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U S Capitol Building Tour

3.7 (172 reviews)
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Historical space with original desks and clock still available to view.
Sarah W.

Our tour guide, Rachel, was absolutely delightful and made our visit one of the best tours to date. She was well informed, provided clear instructions, and exhibited patience as we made our way through the property. The building and art work as well as the fact it is an active working space during our visit is a lot to take in while moving through the space. Really enjoyed this first time visit and learned so much information. Looking forward to visiting in the future.

The father of anesthesia
Jonathan H.

The building itself is very pretty and interesting. It was a lot of hoopla to get these tickets, and the tour itself is only 3 rooms. There's cool statues and paintings to see, but that's it. We would have done the full tour by getting approval from congressperson in hindsight. The headphones worked well to hear your guide too, but you've gotta stay close to them or you'll be out of range. Arrive early since line can be long.

Mimi L.

We had an overall positive experience with US Capitol tour thanks to our great tour guide. Entry was not smooth as the female TSA went overboard abusing her power fuzzing over some coins with an old man before me. We were held up in line for quite some time. Already running late for the reservation so my patience was thin. At least the other security was apologetic. The tour guide did a good job explaining history and fun facts. Not sure how truthful they were but the chandelier replacement story was probably true because it wasn't historical just expensive. The highlight for me was the rotunda and the court room. Tour lasted 45 min. Very strict security you aren't allowed to bring any liquids or food in. Gift shop had everything made in USA, it looked patriotic but can't find anything I liked. Another delightful surprise was the food at cafe, tasty and reasonable priced. Of course there's a tunnel to library of congress and surprisingly there's a tour for public. In DC there are plenty free museums and government buildings to visit and lots of immigrant workers coming to work in the city; summer's extremely hot here, these buildings serve as sanctuaries for visitors to avoid scathing heat.

E K.

It was stunning to see the capitol of the United States. The building's architecture is beautiful and impressive beyond I can remember. The lines, of course were long, and that was understandable. The audio led, tour while a good idea, wasnt pleasant. I would definitely do a private tour next year. I highly recommend this tour for all history lovers!

Anyone visiting DC, I would highly recommend taking this US Capitol Building tour. It's free and you can book this in advance. Be there on time, get in the line, collect the headphones and follow the guide. Our guide was very experienced and with a wealth of knowledge about the History. Great experience for Kids who could experience things they have only learned at school. The whole tour lasted for almost 90 minutes. Highly recommend this experience!

Jeff M.

Not the most interesting thing I did during a trip to DC. We did the 30 minute tour. It was ok, visited 3 rooms wearing headphones paired with the tour guide while they talk about the Capital. My opinion on visiting the Capital is stay outside and take photos there and move onto the next attraction.

Shani H.

I reserved a tour of the capitol for myself and 3 of my friends. Initially, I requested a tour with our state representative, However, there were none available. So I monitored the reservation site and luckily 4 spots opened up and I was able to snag them. The tour was great and our guide was awesome. I look forward to coming back when things are in session so maybe we can see some state reps.

Tour Groups
Steve A.

A tour of the Capitol is a true DC experience. It should be done by everyone at some point in their life. This is where everything happens in politics. Also it's where nothing happens. That's government working. It overall is much different than visiting any other memorial or museum here. It's so much larger than anywhere including the White House. There are a few similarities. It amazingly has free admission. This isn't like the Smithsonian museums where you can go places any time. People have to pick time slots. There's also a guided tour. Get your ticket for free admission at the ticket office. You choose an available time slot. It's also possible to preorder a ticket so you can guarantee your slot if you're really wanting a time you need to go. It's $1 to get it online. You can also get tickets from your member of Congress which are free too. It will be a different experience whenever you go. It gets busiest in summer months. The colder months aren't usually as busy as Congress is not as often in session and there's not as many tourists.

Statue for women's rights, with a spot symbolizes that the fight is not finished just yet.
Matthew U.

