Tour Requests
In order to request the tours that are available to schedule through our office, please fill out the Tours Request Form below. Additional information on these tours are listed below the form.
Tours Request Form
Tours
If you are planning a trip to our nation's capital, my office can help you arrange tours and find information about visiting Washington, DC's most popular attractions. Because my office accommodates thousands of Louisianans each year:
- All tours are on a first-come first-serve basis
- Tours are subject to availability
- Please note that due to heightened security in Washington after September 11 and with the start of military action in Iraq, tours of many public buildings have been curtailed or suspended.
Also, please submit your request EARLY. Because of the great demand and limited number of tickets that are available for some tours, especially the White House and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, please try to contact the office three months in advance of your scheduled trip. These tours book up rather quickly, especially around holidays and in the spring/summer (third week in March through Labor Day).
White House Tours are available from 7 a.m.-10a.m. Tuesday-Saturday on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The White House Visitor Center also remains open. The Center features many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and relations with the press and world leaders, as well as a thirty-minute video. It is located at the southeast corner of 15th and E Streets and is open 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Visitors can also call a 24-hour tour information line (202-456-7041) or reference their website http://www.whitehouse.gov for the most up-to-date information.
Capitol Tours are available through our office in Washington.
In order to obtain tours through our office, please submit your request in writing, by phone (202-224-5824) or by e-mail: tours@landrieu.senate.gov. If possible, submit tour requests at least two to three months in advance.
United States Capitol
Between Constitution & Independence Avenues
Metro: Union Station and Capitol South
(202) 225-6827 (Capitol Guide Service's latest recorded information on visiting the Capitol)
(202) 224-4048 (Special Services -- accessible tours for visitors with disabilities)
(202) 224-4049 (TDD-TTY)
The Capitol Guide Service conducts free guided tours of the Capitol on Monday through Saturday throughout the year. During the non-peak visitor season (September through February) tours are offered every 15 minutes, from 9:30 AM until 3:30 PM. During the peak visitor season (March through August), tours are offered every 30 minutes, from 9:30 AM until 5:00 PM. The Capitol is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.
Senate/House Gallery Passes
Gallery passes are available at any time. Louisianans can also obtain Senate passes from our office or Sen. Vitter's office and House passes from their representative's office. Foreign visitors may obtain passes from the Office of the House Doorkeeper or the Senate Sergeant at Arms.
For more information, visit the Senate web site.
White House Tours
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Metro: Federal Triangle
24-hour information line: (202) 456-7041
TDD information line: (202) 456-2121.
There are two ways to obtain White House Tickets:
- Through Congressional Offices
White House tours, available Tuesdays through Saturdays, can be arranged through any of your congressional offices. These tickets are not guaranteed. White House tickets are distributed on a first-come first-serve basis so please submit your request early!
- Through the White House Visitors Center: This is only for the Visitor's Center, not for a White House tour
If Congressional offices cannot meet the requested dates of touring for the White House, there are tickets available at the White House Visitors Center at E and 15th Street NW. These tickets are available Tuesday through Saturday mornings starting at 7:30am (closed every Sunday and Monday). The Center opens at 7:30 am, but because of the great demand for tours during the summer months, it is advisable to be in line prior to that time. One person may obtain up to four tickets. You will be assigned a time for a tour later that same day between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon. Tours last approximately 20-35 minutes.
For more information, see the White House Visitors Center site. Because the White House occasionally must close for official events, it is always advisable to call (202) 456-7041 to listen to the 24-hour information line recording for any last-minute changes in the tour schedule. The TDD number is (202) 456-2121.
1st St. and E. Capitol St. across from the U.S. Capitol Bldg.
Metro: Union Station or Capitol South is closest
Visitor Information (202) 227-9779
Guided tours are offered at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00, 2:30, and 4:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday in the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Spanish-language tours are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. Tours are limited to 50 people. Call the Visitor Services Office at (202) 707-4684 to inquire about schedule tours for groups of 10 or more.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
14th and C Street SW
Metro: Smithsonian
(202) 874-2330
Supreme Court
1st Street NE across from the Capitol
Metro: Union Station or Capitol South
Open Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm. CLOSED Sat, Sun, holidays
(202) 479-3499
The Supreme Court is open to the public on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m; lines form on the outside plaza as early as 8 a.m.. Tickets are not necessary. The Court admits visitors every half-hour on the hour, on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9 a.m. Sessions begin at 10 a.m., with seating limited to 250. On days the Court is not sitting, public lectures are offered every half hour from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The National Archives
Constitution Avenue, between 7th and 9th Streets
Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial
(202) 501-5000
Open everyday except December 25
Winter Hours: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Summer Hours: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (April 1 to Labor Day)
State Department
Square block between 21st and 23rd Streets and C and D Streets NW
Metro: Foggy Bottom is closest
(202) 647-3241 (voice)
(202) 736-4232 (FAX)
(202) 736-4474 (TDD)
Guided tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 2:45 p.m. Tours are 45 minutes in duration. Please make reservations four weeks in advance. This tour is not recommended for children under 12.
Washington Monument
National Mall
Metro: Smithsonian is closest
(202) 426-6841
The monument is open from April to September, 8 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. the rest of the year. Free tickets are available from the ticket kiosk at 15th St. at the base of the monument. Lines can be heavy, and may form as early as 7 a.m. Tickets can be resesrved for $1.50 at www.recreation.gov
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW (next to the Watergate Hotel)
Metro: Foggy Bottom, free shuttle bus runs to and from the Foggy Bottom Station every 15 minutes
(202) 416-8340
TTY (202) 416-8524
Free tours of the Kennedy Center are given by the Friends of the Kennedy Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. They depart from the parking plaza on Level A, and feature the Hall of States and Hall of Nations, the Center's main theaters, and dozens of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks given to the Center by foreign countries.