Touring the US Capitol Building

There are two tours in DC you need to schedule, and you definitely need to do. One, the White House, you have to schedule through your Congressman. The other, the US Capitol Building, you can book online or pick up tickets at the Capitol.

The best plan for touring the Capitol is to book in advance online for free and then pick up your tickets at will call. If you wait to get tickets at the Capitol, you might run into a problem that they might run out of tickets or not have tickets until a later time in the day.

Expect to go through some security to get into the Capitol. You also cannot bring food or drink into the building. However, there is a pretty nice food court that serves fresh pastas, sandwiches, wraps, salads and more.

The tour takes visitors through the main arteries of the Capitol, into the rotunda and into the former room for the Senate, called the whisper room.

If you visit the Capitol on the weekends or when Congress isn’t in session, visitors cannot visit the Senate and House floors. However, if you go while Congress is in session, visitors can sit in on debates, votes, and discussions of Congress.