Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill
4.5
08:30 - 16:30
Monday
08:30 - 16:30
Tuesday
08:30 - 16:30
Wednesday
08:30 - 16:30
Thursday
08:30 - 16:30
Friday
08:30 - 16:30
Saturday
08:30 - 16:30
About
At the east end of The Mall, the Hill is home to the U.S. Capitol.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view










What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Capitol Hill
How to get there
- Capitol South • 1 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1,835 within 5 kms
Attractions
596 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- The Baobab RepublicBangkok, Thailand382 contributionsAn iconic place of AmericaOf course, this is an iconic work of America. Capitol Hill is a beautiful structure, the scenery is great, and it is a destination that attracts all visitors when visiting the capital of the United States. We hope to have many opportunities to visit this place again.Visited October 2022Travelled as a coupleWritten 3 April 2023
- ElvisAndrusArlington, Texas815 contributionsWorth the timeI had taken a tour on a previous trip so this time we tried to get into the galleries. We watched a vote in the Senate and by the time the House had shut down. It is still rather magnificent seeing the faces you know from TV do their thing. I had this errie feeling in my stomach since the Jan 6 insurrection remains in the news. So many good things have happened in this place, but I found myself thinking about the bad. Probably different if a big debate is going to happen but the process for getting into the gallery was not arduos and worth the time.Visited March 2023Written 21 April 2023
- lucyporter2294Athens, Greece1 contributionWonderful experienceDont miss visiting the Us capitol. The building is amazing and the history it tells is a must do when visiting Washington DC. You can do a free tour where a guide is telling you a lot of facts about the building, the people who worked here and the ones who still work here.Visited July 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 3 July 2023
- EyekaytooLeverkusen, Germany2,994 contributionsSuperb visit to this iconic buildingFirstly we made our way up to the Capitol to take the usual photographs of this magnificent building. We hadn't realized that you could visit the Capitol, let alone on a Saturday. So we decided to check it out. Having passed the airport like security and leaving my bottles of water in the trash bin, we gained entry and found ourselves lining up for a FREE guided tour. It was fantastic. In our carefully managed group of tourists and other interested parties we were first ushered into a a theatre to watch an informative film on the Capitol. Afterwards, we were sub divided into smaller groups, provided with head sets and started our tour with a very energetic young lady whose name I didn't get. She was very knowledgeable as she lead us through the Crypt, the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall. I thought that it was highly ironic that the Capitol was actually built by slaves... I found that it was fascinating to be so close to the overall seat of power of the United States of America. Thoroughly recommended!Visited June 2023Written 9 July 2023
- Rose21London, United Kingdom82 contributionsA DC must see!This is one place not to be missed on a visit to DC. Be sure to book a tour (they're free) prior to visiting, you will be so glad you did. So much to see and learn about this iconic place. The tour starts with a short film and then we were shown around by a very knowledgeable guide. As we were walking around, he introduced us to a Senator from New Jersey, who made time to stop and talk to us. Definitely one not to miss when visiting DC, this place really is a must see if you love history and the story of America.Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten 14 July 2023
- BougieKnightAkron, Ohio194 contributionsExcellent experience with 'basic' tourGrounds were open and accessible. Clean and orderly. Upon entering for our basic timed tour, there was a nice visitors rotunda to wait in. The basic tour was great. With the basic tour you don't get 'behind the scenes' or into more 'restricted' areas, but you DO get to see and hear about the history of the building, go into the capitol dome room, statue hall, etc. If you have the ability to plan well in advance, I'd recommend trying for the more 'private' tour options.Visited August 2023Travelled with familyWritten 13 August 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
3,485 reviews
Excellent
2,184
Very good
1,001
Average
237
Poor
42
Terrible
21
SUNILDASWANEY
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates618 contributions
We really enjoyed visiting THE CAPITOL BUILDING as far as we were allowed and posing for some photographs in front of same.Nice to be part of history in some way or the other.
Written 12 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nitish
Bengaluru, India2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Business
Awesome trip to remember for.. really worth to go for adventure like this once in a life for sure guys.
Written 25 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand3,760 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
Capitol Hill, with the Capitol Building front and center, surrounded by Congressional office buildings, and the Supreme Court in the rear, is awe-inspiring despite the tainted image inflicted by some of the current ranking members of Congress and the Supreme Court.
Written 7 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FireTim44
Wetherby, UK779 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
A great couple of hours spent in and around the Capitol building very informative guided tour. Not to be missed when in Washington
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BougieKnight
Akron, OH194 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Grounds were open and accessible. Clean and orderly. Upon entering for our basic timed tour, there was a nice visitors rotunda to wait in. The basic tour was great. With the basic tour you don't get 'behind the scenes' or into more 'restricted' areas, but you DO get to see and hear about the history of the building, go into the capitol dome room, statue hall, etc. If you have the ability to plan well in advance, I'd recommend trying for the more 'private' tour options.
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rose21
London, UK82 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
This is one place not to be missed on a visit to DC. Be sure to book a tour (they're free) prior to visiting, you will be so glad you did. So much to see and learn about this iconic place. The tour starts with a short film and then we were shown around by a very knowledgeable guide. As we were walking around, he introduced us to a Senator from New Jersey, who made time to stop and talk to us. Definitely one not to miss when visiting DC, this place really is a must see if you love history and the story of America.
