U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

About

The Capitol Visitor Center is the public entrance to the United States Capitol. It sits underground beneath the East Front plaza, at First Street and East Capitol Street, across from the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. Its central space is Emancipation Hall, where the information desks are.

To see the historic rooms of the Capitol, you must join a guided tour led by a professional guide. There are no self-guided tours. Tours start with an orientation film and then visit the Crypt, the Rotunda under the dome and National Statuary Hall. They do not include the House and Senate galleries, and the route can change. Tours are also offered in Mandarin and Spanish.

Everything is free. Reservations are recommended through the Visitor Center website or your senators' or representative's office, and same-day passes are usually available at the lower-level information desk. The last tour starts at 3:20 p.m. If you arrive without a reservation, the Visitor Center recommends coming by 2:30 p.m. It is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and Inauguration Day.

All visitors go through security screening, so review the prohibited items list first. Visitor Services staff wear red jackets and vests if you need directions. Before or after the tour, you can see the Exhibition Hall, visit the gift shops or eat at the Capitol Cafe. The Library of Congress Jefferson Building is directly across First Street, and the U.S. Botanic Garden is at the foot of the Capitol grounds.

Accessibility

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is fully accessible, and Capitol tours are accessible too. The Office of Congressional Accessibility Services (OCAS) can arrange tours designed for visitors with disabilities; call (202) 224-4048.

There is no visitor parking, but two ADA pick-up and drop-off zones are on First Street near the entrance, one across from the Library of Congress on First Street SE and one across from the Supreme Court on First Street NE. They are for private cars, rideshares and taxis, and cars cannot wait there. Buses and oversized vehicles drop off at Garfield Circle SW, where a free on-demand shuttle runs to the Visitor Center entrance from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Staff at the kiosks can call it, and large groups needing mobility help should call OCAS ahead.

Wheelchairs can be borrowed at the North Coat Check with a valid government-issued ID (passports are not accepted). They must be returned by 4 p.m. and used only in the Capitol and Visitor Center. Family and accessible restrooms are throughout the Visitor Center. Visitor Services staff wear red jackets and vests.

Every visitor gets an assisted listening device after the orientation film to hear the guide, and t-coil receivers for hearing aids are available from staff. All films are open captioned, an ASL video tour of the Capitol is available at the information desks, and in-person ASL interpretation can be booked ahead.

For blind and low vision visitors, brochures come in large print and braille, listening devices with audio description of the film are at the Emancipation Hall information desks, and OCAS offers tours for visitors with visual impairments. The free Aira app works anywhere in the Capitol. Service animals are allowed in the Visitor Center and the Capitol.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Washington, DC

• Smithsonian's National Zoo (Washington)
• National Air and Space Museum (Washington)
• National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington)
• National Museum of Natural History (Washington)
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (Washington)
• Washington Monument (Washington)

Photo credits

• The west front of the U.S. Capitol and its dome above a wide lawn and paved walkways.: Architect of the Capitol, Public domain (source)
• Visitors cross the wide, level floor of Emancipation Hall inside the Capitol Visitor Center.: USCapitol, Public domain (source)
• The white Capitol dome rises above the columns and sculpted pediment of the building.: Nilington (talk) (Uploads), Public domain (source)