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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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United States Capital

This is the building where Congress - the Senate and the House of Representatives meet. Senators and representative (and their assistants) work in this building. This is where bills are discussed and our laws are written.

The United States Capitol was designed in 1792 by William Thornton. Thornton was a doctor, an artist, and an inventor. He was also an architect. He entered his drawings and plans for the building in a contest sponsored by the city officials of Washington. It was a contest for the best Capitol design. The prize was $500.

Our first President, George Washington, laid the cornerstone in 1793. Seven years later the first part of the Capitol was ready for government business. Congress moved from Philadelphia to the new Capitol. The Capitol was remodeled and enlarged several times. The last time it was improved was the new east front extension in 1961.

If you visit Washington D.C., you can visit this Capitol. Your congressional representative can make special arrangements for you to see Congress at work. You can see the Senate and the House in session. You can see the famous Rotunda in the center of the Capitol, which has paintings, statues, and frescoes telling the story of America. The new President of the United States always takes his oath of office at the Capitol.

MAGA infighting among Trump supporters: Who’s out to get Matt Gaetz?

• Updated: Apr. 29, 2024, 1:44 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 29, 2024, 1:30 p.m.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., questions Special Counsel Robert Hur during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) AP

• Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his allies have said it’s not “a revenge tour.” But it sure seems like it.

Donald Trump ally Rep. Matt Gatz scored an 11th-hour GOP primary opponent. Former naval officer and aviator Aaron Dimmock filed his paperwork on Friday, the deadline, to run against Gaetz in Florida.

Gatz led the charge to remove McCarthy from his post last year . He orchestrated the rare vote on the obscure “motion to vacate.”

Since then, other people who sided with Gaetz have faced similar outside pressure. According to NBC News , “American Prosperity Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group, has placed nearly $700,000 in ad spending targeting Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia and Eli Crane of Arizona, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. The group also spent more than $90,000 targeting Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, a top general election target for the GOP.”

The group’s senior advisor is GOP strategist Brian O. Walsh, a close ally of McCarthy’s.

New: just before the filing deadline, McCarthy allies land naval aviator Aaron Dimmock (R) to challenge #FL01 Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) in the 8/20 primary. Will be a race to watch. https://t.co/vvaXNaao0H — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 29, 2024

Earlier this month, McCarthy took a public crack at Gatz, without calling him out by name, when he told an audience , “I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker. It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.”

In 2001, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation Gaetz as federal prosecutors probing sex trafficking allegations against him are also scrutinizing the actions of some of his political allies and fellow Florida Republicans as part of a broader public corruption inquiry.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

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Matt Arco may be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco .

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