This review kind of goes hand in hand with the US Capitol Visitor Center. As that's where the tour starts and is your entry to the tour. Who doesn't love a free attraction? Who doesn't love some historical information? Well maybe not everyone, but I do. I'm a buff when it comes to things like this. I love finding out things as I go along in life. This tour did just that. So, pro tip here, book your tour as soon as you can or as soon as you know you are going to be in the area. Also, book it early in the day. I know what you are going to say, I don't want to get up that early to tour a building. Believe me, it'll do you good, the earlier the tour, the less people you will have to contend with. It'll do you good. I showed up for my tour and ended up in an earlier slot, the group wasn't big at all. I like how they do the tour, honestly I do. They give you these headsets that allow you to hear what your guide is saying. It's good for two reasons. You won't miss a thing they are saying, and you don't have to hear them yell over all the other noise going on. Is it weird? A bit, they are headphones that are obviously from a bygone era. You start in the rotunda, which is beautiful. Looking up you will find yourself looking at the cast iron dome. In the center of this you will find 15 angels and George Washington also referred to as Apotheosis of Washington. 13 of those angels represent the original 13 colonies, the other two angels are Liberty and Victory. While in the rotunda you will be given general information in regards to statues that reside in the Capitol. Each state has two statues throughout the building (which can change, but has to be voted on by residence of that state) and then there are statues that are permanent in house, commissioned if you will. As you go through you will see them. I think my favorite part of this tour was walking through the original front door of the Capitol, well maybe this was my second favorite thing to do. My favorite thing to do was to be at the central point of DC. It's funny, they actually now have it roped off due to the amount of people standing on the spot and taking a picture. So many have done it that there is an indention. Then you find out that the crypt is located right underneath. I did not know that the crypt was originally intended to be the final resting place for George Washington. However he does not rest here, his wishes were to be buried with his wife and that wish was honored. Instead, what lies in the crypt is the Lincoln catafalque. The catafalque is now used for anyone that is lay in state at the Capitol. I also enjoyed seeing the original Senate and House chambers. It's hard to believe that they were once this small. And originally filthy, especially the House chamber with all the tobacco being used. Another is the original Supreme Court. Hard to imagine that all of the decisions made in the early part of our country's history all occurred under one roof. The only gripe I have about the tour is that it doesn't feel long enough, or that you are missing some vital information. Maybe it feels rushed. Or maybe it feels like the film at the beginning of the tour takes up a big chunk of the time. But trust me on getting into an early tour, you'll be thankful you did.

Michelle M.

What a fun tour! Upon entering the US Capitol building, we heard about a tour and decided to check it out. I am so glad we did. After a short 15 minute movie, we started our tour with the most fun tour guide ever, James Malone. He was knowledgeable, funny, and witty. Boy does this guy know his stuff! Not only did Mr. Malone know his facts, he mixed in some pop culture to bring the tour to life so all generations of visitors would enjoy it. He kept us laughing while learning the history at the same time. We toured so many of the various areas, learned about paintings, and the various statues that are found throughout the building. I know it doesn't seem like a fun time touring this bland stuff if you don't enjoy the history of our nation, but seriously, go do it. You will not regret participating in this fun tour.

Timothy A.

The US Capital Building Tour began with a line up and headphones for everyone. Kids loved the headphones. Our guide started talking through them, and eventually we saw his bright red jacket coming towards us. He was very informative on each and every section that we walked through, and found good places for our group to settle in together away from other groups. The headphones definitely made it easier because there were so many people there getting tours. Overall though, it was a good time and very educational. Lots of statues and paintings.

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The pizza is really burnt and the service is not good at all they should have more options, bro

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Ask the Community - U S Capitol Building Tour

Are professional cameras allowed, and what about backpacks? Is it mandatory to check your coat?

Professional cameras definitely allowed. I saw a lot of people taking photos with some pretty serious cameras. Backpacks had size restrictions, but I can't remember what. No food, no drinks. They did have a coat check (can't remember what the cost… Read more

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Review Highlights - U S Capitol Building Tour

I have to say the US CAPITOL of Washington DC would be my most favorite interesting historic places...

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Capitol Express Tours - Lincoln memorial

Capitol Express Tours

4.5(29 reviews)
1.3 mi

Private 8pm sunset tour review - I'm guessing this tour is…read morea make or break based on the guide you get, ours was lack luster. While he was nice, he didn't have a lot to add off the track I pretty sure he had memorized. I actually feel like I heard most about which monuments had the best restrooms than much of anything else (we never asked about bathroom situations). Would I book this again, no. Here is what I learned, you still walk a fair amount into these monuments from where they drop you in the golf cart vs. the people who are on the bikes and scooters. If you're really looking for the least amount of walking and able to operate those that would save you time and money. Overall, there was no value for the price tag for us and the guide kind of ruined the experience.

