol from the outside--and it was absolutely stunning! The architecture is so grand and powerful, and just standing there made me feel the weight of the history and decisions that have shaped this country. Even without going inside, it's worth the visit. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and it's a great spot to walk around, take photos, and admire one of the most iconic buildings in the U.S. I hope to come back one day for a full tour! read more

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We made reservation in advance for the tour, but when we arrived, we were asked to line up like the rest of the walk-ins. It took us 30 minutes to get in, this is meaningless to do reservation upfront. The tour of the Capitol includes a 45-minute guided walking tour as well as a 13-minute orientation film, depends on the tour guide, sometimes it's pretty boring and they rushed you through the tour. I rather to walk around by myself. read more

I highly recommend booking a tour of the Capitol through your local rep or Senator. private tours with staff are such a fun experience! It's so humbling to hear about the history and to stand where our government operates. No matter your politics, there is something inspirational and powerful about this building. read more

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A really well organized visitor center. They are able to process you and your guests really quick. Before you go on the tour they bring you into an auditorium to watch a video discussing the establishment of American Government. read more

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I booked a 3:10 pm time slot for 5 people for the capitol tour the night before. I highly recommend booking the tour online in advance to guarantee the tour since it can be pretty crowded inside, and the tour is the only way to enter the capitol publicly. The visitor center entrance was very hard to find since we accidentally walked to the back side and it took an extra 10 mins to get to the visitor center. We were 10 mins late so they put us with the 3:20 group. We had to go through security and no food or drink was allowed. I had to throw away my bottled water and I wasn't able to drink any water inside since I didn't see any fountains or places selling water. Once inside even though the tour time was 3:20 we had to wait until 3:35 to be let into the auditorium where we watched a video on the formation of the government and the history behind it. If you took US history in school this will not be any new information but may be more interesting to foreigners. I personally found it pretty boring and the auditorium was very cold. One done, our tour guide gave us headsets so we can hear what they were saying. We went to three locations total, all very very beautiful. We were not allowed to enter other areas or wander. We stayed in each location for about 20 minutes which was mostly looking around while the tour guide told us facts and history. There was extremely minimal seating so we had to stand for the full hour and the escalator up was broken so we had to walk the stairs. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I visited years ago with a friend who was working as a Congressional intern, when Congress wasn't in session, so we wandered with him through the chambers including the Speaker's Lobby. The organized public tour was the opposite experience, it was a zoo of people being pumped through, all you see are the crypt and rotunda. The rotunda is really cool and I guess makes it worthwhile, but otherwise, most of what you see is the weird collection of state statues. Even when Congress is out of session, you need separate passes from your Rep to actually see chambers. read more

We had an amazing visit and our tour guide Emily was great! We didn't make reservations and were able to enter the next available tour group. Highly recommend for any visitor to DC. read more

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We had an awesome visit to the Capitol on our last visit to DC. We made advanced reservations as recommended through Rick Scott's office. It took about nine days for their office to set up the advanced reservations. I recommend you to get to the visitor center line at least 30 minutes prior to your tour. It is below the ground level and centered on the Capitol. The visitor center is quite thorough in reviewing all visitors so you want to arrive 30 minutes prior to your tour time. As we entered the main lines, we noticed that there were additional lines for anyone without reservations. Not making a reservation would have allowed a lot more flexibility in our schedule; but, making a reservation ensures that you're 100% going to be able to go on a tour. In retrospect, I would do the reservation thing during the high-demand time of the Capitol (not necessary on this trip). Our tour guide, Catherine, was absolutely amazing, informative, humorous, and just made the experience an epic one. Kudos to her. You get headphones, so it's easy to hear her and follow her directions. I would definitely recommend a visit to the Capitol for anybody who is visiting DC. It's also free. The tunnel was closed to the Library of Congress so we passed on a visit there. Don't forget to stop by the South Gift Shop on your way out. read more

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Cross your fingers and hope you get Mr. Cristian as your guide! He was spectacular! He was so incredibly knowledgeable, funny, and answered every question with ease. I was able to go with an earlier scheduled time tour due to arriving a bit early. They were very accommodating. They tour guide provides you with headsets that allow you to hear his every word clearly. The tour was set up so well. We got to see within the dome, got history of all the paintings, sculptures, and carvings. There are so many state statues to view and paintings to observe. I highly recommend making this tour a party of your DC visit. I came out so much more understanding of the US Capitol and its journey to being what it is today. Going through security was smooth but allow yourself about 15 minutes when busy. read more

