[Text version] LAST UPDATED: March 13, 1997


White House Tour Information

Courtesy of the White House Visitors Office

Upcoming Events: Easter Egg Roll 1997



(This information is subject to change without notice.)

All White House tours are free. CHANGES IN TOUR SCHEDULES are occasionally made because of official events. Notice may not be given until that morning. The Visitors Office 24-hour recording at (202) 456-7041 provides the most up-to-date information. The TDD (telephone device for the deaf) is (202) 456-2121. Visitors should confirm tour schedules by calling the information line the night before and the morning that they plan to visit. When cancellations do occur, the Visitors Office tries to notify each office that has group tours scheduled for that day. It is the responsibility of that office to notify its guests. It is occasionally necessary to close individual rooms on the tour; however, notice about closed rooms is not possible.

TOUR PARKING is not available at the White House and use of public transportation is strongly encouraged. The closest Metrorail stations to the White House Visitor Center (15th Street, near E Street) are Federal Triangle (blue and orange lines) and Metro Center (blue, orange, and red lines).

PUBLIC TELEPHONES / RESTROOMS are not available at the White House; they are in the Visitor Pavilion on the Ellipse, at 15th and E Streets and in the White House Visitor Center.


Tour Tickets and Schedule

The White House is open for SELF-GUIDED WALK-THROUGH TOURS from 10:00 a.m. until 12 noon, Tuesday through Saturday. Free, timed tickets are distributed from the White House Visitor Center (WHVC), at 15th Street near E Street. National Park Service personnel assist visitors with directions and information. Visitors may see two videos and numerous exhibits while waiting in a comfortable and interesting place. First spending 20-90 minutes at the Visitor Center greatly enhances enjoyment and understanding of the public tour. Once inside the House, self-guided tours usually take 20-35 minutes.

Tickets are issued on the day of the tour only, on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 7:30 a.m. One person may obtain up to four tickets. The number of tickets for each day is limited (approximately 4,500). The ticket desk closes at 12 noon, or earlier if the supply for that day is distributed. It is advisable to arrive early (and impossible to predict what time one should arrive to "guarantee" tickets). Tickets are only valid the day issued. Advance tickets for the public self-guided tours are not available.

During the peak season (third Tuesday in March until the Saturday before Labor Day), groups should use the "bus zone" for easier distribution of tickets. About one-third of each day's tickets are held for groups arriving by bus. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., National Park Service personnel board buses parked in the westbound curb lane of Constitution Avenue, between 15th and 17th Streets NW. Each person on the bus is given a timed ticket. At 9:30 a.m., or when the supply for that day is distributed, the bus zone closes. Buses may not remain in the zone after tickets are distributed.

Self-guided tours take place at:

GUIDED TOURS are escorted by a U.S. Secret Service/Uniformed Division Officer who describes each room on the ground and state floors. Usually included are the Library, Vermeil, China, and Diplomatic Reception rooms on the ground floor and the East, Green, Blue, Red, and State Dining rooms on the state floor. Group and ticketed tour visitors are combined into groups of about 70 people. Once inside the House, tours usually last about 30 to 45 minutes. Guided tour narrations are geared for teenage and older visitors.

Guided tours scheduled for:

Special Considerations

CHILDREN ages seven and under do not need a tour ticket for Congressional and Agency tours, but do need one for the ticketed public tour system. Strollers are checked at the entrance gate and are reclaimed upon exit on Pennsylvania Avenue.

PROHIBITED ON TOURS: Animals, except guide dogs; backpacks (oversized); balloons; food; guns/ammunition; knives with blades over 3 inches/8 centimeters; mace; nunchuks; smoking, and suitcases.

PHOTOGRAPHY (still or video) is not permitted inside the White House. Cameras may be carried inside, and may be used outside.

People in wheelchairs, or with other mobility disabilities, on the self-guided tours, should use the northeast gate on Pennsylvania Avenue, and with up to six members of their party, are admitted without waiting in line and without tickets. The Library and Vermeil rooms on the ground floor are not viewed when entering at the northeast gate. Photos and a text description of these rooms are available to visitors using this entrance.


On behalf of The President and Mrs. Clinton,
we hope you enjoy your visit to the White House.


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