How to take the Capitol Tour to visit Washington's iconic building

One of the most attractive visits you can make in your tourist trip to Washington is to travel the capitol building, historic home of the United States legislative chambers.

You will have its grandeur in mind at all times during your visit to the different monuments and museums that are concentrated in the large meadow of the National Mall of the capital.

Below you have some curiosities and historical facts about the Washington Capitol.

Curiosities of the history of the Capitol

El Capitol construction began in 1793. , as a key point in the great project of creating the city of Washington.

This building is the headquarters of the legislative chambers of the United States, housing both the Congress such as Senate, and in its surroundings there are also the headquarters of the Supreme Court and Library of Congress.

Actually, the Capitol It is a group of buildings built with a similar architectural style, of enormous grandeur.

Thus, the aforementioned Library of Congress It is located in an annex building that you can also visit, and which is known as the Thomas Jefferson Building.

The Capitol building stands out above all for its impressive (and well-known) Dome, which was built between 1855 and 1866.

Another key point is the Rotonda , which is the interior room of enormous dimensions that is located under the summit.

How to visit the Capitol in Washington as a tourist

To visit the Capitol en Washington you must access the new Visitors Center, a large free entry area, where there is a showroom that you can visit without any prior reservation.

El Capitol Visitor Center It has enormous dimensions, since its surface is equivalent to three quarters of the Capitol building itself.

It is located underground, on the east side of the large legislative building.

In this Capitol Visitor Center, which opens from Monday to Saturday, from 8,30:16,30 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., you can even sign up for guided tours that allow you to delve deeper into certain aspects of the history of this emblematic building in Washington.

So, for example, you can participate in a guided tour of the exhibition hall which lasts about 20 minutes.

Or sign up for specific thematic visits, such as visit of the Senate chambers or a guided walk through the surrounding gardens The capitol.

Here you have more information about the activities scheduled at the Capitol.

What it is like and how to do the Capitol Tour

But the most interesting thing about your visit is doing the Capitol Tour, which allows you Get to know the historic building in guided groups, also completely free.

El Capitol Tour It lasts one hour and begins with a 13-minute documentary in which the process of establishing the democratic system in the United States is shown and introduces you to the history of the building.

During the visit you will have the opportunity to see inside for the great dome of the capitol, an area known as the Rotonda .

Book tickets for the Capitol Tour

To do this tour of the historic capitol building It is not essential to make a reservation in advance. online ticket reservation, but highly recommended, especially if you are going to visit it on weekends or during high tourist season.

To make the aforementioned online booking You must select the day and time you want to visit, within ten minutes.

To make the Capitol Tour It is recommended that you allow a minimum of 90 minutes, as it is advisable that you arrive half an hour before the reserved time since you must pass security checks prior to the visit.

In the following link you can do the online reservation of tickets for the Capitol Tour in Washington.

Washington Capitol visit schedules

The Capitol visiting hours They are, from Monday to Saturday, between 8,30:16,30 a.m. and 15,30:XNUMX p.m., with the last tour leaving at XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

La Visiting the Capitol is free for all audiences.