Welcome to the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) Extranet site for the use of congressional staff. Please note that aside from the brochures, this information is for congressional staff. Information for the public can be found at our public website, www.visitthecapitol.gov.
What’s Happening at the Capitol Visitor Center
The Visitor Center is open to the public with tour reservations from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Inauguration Day.
Visitors with official business appointments must enter via the North and South Doors of the US Capitol and not through the Visitor Center entrance.
Get ready for spring! We know that your offices are going to be busy as requests for tours of the U.S. Capitol increase during the spring and summer months. Through adjustments to CVC operations, more tour opportunities will soon be available to your constituents. Click on the link below to view a video with all the latest information on Capitol tours.
Tours of the U.S. Capitol – Spring 2023 Update (video opens in a new tab)
There are also other enhancements available to enable visitors to view the Capitol.
These include the following:
Operations
Beginning on March 4th, the CVC will open for Saturday tours – both CVC guide-led and staff-led
- Guide-led tour hours will be Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the last guide-led tour begins at 3:20 p.m.
- Staff-led tours will be permitted Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the last staff-led tour begins at 3:40 p.m.
- Tour passes are required for all Capitol tours. This is a change from the limited staff-led Saturday tours available to staff through Saturday, February 25, for which no tour pass is required.
- All Saturday tours must enter via the CVC. Beginning Saturday, March 4, the Cannon tunnel and Russell tunnel entrances to the Capitol are closed to staff-led tours and visitors.
Other Tour Times/Opportunities
Beginning on February 27th, an 8:30 a.m. tour will be offered to Congressional offices only, and a 4:00 p.m. Photo Op of the Rotunda will be offered.
- The 8:30 a.m. tour is a CVC guide-led tour. The number of these tours is limited. Offices must make this reservation request by telephoning the CVC Reservations Office at 202.593.1762.
- The 4 p.m. Photo Opportunity is designed to enable visitors who arrive too late for a tour to view the historic Rotunda. Suggest that late arriving constituents come to the CVC Information Desk and ask for the Photo Opportunity. A guide will lead them to see the Rotunda. No reservations are necessary.
Specialty Tours
For those who want to see and learn more about the Capitol and Congress, please encourage constituents to participate on one of the following specialty tours.
Each of the following is offered Monday – Friday. Ask about the availability of passes at the information desk in Emancipation Hall:
Halls Of The Senate 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
See the work of renowned artist Constantino Brumidi in the Senate Wing of the Capitol.
Votes For Women 12 p.m.
Learn about the work of generations of women to get the right to vote – from Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to Ida B. Wells, Alice Paul and Inez Milholland – on a walk through Capitol spaces.
Indigenous Peoples In Capitol Art 1 p.m.
The Capitol’s art collection and the way America sees its indigenous peoples have evolved over time. Consider and discuss some of the changes on the CVC’s newest tour.
Heroes Of Civil Rights 3 p.m.
Hear about the extraordinary lives of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and others who fought for an end to slavery and the equality and freedom of all Americans on this walk through Capitol spaces.
Exhibition Hall
We hope you have had the opportunity to visit the redesigned Exhibition Hall. There are many new hands-on exhibits to help visitors learn about the Capitol and workings of Congress.
Online Gift Shop Now Open
The CVC Online Gift Shop is now open at https://shop.visitthecapitol.gov. All products are Made-in-the-USA, and many are created exclusively for our store. On-site delivery is available for congressional offices.
About the CVC
The Capitol Visitor Center, the visitor entrance to the U.S. Capitol, is located below the East Plaza of the Capitol between Constitution and Independence Avenues facing the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. There is an Exhibition Hall on the lower level with artifacts and historic documents that tell the story of Congress and the construction of the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol Cafe, is also located on the lower level. There are two Gift Shops on the upper level.
Contact Information
Office of Visitor Services
Phone: 202.593.1762
Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm (Mon-Fri)
Department Phone
Office of Visitor Services and Reservations – 202.593.1762
Special Events – 202.593.1775
Room Booking – 202.593.1775
Tour Training – 202.495.8361
The Capitol Cafe – 202.593.1871
Executive Office – 202.593.1816