Guided Capitol Hill with US Capitol and Library of Congress Entry
Description
Enjoy a 2-Hour Guided Capitol Hill Walking Tour in Washington DC. This immersive tour includes official entry inside the U.S. Capitol & Library of Congress buildings (Capitol Museum when the Library of Congress is closed on Mondays). Your guide will provides insight on political history, architecture of Capitol Hill, and how Congress functions. Enjoy photo opportunities outside the Supreme Court, Senate Offices, House of Representatives Offices, and Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. Inside the U.S. Capitol, join the official guided interior tour. Highlights include the Capitol Rotunda; the Crypt, originally designed as George Washington’s final resting place; and the National Statuary Hall. When available, you may also visit the Old Supreme Court Chamber or Old Senate Chamber. Continue to the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. With timed-entry passes included, explore the ornate Great Hall, view the Gutenberg Bible, and enjoy breathtaking overlooks of the Main Reading Room.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Guests meet directly across the street from the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory, one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America, founded by Congress in 1820, located at 100 Maryland Avenue SW.
Inside the U.S. Capitol: Guests go through security, have a short break, watch the orientation film, and then join the official guided tour with headsets. Highlights include the Capitol Rotunda, famous for its historic murals and dome; the Crypt, originally designed as George Washington’s final resting place; and the National Statuary Hall, home to statues representing all 50 states. When available, you may also visit the Old Supreme Court Chamber or Old Senate Chamber, offering rare insight into early congressional history. *The government has the right to close or to cancel any tour inside the US Capitol without advanced notice to us.
Library of Congress: After being escorted to the tunnel, guests use timed-entry passes to walk straight into the Jefferson Building, widely considered the most beautiful building in Washington. Highlights include: – The Gutenberg Bible – 1 of only 3 perfect vellum copies in existence. – The Great Hall – a soaring Italian Renaissance-style atrium with marble columns, mosaics, gold leaf, and murals by leading artists. – The Main Reading Room – viewed from upper observation deck, this is the iconic circular reading room seen in countless films. – Putti and carvings – cherubic figures representing arts and sciences line the balustrades – Architectural firsts – the Jefferson Building was the first public building in DC designed for electric lighting and one of the first to use a comprehensive climate-control system.
Pass by US Supreme Court with a live guide who will give you details of the history of the high court with key cases and facts around them.
Peace Monument/Peace Circle – commemorates naval deaths of the Civil War; figures “Grief” and “History."
One of the largest equestrian statues in the world; sculptor took 20 years to complete.
Guided walking tour through Capitol Hill
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Please Note: The Library of Congress is closed on Mondays. Travelers will visit Capitol Museum instead on Mondays.
- Animal policy: animals are not permitted on tours.
Reviews(71)
Excellent tour! Dwayne was a great and enthusiastic guide! The spots we visited are amazing and I highly recommend it!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re truly happy to hear that you had such a great experience with us. It means a lot to know you enjoyed your time exploring DC. We look forward to welcoming you again on your next visit! Malaak.
I tour guide Trevor was awesome, lots of good information We only had time to do a short tour for left town that morning and this was perfect. After we got through with the tour part of it we were allowed to stay in the capital building as long as we wanted, to look at additional things the tour didn’t cover because you couldn’t cover all of it in two hours
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your tour experience with us. It also helps other future guests see what we are all about! It is always our goal to give people a tour to remember and we are so happy you thought it was! We love hearing that our guests loved their tour experience. It really makes our day! We strive to make our tours fun and memorable for everyone every time. Hopefully we will see you back with us soon! Malaak.
It’s great & thorough, extremely knowledgeable tour guide named Dwayne; he was fantastic. quite crowded though; too many ppl at once in the dome & statuary room & crypt & also was surprised to still have to wait in a line to get into the visitor centre considering it was an expensive tour. Overall great experience though!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad you enjoyed the thorough tour and that Dwayne’s knowledge made it especially memorable. We hope to welcome you again soon!
Not really what I expected. Group met in front of the botanical garden, then headed up the hill toward the visitors center after briefly standing to the right of the capital to take a quick picture. Once inside after you go through security, It was just a walk through of a couple of rooms with statues, nothing special. The tour guide inside the Capital did an ok job, but nothing I would recommend that is a must see. After the tour was over, everyone headed to the library, then went separate ways. This tour is not worth the money. Book a free tour and get the same result.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. In addition to reserved entry inside the US Capitol and Library of Congress buildings guests will receive a guided walking tour of Capitol Hill, learning about notable sites such as the Supreme Court, Senate Offices and House of Representative buildings, the Peace Monument, and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. Thank you again for joining us, we hope to welcome you back again.
The tour was excellent and the tour guide was exceptional. The guide (Damian) was extremely knowledgeable and had a great personality. He was perfect for the large group we had. He moved us along very efficiently and handled the handoff between him and the Capitol guide very well.
Thank you for the wonderful review, we’re so glad you had an excellent experience! It’s great to hear that Damian’s knowledge, personality, and organization made such a positive impact, especially with a large group. We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you back again soon!
We were expecting a bus to take us in. We received a text from our tour guide asking us to meet him outside the Supreme Court. We loved our tour guide, Tyrone McBride. It was definitely worth taking this tour considering the heightened security and guaranteed way to see the Capitol and the Library of Congress.
Thank you for the kind words! We're so thrilled to hear you had a great time exploring Capitol Hill with Tyrone. We appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you back again soon!
I wasn’t able to get a ticket through the regular website for a tour, so I was very happy that I was able to get this tour through Viator. The guide was very friendly and helpful. The tour doesn’t go into the chambers of the House of Representatives or Congress, however, he was able to let me know how to go about getting access after the tour was over. I appreciated that.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re thrilled you had a great time and that we were able to provide you with a tour of the Capitol. Thank you again for joining, we hope to welcome you back on another tour soon!
Duane was an excellent tour guide.
Thank you so much for joining! We're happy to hear you had a great time during your tour with Duane. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
The guide was very knowledgeable of US history and the US capital. He was local to the area and used that knowledge to enhance the tour experience. Highly recommend. .
Thank you so much for sharing! We're happy to hear you had a great time on your tour. We appreciate the review and hope to welcome you back again soon!
Very informative. Our guide was awesome . I learned a lot . I really enjoyed it . Would totally recommend
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback! We're happy to hear you had a great Capitol Hill tour and that your guide made the day even more memorable. We appreciate the kind words, and hope to welcome you back again soon!