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I am able to visit DC once a year for work but don't usually do anything too touristy. We had meetings at the capital and since it was pouring rain when it was time to leave, we decided to wait it out a bit and take a tour to kill time. We were able to get our free pass right away and get on one of the later tours of the day. Our guide was knowledgeable and funny. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Looking up at the dome. - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We came without reservations which you can do ahead . We only had to line up and it was quick on a Monday at around 2 pm. No food or drink allowed inside. You also can go around by yourself or go with a group for a free tour by going to the visitor center. We were taken to about 3 rooms which were the most popular and the guide would answer your questions. The architecture was amazing including the painting in the rooms. There is so much of History that i had discovered in that short tour. You can also reserve timed tickets but we found the line to move really fast as the people were all organized. read more

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It was one of my favorite museum type tours ever! Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. It was an overall great experience! read more

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We came on a weekday, during the off season. We had reserved our tickets ahead of time and went straight to check-in. One thing we noticed, were large groups of students on field trips. We didn't think it would be much of as issue, but we kept encountering them throughout the various stops of the tour. Although well behaved, they were loud and it took a while having to wait for them to move from place to place. You are also required to wear headphones that they provide during the tour, but you can easily bring your own since the device uses a standard headphone Jack. The building and statues around the building were gorgeous. The ceilings were pretty amazing too. It was interesting learning more about the building itself, and I'm glad we came, but I'm not sure we would return with so many other sites to see around D.C.. It is definitely worth checking out for a first time visitor though! read more

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Our tour guide was the best! He answered questions quickly with in depth knowledge. It was a horror historical experience. Give that man a raise. He works hard he deserves it! When I bring my kids next time, I'm gonna request Robbie Walsh. Thank you! Our tour guide was the best! He answered questions quickly with in depth knowledge. It was a honor and historical experience. Give that man a raise! He works hard he deserves it. When I bring my kids next time, I'm gonna request Robbie Walsh. Thank you! read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Looking up from the rotunda. Life changing. - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Visiting the Capitol was a great experience. If you are really interested in learning more about the history of our country - make the trip. My friend and I visited and she was able to reserve our time slots about a month in advance. We Uber'd there so I am unsure of the parking situation. The tour is cost free as long as you book it in advance. It starts with a short film, and then you are led through with a guide for insight about the history. The architecture alone is worth the trip. Wonderful executio at The Capitol Visitor Center. Xoxo. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Overall, a great tour to connect more with US history! This is an actively working building. Tour: It begins with a 13 minute video of the history of the US Capitol. After that, you are taken into several lanes and given headphones so that you could hear the tour guide. The tour is typically in English but there are follow-along pamphlet guidebooks in other languages. It's a quite packed and popular tour but the headphones made it very easy to follow along. We were taken to 3 different rooms: 1) The Crypt (a tomb). It is named the tomb because they had build a tomb in 1826 for George Washington; however, George Washington died earlier and ended up being buried at Mt. Vernon near his home. The statues (made of bronze or marble) around the tomb are representative of the 13 original states. Each state could send 2 statues, but only 2 decided to make the statues in bronze. Unfortunately, we cannot see the actual tomb since it's not part of the public tour. The center of the room has a compass stone on the ground, which represents the center of DC. 2) Rotunda/Dome. It was inspired by St Paul Cathedral in London and Pantheon in Paris; however, the material was different. This dome was made out of 100% cast iron. It weights 900 million pounds. The panting on top is made out of Fresco. This was the most impressive room to look at. The way the light illuminates the paintings at the top is absolutely stunning. 3) National Statuary Hall. Contains over 30 statues from all of the states. In the mid-1800s, people would gather here to discuss the issues of slavery. My favorite stature was Rosa parks, who had refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus. She initiated a spark for the civil rights movement. The architecture of these columns are intricate and the ceiling is covered with gold decor. The tour was a total of 1 hour. No food/drinks allowed. -- Tickets: you could book ahead of time via your representative or just show up! The wait time for just showing up was only two minutes! To find your representative: visit https://www.congress.gov/members. Through them, you could also reserve a tour for the White House and FBI headquarters. Tip: If you're booking via your representative, you could also grab passes to the House of Representatives and Senate for an additional tour. read more

