US Capitol Visitor Center Review

The visitor's center has a museum and it's exhibits change periodically. There is a 17 minute film, and then a guided tour through the Capitol.

Beautiful place to visit. The security staff, while very serious, is probably some of the more friendly staff in the area. We we're at a catered event and they did a fantastic job. The food was delicious. There is also a coat room and the restroom were well kept.

The visit is a bit heavy if you go with children who do not speak English. And we have not been able to go upstairs. A shame

Very impressive the capitol and the library. Lunch there is very cheap and good. Personnel and information as well as security outside very friendly and helpful.

Very organized. I went early [9:00 am] without a reserved ticket and only waited about 10 minutes for a tour. Knowledgeable guides.

I really enjoyed this visit. Better to make reservations, so you don't have to stand in a long line.

They ordered us to throw everything can be eaten or drink before we entered

It's the capital visitor center! Beautiful art and sculptures. Definitely a place to visit if in D.C!

Very informative tour. It was kind of short though...30min.

AMAZING and FREE visit of the Capitol. Really enjoyed it!!

Wonderful tour of the Capitol, and it's was such a pleasure to visit the library of Congress as well.

I found the exhibition about the operation of the congress very interesting, I recommend it

Love the tour guide. She made an hour tour feel like 15mn.

Really well run with pleasant and professional staff. Audio set are available to listen better to your quide. Tours are large in number, but it works. Worth the visit for the understanding of the building and the history.

Not much to do here without a guided tour, but there is a passage directly to the Library of Congress. The staff were very friendly.

Very well done and very organized. They moved a lot of people through so expect some waiting.

America, the place that moves around the world. Is it bad? Is it good?

They tell you to come early, but if you're visiting out of summer season, you should go a bit later. We arrived around 11.30 and we could just walk in without waiting in line anywhere. The staff here is really friendly and the guide was genuinly funny! She knew a lot and could answer all our questions. They 9/11 memorial is beautiful, made a lot of people teary-eyed. Go and visit, it's beautiful, but you also learn a lot, especially as a foureign tourist!

Our tour guide Andrew was an absolute delight! Great humor, informative, and who can beat that sweet ol' Sean Connery Scottish accent, anyway? We Carolina gals loved him!

Its great if you want to learn about some history about America. But otherwise you dont have to come into the building.

A very informative and impressive guided tour of the public area of the Capitol. The guide was very knowledgeable and took plenty of time to answer questions. Highly recommended and FREE!

Note: This is obviously a much visited building and can get very busy. You can just show up for a tour but it's highly recommended that you make a reservation. Also, in peak tourist season, the security line can be LONG! Get there in plenty of time to make it through.

For mobility challenged visitors, wheel chairs are readily available and elevators are conveniently located.

The visitor center has a reasonable cafeteria, large enough to handle the throngs. Open till 4:00pm

Awesome to be in the building where our Senate and Congress meet and make our Nation's laws.

Loved the tour. The guys are amazing. You have to see the video and visit the dome.

Very engaging staff. Well orchestrated tours of a building that's far more interesting than you'd expect. All items in the gift shops(North side and South sides) are made in the USA. The shops carry the same merchandise. Plan to take the Halls of the Senate tour. It's only given at 11am and 2pm Monday through Friday.

Wow this place is amazing definitely wants to see if you're inside the capital so many amazing gifts just something cool to take home to remember your trip by stuff was not that expensive for being ran by the government which was shocking everyone that works there as a tremendously nice with great customer service just a pleasure to go there!

They make you throw away all foods and drinks without any sign stating such requirements before screening. After we chose not to go in, they won t even allow you to put on your belt before pushing you out of the door with your wallet and phone and belts in your hands. This is the worst experience I ever had with any security screening.

Too much security which is good and also bad for AV techs. We can only come in 30mins prior to the scheduled event which makes settin up and testing all connection somehow a rodeo.

Too bad there was no way to translate the explanations from English to Spanish

Well organized, we booked our time slot online for 9.50am and went 20' before to have enough time to go through security. When we checked in at the counter they asked us if we wanted to join the earlier tour that was starting in 5' and we agreed. It was very interesting and it has an underground hallway that connects to the Library of Congress, very useful as it avoids having to go through security again.

Awesome place related to Congress, Supreme Court, etc.