Written 14 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eastiseast
London105 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
A fantastic tour. Really interesting and the guide was excellent. The inside of Capitol Hill is beautifully maintained and they clearly spend money on keeping it that way. The film at the start of the tour is a great way to introduce the whole tour and why it's the heart of democracy in the US
Written 14 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eyekaytoo
Leverkusen, Germany2,994 contributions
Jun 2023
Firstly we made our way up to the Capitol to take the usual photographs of this magnificent building. We hadn't realized that you could visit the Capitol, let alone on a Saturday. So we decided to check it out. Having passed the airport like security and leaving my bottles of water in the trash bin, we gained entry and found ourselves lining up for a FREE guided tour. It was fantastic. In our carefully managed group of tourists and other interested parties we were first ushered into a a theatre to watch an informative film on the Capitol. Afterwards, we were sub divided into smaller groups, provided with head sets and started our tour with a very energetic young lady whose name I didn't get. She was very knowledgeable as she lead us through the Crypt, the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall. I thought that it was highly ironic that the Capitol was actually built by slaves... I found that it was fascinating to be so close to the overall seat of power of the United States of America. Thoroughly recommended!
Written 9 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lucyporter2294
Athens, Greece1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Friends
Dont miss visiting the Us capitol. The building is amazing and the history it tells is a must do when visiting Washington DC. You can do a free tour where a guide is telling you a lot of facts about the building, the people who worked here and the ones who still work here.
Written 3 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James R
29 contributions
May 2023
You must request a tour from your state congressional office or Senator office to even get a tour time. I found the tour very short on substance. We were only able to see a very small part of the Capital building. The visitors center is nice and anyone can go into the visitors center and see its exhibits but the actual tour is not worth the time.
Written 22 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tomaya04
Ra'anana, Israel70 contributions
Do you think the tour would be interesting for 12 year olds with basic English?
Saxonomous
Nottingham, UK99 contributions
There are foreign language tours too. You can book online
ct32016
Liverpool, UK63 contributions
I have been to Capitol Hill but did not know you could go inside. Do you have to be an American citizen to go inside? If not and you can get tickets, where do you get them from?
Kolasa03148
Atlanta, Georgia393 contributions
No issue being a US Citizen. Captiol Tours are OPEN to EVERYONE. All you need to do is go online and book at the Capitol Reservation website. Pick your day, date, time and print out the confirmation to bring along with you.
Check out the Visit The Capitol website
You can also enter the main area without a tour but I recommend the tour for the historical information. Tour takes about 45 min if I remember correctly.
zoominfocus
New York City, NY9 contributions
Thanks!
1st. Can we take pictures inside and outside the building?
2nd. Do we need reservation to come? Can we opt not to go with the guided tour?
3rd. We're planning to drive from NY. What the nearest area where we can park our vehicle either for free or for an inexpensive parking fee?
MPH
Bethesda, MD134 contributions
Basically, you can take pictures everywhere. Timed reservations are a must. They can be made online at the Capitol's website.Google US Capitol tickets. Probably the best parking will be at he Stadium Armory metro station, coming from NY. Go to wmata com for full info on train schedules, maps, parking, etc.
Truyen N
3 contributions
We are in Canada and will be visiting DC in April 2016 and would like to tour Capital Hill, is there any way to register to have tickets as we are not US citizen, any one can help?
BaWatson
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire44 contributions
Just go to the visitor centre within Capitol Hill and they will advise you there and then, we just turned up on the day and were able to tour and see the congress and we are not US citizens, my only recommendation is to go early in the day so you have plenty of time to look around as there are several tour options once inside
Ilya G
4 contributions
Добрый день! Скажите пожалуйста, как вы получили разрешение на вход в Капитолий? Или оно там не требуется заранее?
Géraldine C
Amilly, France214 contributions
Bonjour à tous
La visite du Capitol à Washington est-elle commentée en français par audiophone ou directement avec un guide parlant français ?
SophieMF
Bordeaux, France135 contributions
Bonjour. Je l ai visité l ete dernier et sauf erreur, les visites etaient commentées uniquement en anglais ( avec une sacré organisation !) neanmoins, visite à ne pas rater, salles magnifiques, on peut s assoir au parlement,....on y est !!! Meme si on ne comprend pas, on apprecie cette visite riche d histoire et de symboles. Peut lire les guides avant d y aller pour mieux comprendre ? ( et ne pas rater la magnifique bibliotheque)
Pennyellis3
Canberra, Australia3 contributions
Hi, We are booked in there in April - is it as good as it appears to be? Was the position suitable for easy access to trains, buses & the various sights travellers want to see when in NY? We are also from Canberra!
Traveller79Turks
Turks126 contributions
Yes it is easy access to the metro....not suited for parking if you drive.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingCapitol Hill, Washington DC
Frequently Asked Questions about Capitol Hill
- Hotels near Capitol Hill:
- (0.03 km) Blubambu Suites
- (0.03 km) BluBambu Suites - Capitol Hill
- (0.21 km) Capitol Hill Hotel
- (1.22 km) Kimpton The George
- (1.31 km) Phoenix Park Hotel
- Restaurants near Capitol Hill:
- (0.12 km) Bullfeathers
- (0.16 km) Madison Cafe, Library of Congress
- (0.11 km) Talay Thai Restaurant
- (0.16 km) Sandwiches by Phillip
- (0.11 km) Congressional Liquor & Deli
- Attractions near Capitol Hill:
- (0.15 km) Zohery Tours
- (0.23 km) National Nightmares
- (0.16 km) Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment
- (0.32 km) Library of Congress
- (0.31 km) Scary DC