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
Very professional, especially the familiarisation and training tips. The supplied earphones are excellent and allow the guide (in our case Kyle) to keep the tour facts flowing while we were riding. Fantastic way to see the 'greatest hits' with unlimited chances to ask questions, take photos etc.
Excellent tour! Dwayne was a great and enthusiastic guide! The spots we visited are amazing and I highly recommend it!
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Duane was an excellent tour guide.
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. .
Very informative. Our guide was awesome . I learned a lot . I really enjoyed it . Would totally recommend
The guide was brilliant and very informative. The tour of the Capitol building was well presented and very orderly and in a very hot day Cool!
Great tour supported by a knowledgeable guide. Huge amount of information and historical fact sharing
The tour was for the library of Congress and the capital. What Viator failed to tell us is that the library is closed on Mondays. The meeting point was also changed with no notice.
Very informative, fun and our guide was so knowledgeable! We had a great time and would definitely recommend this tour
The operator never showed up, wasted my time. I would avoid at all costs. There were other reviews warnings of this. Avoid.
Very inspiring. Beautiful building. Didn’t get to go into the House or Senate galleries - you have to get tickets from your state reps. Rochelle was very knowledgeable and engaging.
The library of congress is perhaps the most beautiful building in all of DC our guide Rochelle unfortunately was not the best. She was soft spoken amongst the large crowds and her knowledge of the exhibits was not the same level as the other guides we had on our other tours
Dwayne was friendly, professional and a great tour guide! His tour was outstanding and his personality made the tour that much more enjoyable.
Great tour. Dwayne was knowledgeable and was able to articulate well. His commentary was able to generate interest in learning more about the US Capitol.
I am waiting on a refund for the tour. We did not visit the library of congress or museum like the app said. We got through half of the Capital tour and had to leave. The tour guide was good
Library of congress & capitol. Tour guide was very knowledgeable . He said he has been doing this tour for 20 years & his expertise proved it!!
This was an excellent overview of both the Capital building and the Library of Congress. The tour was over 2 hours but could easily have gone on for another 2. The Library of Congress has a lot to offer and couldn’t fully be covered. You have the opportunity to get a library card from it but get there with a picture ID before it closes at 4:30. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Would definitely do this tour again. Great for singles, couples or families (not ideal for small children or babies).
The Rotunda was so impressive. I had never been to the Library of Congress & it was well worth the trip. Tyron, our guide, was outstanding.
Great experience! Loved our guide. Was just the right amount of time and saw everything without staying anything too long.
Very knowledgeable! We learned a lot and enjoyed how friendly and easy our guide was. It was a great experience, we would do it again.
Our guide was so knowledgeable about the capital and surrounding area. Knew everything and was able to answer all of our questions. Worth every penny of it.
The tour guide did not show up, we were at 10 to 9 in the meeting point, in front of the Supreme Court, and nobody showed up. I am claiming the reimbursement of 151 $
We had the BEST guide, Duane. He was so knowledgable, we were so impressed with his tour. He was very friendly, kind, and made everyone on the tour feel welcomed.
Really nice tour and excellent guide. Was very knowledgeable and well arranged. I will suggest this highly
The tour did not start well for me. Zuma was very prejudiced and hurtful. As he was giving instructions I asked if even a bottle of water is not allowed in the capitol. At this , he stared at me with such scorn. He never asked how I am or the other pleasantries like he asked everyone else in the group. I was shocked at his behavior. I am a physician having lived in Texas for 30 years. No one has made me feel this bad.
We had a great tour to the Capital and Library of Congress. Dwayne was a terrific guide and I’m so glad we didn’t try to do this on our own. We learned so much in such a short amount of time and after were able to get a library card! The lines are long so taking this also saved us a lot of time waiting. Great tour Dwayne, thank you again!
