Washington DC

Capitol Hill Walking Tour with US Capitol and Library of Congress

Badge of ExcellenceWashington DC, USA
US Capitol And Capitol Hill Afternoon Walking Tour

From $85.00

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

  • 2 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Don’t just stroll past D.C.’s leviathans of power—with this walking tour, you’re going inside. Led by your guide, you’ll visit the US Capitol, the Library of Congress or Capitol Museum, Thomas Jefferson's original library, and more. You’ll explore the rotunda, the crypt, and the old house chambers of the US Capitol, witness the Supreme Court, and get a deep dive into the powers that run the United States.
  • Entry into the US Capitol and Library of Congress/Capitol Museum included
  • See the largest public collection of knowledge in the world
  • Dive into Capitol Hill's history, from notable court cases to architecture
  • Your guide provides behind-the-scenes knowledge you won't get in the guidebooks

What's Included

  • 2-Hour Guided Morning or Afternoon Walking Tour of Capitol Hill
  • Entry to US Capitol
  • Entry to Library of Congress (or Capitol Museum when Library of Congress is closed on Mondays)
  • Complimentary Bottled Water
  • Stop by the US Supreme Court (exterior only)
  • Visit the Rotunda, the Crypt and old house chambers in the US Capitol
  • See Thomas Jefferson's original library
  • All Fees and Taxes

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 1 First St NE, Washington, DC 20543, USA

    Starting January 16th 2024: Meets at the US Supreme Court: 1 1st St NE Metro Stop: Capitol South Metro Station – Blue Line, Orange Line, Silver Line.

End point

  • 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA

    Our Tour ends at the Library of congress. Around a 25 minute walk from our meeting point