Great tour once started. Navigating the location for finding the tour is disorganized and staff were deadpan and assuming with regard to those details. Very good tour guides and security.

Think you have to know who you are in Washington DC.

Not as many people waiting as I thought. You're supposed to get 45 min earlier than your reservation so I got there an hour earlier and I was able to get in immediately since not a lot of people came. Great place to visit, a must in DC!

I booked the tour at 11 and went at 10:45, but the line was so long that I was able to enter at 11:25. I was late, so I had to stand in line without a reservation to get a ticket. I don't know why they ask me to make a reservation if I'm going to give you tickets like that The tour was also very long, but there wasn't much to see. I just took several pictures and came out. I don't want to recommend it.

Always a madhouse here but lines move fast and just taking in the atmosphere of Americans from all over the country visiting their Capitol is a wonderful sight. Film is informative and the tour, while brief, covers the highlights. Your best bet is to contact your Congressional rep for a personalized, longer and in-depth tour. But if you arrive in the District without a plan and just want a quick visit, this is the way to go! Walkway to the Library of Congress is a great side tour. Don't miss it!

We went there for a homeschool field trip. It was beautiful. The staff is knowledge and empathetic. I'm handicap and they took that into consideration the entire visit.

The guided tour is excellent, and gives you a good history and view of the whole tower from the inside out. The only thing is that I feel there is a little too much security there, but, that's because its home to the nation's Congress.

A great place to learn about the seat of American legislative power. Plan ahead for your visit. Get the tour pass through your Senator / Congressman or by directly contacting the visitor center. As part of the escorted tour group, you get access to more areas than if you just visit on your own. Finding good and cost effective parking close enough to the Capitol can also take some effort and advance planning is good. The place is worth a visit despite all this.

Had a great tour guide who knew her stuff and was very interesting to listen to, excited sounding almost like it was her first tour. It was really cool to see the inside of the iconic building and learn about the history that happened there.

It was very nice but has security. It has a nice tour and I recommend it. If you are planning to go to Washington Dc visit Capital Visting Center.

There s no provision for those who have reservations to have priority screening so as to guarantee they ll make there time slot. There is a single line for security screening comprised of both those with and those without an advanced reservation. Thus, if you miss your slot there s no guarantee that you will get in. You are put back into the no-reservation pool. So, while security screening is extremely efficient, it is unknown how long one may take to reach the reception desk (it took us about 25 by which time we had missed our reserved time slot). Otherwise, the whole thing was well organized and extremely friendly (no overtly Draconian security measures).

Essential window into the inner workings of the United States Democratic experiment.

Security staff really rude and awfuly brutal. Trying to make fun of everybody. We and a lot of people had a disgusting experience because of those guys in the entry. Be careful please.

So much to see and very friendly and helpful staff. Just ask what you want to know or see and they will tell you and, if possible, take you to what you wanted to see.

Big crowds and a lot of walking. Very informative and knowledgeable guide. Historic.

Had an excellent tour organized through my district's representative- definitely go this route if you can for a more personal experience. The visitor center itself is beautiful, full of exhibits, statues, and information. It is bustling with activity so watch out for the people who are hard at work!

I visited the Capitol as a delegate for Foster Youth to shadow member of the House and couldn't leave the Visitor Center store without a Maine-themed pewter bracelet and a piece of leather from the U.S House of Representatives chairs before they were reupholstered. The folks working in the store weren't particularly enthusiastic, however the guides were very helpful when it came to locating restrooms and water fountains.

Great place to start any tour of the Capitol, with beautiful architecture, helpful staff, and plenty of information and tour guides. From the surface, I could not tell there was a subterranean complex, which is pretty impressive!

Nice tour. It was shorter than expected, but very informative. Jeremy was an excellent guide.

Red Coat tour is always fun. Each guide has their own unique twist. I've learned something new each time. Takes about 30-40 minutes.

Absolutely loved visiting this place! This includes the Senate room and House of Reps! I got to see Marko Rubio speak, Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz too! It was so awesome to see them in action, even though I never got to talk to them. (But I dont think that's possible anyways.) You can sit in the Senate house and observe them in session for as long as you want, whenever you want. So take the take the time if you are interested!

It was very educational and our tour guide actually was close to one of my best friends so it was nice to see her. It was nice to see others that appreciate learning about history!

Give yourself time to explore. Dont bring bottled anything.