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Free and a wealth of history. Love this place! This is a huge recommendation to take in a lot of facts. There are brochures and once in a while, you can eavesdrop on tour guides and their lectures. Thank you for this amazing offering from our government! read more

A friend was in town and wanted to see the Capitol. It was a freezing day, so I decided to go online and find out about their tours. While they recommend booking tours in advance, they mentioned the possibility of walk-up tickets being available if there was space. We parked and made it inside about 10 minutes before the last tour. There weren't many people there, so we got tickets with no problem. I've lived in the DMV for a while, but had never done a Capitol tour, so I was interested in seeing what it entailed. The tour started with the group being taken into a theater to watch a 10 minute video about the birth of the United States and the building of the Capitol. After the video we split into groups with our guide and spent about an hour walking around and learning different facts about the building and some of the artwork. Our guide was great, and I did learn a lot. read more

This was also a part of our tour package. State Capital. We went through the tunnels. I can't even begin explaining how nice and inspiring, informative this tour is. I can't remember everything exactly. I can say it's worth the trip. I'm going to load the pictures. I'm going to just say that security is tight . Staff provided a great tour . John was very knowledgeable. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - State capital - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had a reserved tour recommended by a friend, and it was led by Adrienne. She spoke very eloquently and guided us through a quite busy day at the US Capitol (for a Friday). I appreciated the information on how each of the fifty states contribute two representatives to showcase inside (whether they're related to politics or not). I also appreciated some of the funny history behind the art under the main dome. Overall very beautiful and worthy of seeing. read more

An amazing experience and a must do if you're in DC! We visited The White House earlier in the day and we didn't have a reservation to the U.S. Capitol so we weren't sure if we could get in, but we decided to try anyway! We went to the basement floor of the Visitor's Center and go through basic airport level security and they also have a coat check if needed as well. There are two lines when you get there, one for if you have a reservation, and the other if you don't. If you don't have a reservation, they provide you with a timed ticket, our tour then departed maybe 5-10 minutes after we got our ticket. The tour starts with a 10 minute movie, then you meet your Red Coat guide that takes you around the various rooms and gives you a history lesson of the facilities as well. The tour takes about 30-45 minutes in total and it's really cool to see all of the different areas of the Capitol! You don't walk on to the Congress or U.S. House floor- you do have to have a separate ticket for this, but it can also be easily arranged from your Congress rep or House of Representatives rep. These tours are separately led by their office interns. The tours led by the interns didn't seem quite as in depth, so I would recommend really both tours because they seem to see and highlight different things. No matter which tour you take, all of them are free! If you're in the area, definitely take the Capitol tour, so cool to hear about our nation's history! read more

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Reserved ticket the day prior and arrived 30 min before my scheduled time as recommended, but didn't need to. By the time i got through security and to the line "with reservations," I was able to get in an earlier tour. The tour begins with a 13 min video and then meet your red coat tour guide with a headset. I was quite impressed with the quality of sound. Ron Johnson was fabulous! Learned lots in the rotunda about statues, paintings, etc. the tour flew by! read more

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Don't be discouraged about not getting online tickets. You can walk into the visitor center and get a ticket no problem. The Tour was highlighted the day. read more

You have to get approved by your senator in order to schedule a visit. I'm so happy I did because this place was incredible to see in person. I loved that it was a guided tour and we learned the history of the building. Unfortunately you don't get to visit the house of reps or the senate but it was still a great experience. I highly recommend coming if you're in DC! read more

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An amazing must see and experience! the experience is everything! they even had happy hour at the capital! I had a blast.

I finally made it to the US Capitol Building and what an amazing experience it was. I reserved tickets for a guided tour in advance online which were free and you have to select a preferred time. I recommend arriving 15 minutes early since you have to go through security and stand line to get your physical tickets. Your visit starts with a short film on the history of the Capitol building and then your tour officially starts with a visit the Crypt, the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall. I found interesting that every state has a statue sent to the Capitol that represents them and loved Florida and Hawaii's choice. The Rotunda was my favorite part of the tour because it was breathtaking and impressive to see the intricate detail of the interior structure, the paintings and of course the Apotheosis of Washington. After the tour ended we took some time to visit the gift shop and the museum inside. read more

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Jordyn Pittman is a phenomenal tour guide! Very knowledgeable and personable, would highly recommend her to anyone planning a visit.