What To Expect

U.S. Capitol

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Library of Congress

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Supreme Court

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Waking: There will be standing and walking during this tour. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather as much of the tour is outdoors. DC can be very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Umbrellas and layers are recommended.
  • UNTIL JANUARY 15th, 2023, Tour starts at the National Archives at: 800 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Starting January 16th Tour start point is moving to the Supreme Court at: 1 1st St NE, Washington, DC
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 36 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
217 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 217 reviews
We will definitely be back
Jamil_W, Apr 2024
I was very impressed with how knowledgeable my tour guides were and my wife and I are definitely returning with our children and grandchildren. We highly encourage everyone to visit and to utilize Viator as a resource you guys ROCK 2024
Great Capitol tour
Daniel_K, Apr 2024
Every part of the tour was amazing. The Library of Congress was incredibly impressive with the murals, paintings and artwork. It was inspiring to see the hard working Capitol Police as well.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your very nice review! We're happy to hear that you found the tour amazing and were impressed by the Library of Congress. We appreciate your positive feedback!
Best tour guide
Bryan_B, Apr 2024
Dwayne was a great guide. Really enjoyed it. Very knowledgeable and great personality. Had a lot of fun.
Efficient way to see the Capitol and the Library.
Amitava_D, Apr 2024
Got us entry when day tickets had been sold out. The tour guide was good - met us on time, gave us a little intro while walking, and then the capitol guide took over. After that, he led us though a tour of the Iibrary, and we could wander it on our own as well at the end of the tour. Nice experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
thank you for joining us on the walking tour of Capitol Hill and the Library of Congress. This tour is designed for guests who want to know more about the history of this area of DC where you have the seats of our government branches.
Highly recommend this tour.
Samantha_S, Apr 2024
Our tour guide Dwayne was great! Enthusiastic and super knowledgeable about The Capitol and Library of Congress. His breadth of information was impressive and he was open to any questions. We had a great sunny day for this tour. Lots of great photo opportunities inside and out. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for highly recommending the tour and your great appreciation of your guide who works tirelessly to give you the most. Our guides are knowledgeable friendly and personable. Thank you for being with us.
Great tour
aaron_w, Apr 2024
Great tour, Dwayne is awesome guide and was very helpful. He made sure we all stayed together and that everyone could hear him.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your nice feedback. Your guide will be elated to hear about your appreciation and praise.
Terrible customer...
allen_p, Apr 2024
Terrible customer service. Non-existent, in fact. I booked the tour for my wife and I and three of our kids. The morning of the tour happened to be the Supreme Court argument about one of the abortion issues, so understandably there was a large crowd/protest in front of the Court (where the tour meets). This all delayed the start of our tour substantially. Once inside the Capitol (which was to be the mere start of the tour), we experienced more delays with the tour guide trying to get the tickets for our group's entrance. This all ultimately led to my family and I having to bail on the tour, without seeing anything at all, and out a good chunk of money. I didn't - and don't - blame the company or the guide for the delays, but when I tried to address this afterward with the company and figure out what a fair allocation of the expense should be (not all their fault, but definitely not mine either), I received ZERO response to my multiple emails. NONE. So I'm out hundreds of dollars for a tour I got NO part of and they not only haven't agreed to reimburse some amount, but have IGNORED all my outreaches. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THEM.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Sorry about this terrible experience that you are relating. We understand your frustration but you're saying is uncharacteristic. If you booked the tour via viator, please contact them directly with your requests. They should be able to assist you. We're only the provider so not selling the tickets directly to you.
Amazing Experience!!!
Louis_D, Apr 2024
Our tour guide Dwayne was unbelievable!!! He had so much amazing knowledge and answered everyone’s questions with details you couldn’t imagine. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone that wanted a deep understanding of the history and architecture of the The Capitol Building and the Library of Congress.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your rave review. Your guides are knowledgeable and friendly. They make sure that you have the background history give context to the monuments and make your experience meaningful.
Cancelled!!!
Kathleen_M, Apr 2024
Most memorable was the tour operator’s cancellation of the tour and then telling me to work with Viator for my refund. How do I share that story?
Response from Host, Apr 2024
The Us capital canceled the tour for important event for the prime minister of Japan we are sorry for the inconvenience this something we cando nothing about it We are in business 25 years we never cancelled the tour
Excellent tour
jh1997, Apr 2024
Dwayne was an excellent guide. Knows so much about the Capitol and Library of congress. It was cery impressive and a very good tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for taking this tour with us and enjoying it. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and giving us a great review.
Tour guide didn't really guide
Kat_B, Apr 2024
Tour got into Capitol and Library of Congress but otherwise was not helpful. Better to book tickets to both in advance and skip the tour which provides no additional value.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for sharing your impression of the tour. We value your feedback. The guide takes care of the work of getting you in and out of the Capitol and Library of Congress and shares with you the background history to make your tour interesting.
Great tour guide
Maria_R, Apr 2024
Great tour! Dwayne was amazing! Incredibly knowledgeable and engaging! Definitely recommend and enjoyed it very much
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for walking with us in this Capitol Hill discovery tour. We assign a native DC guide to fill you in on the history in a fun and informative way. Glad you enjoyed it.
Not great
Joanne_H, Apr 2024
Not recommended! We booked the Capitol + LOC tour mainly because the time slots offered through the US Government (for free) were fully booked and we wanted to be sure we’d get our family group of 5 in. At a cost of $85+ per person - we assumed it’d also be a rich experience. It wasn’t. You’re mostly just pointed in the direction of where to stand in line to get into the Capitol. A few anecdotes are tossed off by your guide robotically as you wait. This tour just puts you in line for existing tours offered for free in the Capitol, so the private ‘guide’ you’re paying for is really just a chaperone, who points to the line you should stand in, and who in our case seemed to wish he were doing something else. After the Capitol, there is a minimal introduction to the Library of Congress and then you’re on your own to explore there. Try getting standby tickets for free rather than pay a premium price for next to no value, and DEFINITELY do not book this tour during the off season as you will be throwing 100% of your money away.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for doing the tour and sharing your impressions. We have been doing this tour to the satisfaction of many of our guests. The tour is designed to get you in and out of the Capitol Hill landmarks with a minimum of hassle and give you the background info that makes your tour interesting.
Our guide was very good...
Janhavi_P, Apr 2024
Our guide was very good and knowledgeable, we had a great time. It started on time and ended on time
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your great and concise review. We love to hear back from our guests as we strive to give you great experiences.
The experience was...
Sonia_D, Apr 2024
The experience was wonderful. The guide tour was great and he knew what he eas talking about. The headphones they give, worked 100%
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for nice review, it really makes me happy to hear. we’are glad to have you and we hope to see you again. Malaak.
Overbooked. Overpriced.
Robin_P, Apr 2024
Fairly, we visited DC during one of the busiest times. Cherry blossom season at the end of March. Our tour guide was very professional and knowledgeable. Even he acknowledged that this was the largest tour group he had ever had. It was too big. Two groups of about 45. When I chose and purchased this tour I was under the impression that it would be a much smaller group. For the price of the ticket, I was expecting a more personalized experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We value your feedback. We strive to give the very best experience to our guests but as you acknowledged, we're in the busiest season and we're trying to make everyone happy. Sorry if we came up short. We'll to do better next time.
You can't stop the rain
Shelda_W, Mar 2024
It was raining pretty good and we stood in line for an hour if you include arriving 15 minutes prior to tour start. Never once during this time, standing in the rain, were we told why we were waiting. The tour organizer even seemed to physically space himself from our disgruntled wet and cold selves. Eventually found out that the tours had been backed up by the overwhelming number of folks touring. Our extremely knowledgeable and apologetic guide very much made up for our very uncomfortable wait. Would do the tour again.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for doing the tour with us in spite of the rain. Sorry about that. We try to make the best out of it, if we can. Glad that you liked the guide.
Well organized tour for those who didn’t book in advance
Jonathan_E, Mar 2024
The guides were very knowledgeable. The whole experience was timed very well so that you didn’t miss anything.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for nice review, it really makes me happy to hear. we’are glad to have you and we hope to see you again. Malaak.
Goo tour despite a couple of glitches
Tom_S, Mar 2024
Dwayne did a great job under hectic and crowded conditions. He was informative and pleasant. Less good were the instructions for the meeting point: contrary to what we were told, the meeting point was across the street from the Supreme Court and there was no particular sign to identify the group. Josh, the Capitol Building staffer who led that part of the tour, was too quick to disappear at the end of the tour and was not clear enough about how to exit. Other than this and the huge Easter/Cheery Blossom crowds, it was a good tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
“This review made our day!” “Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this amazing review.” “We are so grateful for your kind words. Thanks for sharing your review with us and we hope to see you again. Malaak
Terrific tour guide and tour
Katherine_S, Mar 2024
Dwayne navigated the crowds at the Capitol and Library of Congress skillfully and shared his knowledge with us expertly. Walking through the tunnel to the Library of Congress was memorizable. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and took Dwayne’s advice to apply for a Library of Congress library card so we could enter the Reading Room. Highly recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your review, We're really grateful and appreciate you taking the time to share your rating with us.” We hope to see you again soon. Malaak.
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