Capitol Express Tours are GREAT! they picked us up at our hotel for the tour which was amazingly…read moreconvenient. Nathan, our tour guide was so friendly, personable and most important knowledgeable without feeling like we were in a classroom being lectured. He gave us plenty of time at all the sites. He even dropped us off at a Metro station after the tour and told us how to get to where we wanted to go, Postal Museum. Dropped us at Gallery Place and took the red line two stops to Union Station and the museum was right next door! Just wanted to make sure Nathan was acknowledged for his premiere service and I wanted to let you know how much my sister and I enjoyed the tour and set up our Saturday for a great day. We were on the first tour of the day to see where everything was and then spent the rest of the day going back to those places we wanted to see more of. And there were only 4 of us on the tour! THAT has never happened to me. A microphone for the tour guide and speaker wouuld be helpful if you are sitting further back in the golf cart. But overall. . . a 10 out of 10!

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Capitol Express Tours
Capitol Express Tours
Capitol Express Tours

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Doubledecker Tours - Great tour of DC today thanks to Ralph!

Doubledecker Tours

1.9(88 reviews)
0.8 miNoMa

My sister and I were in Washington, DC last year and had an awful time with the Big Red Bus double…read moredecker hop on hop off. I have issues with walking distances and the stops were not very convenient to the monuments. It was 90 degrees in Washington and we waited over 40 minutes for a bus at one stop and finally gave up. Saw several buses go a different way, one didn't stop because it was full, another let some people waiting on but then was full and no further bus came. I would never recommend this. Rating should be zero.

Is it weird I didn't hate this experience as much as I thought I would? Is it weird that I've done…read morethis before with different groups and relatives? If you're judging me right now, fear not, I'm also judging me. Yet, I'm still surprised because I clearly kind of liked everything I did. As someone who frequently ignores the tourist buses in NYC, I found it rather ironic that I'd be doing the same thing in DC. I have numerous family and friends throughout the area, yet none have ever bothered to take me on the kind of joyride that Doubledecker Tours has. After multiple trips to the DMV (#1) I've only had a chance to see the touristy sites with other out of towners. The ride was always relatively comfortable and it totally beats having to drive myself to any / all of these places. Hopping and off is the real sell in my opinion. It's one thing to listen to the spiel of the driver / host, but it's another to actually get off and explore the actual site. Just remember that taking pictures from the bus vs the actual location. Taking pictures from the bus is nothing close to doing it in person (#2) But of course, there are some things that aren't so great. Seats aren't exactly comfortable and taking pics is a real pain when the car is in motion. During peak months / travel times, the buses can get crazy crowded. It's also not exactly cheap, I think I paid $70 in my last day pass. I am sure the price is different for seniors and children. One last tip: Always check the weather the day of -- there's a chance it could rain and no one likes being subjected to a shower while on a bus. They may provide rain ponchos, but don't count on it. When it does rain folks tend to pack the lower level and it gets really stuffy and uncomfortable quick. ___________ (#1) DC, Maryland, Virginia. Yes, really. (#2) If this isn't obvious to you, stay on the bus. Don't ever get off.

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Doubledecker Tours
Doubledecker Tours
Doubledecker Tours

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Library of Congress - Well attended Thursday happy hour

Library of Congress

4.7(607 reviews)
0.3 miCapitol Hill

Library of Congress -- A Living Monument to History…read more Few buildings in Washington, D.C. carry the weight of history as effortlessly as the Library of Congress. It is not merely a repository of books, but a living archive of the American story--one that reveals itself the moment you step inside. For visitors to the nation's capital, this is not optional--it is essential. The current exhibition, The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution, is particularly compelling. Through the intertwined narratives of George Washington and King George III, the exhibit captures a world on the brink--an undeclared nation edging toward war, a fragile cause facing overwhelming odds, and ultimately, the improbable path to independence. What makes this exhibition stand out is not just its historical scope, but its perspective. It does not present history as a foregone conclusion, but as a series of uncertain, high-stakes decisions made in real time. That tension--between inevitability and risk--is where the story comes alive. Accessible, visually engaging, and intellectually rewarding, this is an experience that resonates across generations. If you find yourself in Washington, make the time. Some places inform you. This one reminds you why the story matters.

I have only visited the Library of Congress at a personal level a couple of times. Other visits…read morewere due to events/meetings there. If you are visiting D.C., I cannot stress the importance of a stop here. To this day, it remains the largest library in the world. Pretty impressive. It's also the oldest federal cultural institution. Periodicals, books, etc. available in over 470 languages. More than 178 million pieces of articles from manuscripts, recordings, photos, printed materials, to books and so on. Library acts as a source of research for Members of Congress and handles copyright laws. This building and all its components are an important part of our nation's history.

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Library of Congress - 3/21/2019

3/21/2019

Library of Congress - Thomas Jefferson's Library

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Library of Congress

U S Capitol Building Tour - tours - Updated May 2026

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