Not being provided specific information on the Meetup location for the tour. I arrived at the step of the supreme court 20 minutes prior to the stayed tour start time. There was only (1) obvious group lined-up for a tour. So I got in this line, went thru security check, and found out that I was actually inline for a free self guided tour of the supreme Court building, and not the Viator tour that I had planned on. B/c access the government buildings time limited I decided to stay with this tour to make the most of my time.....upon exiting the supreme court bldg I noticed a sms message on my phone from an unknown number with an attached video file. So like any unknown sms and to protect my phone, I deleted this message. (There was nothing stated in the subject line of the message). I proceeded to call Viator support to explain my situation and to receive credit for the same tour the next day, or for my money back. Viator said that I was provided all the information they require and ultimately said they could not provide either a credit, or money back.
Sally was a fantastic tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and very passionate about the history of our Capitol Building. She went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience and even stayed with us to ensure we completed our dream of getting our library cards.
Nick is a fantastic guide, he has huge knowlege and passion for History and shows. Because it was Easter week it was very busy at the Capitol and we needed to wait. I highly recommend this tour!
Meeting point was in front of Supreme Court where a demonstration was in progress. Could not find tour leader. Call tour operator who said he was there. Spent half an hour walking back and forth with thousands of demonstrators looking for guide. Tour operator would no longer take calls. Viator will not refund. Very disappointing experience
This tour was not as described. Large group of 40, could not hear tour guides . Everything we need was free to everyone. Not with the money. Do not book this.
The guide was knowledgeable and easy to understand. It was Fantastic! The buildings are a piece of art themselves plus the history pieces of information you get out of your guide. I’m happy we did take the tour.
I went to the suppose place to be but no body was there, i called several times to the guide guy but i didn’t received any answer….. After several hours i received a text informing me that he was in a funeral service…. But i did the tour by my own….. now i will request a refund for this tour.
My parents and I did this tour. This was such a great tour and learned so much. Dwayne was our tour guide and he new so much. If your able to do this tour I highly recommend.
Fabulous tour, Dwaine was so very knowledgeable. It was an excellent experience and I highly recommend this.
Our tour was fabulous. Dwayne our guide was masterful. We were treated to a three hour tour that was informative, educative and engaging. Definitely a highlight of our visit to Washington. Thank you Dwayne for a brilliant spin around the Capitol.
We had a fabulous tour of the U.S. Capitol and Library of Congress with Dwayne. He was super professional and knowledgeable, and engaging with the entire group. I would highly recommend this tour!
Terrible experience that I have never had before. My husband and I were waiting in freezing cold from 9:40 am till 10:20 am. We found the pole with the sign that says “Signature Tour” and stood next to it. The meeting time was supposed be at 10:00am, we followed the instructions and came 15-20 minutes early, nobody was there and nobody showed up until 10:20 am. I called the number provided with the instructions, left several voicemails nobody picked up the phone, nobody replied back. I have been approaching people at the front of the National Archive asking if they know anything about that tour. The tour guide, from another tour, across the street also confirmed that we are in the right place. Please don’t waste your time and do yourself a favor choose other tours.
Dwayne was a kind & knowledgeable tour guide/host/teacher, making our small group so comfortable. We were blessed with a beautiful day for the walk to the was all that more enjoyable and the pictures Dwayne took of us were just great. Everyone at the capital knew him, and it made our experience all the more enjoyable. How he keeps all the info & numbers in his head is beyond me. What are the best things we did in DC!
Tyrone was upbeat and knowledgeable. The Capitol tour was especially informative and the use of audio phones meant we didn't miss a word. The Library of Congress was stunning. What a privilege to see! Be prepared to hike.
Excellent tour.Dwayne was an outstanding guide, giving us so much information in an interesting manner. Wonderful tour with an excellent guide!
Dwayne was a phenomenal tour guide with a ton of experience and a trove of knowledge that definitely enriched my experience! The small group size felt personable and private. Modified tour for Monday, since the Library of Congress is closed.
The ticket info said the tour would end back at the meeting place. Once we boarded the bus it was announced that it would end at the library of congress. Well, we parked at the meeting place. And so, we had to walk ten blocks back to the meeting place after walking three hours. And we paid 170 for this???? I will say the guide was knowledgeable but the switch in the ride back was not cool.
Loved this tour! Tyrone was extremely knowledgeable and fun. I would highly recommend this tour if you are visiting DC!
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
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