Robbie Walsh was an excellent guide on a tour of the US Capital. He is personable and highly knowledgeable!! Thank you

We took a tour of the US Capitol and it was by far my favorite tour of the trip. We requested a tour with our state representative and got a private tour with the sweetest tour guide. I'm not sure if everyone gets to go into the house gallery, but our guide got us passes to go to the gallery. It was so cool to see a place that is only ever shown on TV! We loved everything about this tour and I would definitely go again. read more

Go to the Visitors Center to take a tour of the Capitol. Itself is a fantastic building to look around in. This isn't the main Capitol building but there's still lots of cool stuff. It has a film about Congress. There's also lots of historic statues. Head to the east side of the Capitol. In front of this side of the Capitol is the large Visitors Center. The entrance is free admission but the entrances are timed. It's best to order a ticket online. You can also go inside to order a ticket for the next tour. It has a line before you enter the Capitol. These are free. Inside this building are lots of interesting things you should check out before entering the actual Capitol. The most important things to look at are all the state statues. In the Capitol are lots more, but these are the older ones. This is where they are taken to be repaired or replaced. It has a video to watch before entering the Capitol. This is kind of boring and tells you a lot about what you already know. You then head into the Capitol and a tour guide will be waiting for you. read more

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The one cool thing about US Capitol Visitor Center is that it is larger than the Capitol itself. However you do not realize this because it is all out of site. It is very interesting, especially since you have probably been here, but not even noticed. The center is massive, like I stated before. Once you go in you finally see this. It's a grand space, lots of room everywhere. Once you make it through security make your way to coat check. Trust me on that. Then take a minute to take in your surroundings. Take your time and check the place out. This may be a visitor center and the starting point of a tour, but it is also an impressive space to check out. It is fairly simple to make your way through here. My purpose was to take the Capitol tour, so I made my way to the desk with my reservation to get checked in. It's best to do this as soon as you can, you may get lucky like I did and get scheduled for an earlier time slot for the tour. After that, and until the start of your tour, you can just look around. Other things to notice here are that there are two gift shops to visit. There is also a cafe on premise if you are hungry. If you are not here to visit or do a tour there are appointment desks for both the Senate and House. After your tour, and when you are finished in here, you can exit to outside, or you can take the tunnel to the Library of Congress. Saves you from going outside. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Plaque for the heroes of Flight 93. - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

For security reasons, it's complicated to get to the tour and we nearly missed it. The capitol visitor center (CVC) is located on the east side of the building facing the mall and Washington monument and that's where you need to go. But things change so be sure to check it out. Call your US Representative's office to help you with tickets. Although, now you reserve them yourself on line. Your Rep might be able to help. Ours let us visit his office. You'll wander through the underbelly of the Capitol and see the hive. Then you can take a selfie by their door or with them if they are free. The building is beautiful and the tour is informative. Then head next door to the Library of Congress. It's an architectural wonder and you can see Jefferson's beautiful office. read more

A few weeks before our trip, I signed up for tour tickets on their website and got the tickets within a day. You do have to print a page out to hand into the check in counter on day of, so please be aware. It seems a bit hokey, but I think it's a great way to see some art/American history. It's also possible to peek in if congress was in session. Pros: - Super organized! At our 9am time slot, a holiday Monday, it seemed like there were about 100 or so people in our group alone. This was divided up into about 5 smaller groups with a tour guide - Headphones are given to everyone so you can hear your tour guide without them having to yell - Our tour guide was delightfully funny. I forget his name, but he would pepper in jokes that made us laugh. I felt like we were the only groups laughing every now and then. - Beautiful art/statues. The rotunda was amazing to look at - Coat check available for free! - They are open every day except Christmas I think. You can check the website to be sure. - It's connected to the Library of Congress through a tunnel, so it's easy to walk over and visit without having to go through another security line Cons: - The wait to get through security can be a bummer. But they do try their best to get you through security as fast as possible. I suggest not bringing much, just a small bag. Would I come again? Sure, why not read more

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Can't believe they still have a dang chain link wall complexly surrounding this place of the people. It's so frustrating to finally get here and I can't even get close to see this stunning facility. read more

US Capitol Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia