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Skip-the-line National Archives Building Exclusive Guided Tour | 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours

314 Reviews | Washington DC
Special Offer
From $89.67 per person   $95.40 Save $5.73 Lowest Price Guarantee
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 8 travelers in total.
Adult (18-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 8
2
Youth (10-17) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 8
0
Child (0-9) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 8
0
Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Family Tour! for KIDS or TEENS
2 Adults x $572.40
$1,144.80
Approx Total
$1,144.80
Family Friendly Private Tour! for KIDS or TEENS
Private Museum Tour
2 Adults x $538.05
$1,076.10
Approx Total
$1,076.10
Private Museum Tour; Professional Tour Guide Exclusively For You; Duration 1.5 - 2 Hours; Wheelchair Friendly

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
  • Tour Guide Exclusively For You (Does NOT apply if you choose "SAVE! BOOK SEMI-PRIVATE" option)
  • Duration 1.5 - 2 Hours
  • Wheelchair Friendly (Does NOT apply if you choose "SAVE! BOOK SEMI-PRIVATE" option)
  • Guided Museum Tour
  • Tour price does NOT include hotel pickup or drop-off (we recommend UBER or Taxi)
  • Tour price does NOT include gratuities (optional)

Overview

Discover the United States’ turbulent history through works preserved in the National Archives. This 1.5 - 2 hour exclusive guided museum tour explores the documents and letters that have built this very young, yet extremely influential world power.

Meeting points

Meet your guide on the corner of 9th Street NW and Constitution Ave. 

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

  • The National Archives Museum

    Enter the neoclassical building that acts as a temple to American history. Once inside, your expert guide will take you through the National Archives Rotunda to learn about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution while observing the original documents. These papers, alongside the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers, are all signed by the prominent statesmen and founding fathers like Alexander Hamilton. Moving to the Public Vaults Exhibits, you’ll come face to face with letters from George Washington and John F. Kennedy. You’ll even see the Emancipation Proclamation, which, in 1863, led to the abolishment of slavery. Finally, in the Rubenstein Gallery, you’ll examine more historical documents like the Magna Carta of 1297, written well before the United States was even conceived, yet pivotal in influencing the other documents that you’ll experience in the Archives. By the end, you will have witnessed firsthand the humble documentation that created the world’s most powerful country.

    2 hours

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • A maximum of 8 people permitted per tour allowed
  • Notes: National Archives and other attractions or museums in DC may be subjected to occasional closures without previous warning from the museum management. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an appropriate alternative if the museum opening time is delayed more than 1h from the tour starting time. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. No large bags or suitcases are allowed inside the museum, only handbags or small thin bag packs are allowed through security. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with 'Skip the Line' or 'No Wait' access. Some specific rooms inside the museum are subjected to a very quiet or restricted right to speak inside, in this cases your guide will provide the information about this places before entering the specific rooms where this rule applies. Some collections may vary along the year.

Free Cancellation

September 10100% refund
September 11No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

4.9

314 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    301
  • 4 stars
    4
  • 3 stars
    5
  • 2 stars
    2
  • 1 star
    2

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 301 reviews with 5 stars

Fantastic Experience and Great Guide

Published on Jan, 2025

Go early as there can be a wait to see the great documents which founded our nation. Our guide, Annemarie, was truly fantastic. Extremely informative and engaging. If you are lucky enough to have her listen to the details around the rooms she talks about as she brings our nation’s history to life.

The best way to see the National Gallery

Published on Jan, 2025

Amanda was an excellent guide. It was amazing how much of the gallery we were able to cover. She made sure we saw any particular works we wanted to see. It’s obvious that she is passionate about art.

A friendly, relatable and knowledgeable review of our revolutionary history!

Published on Jan, 2025

Donna was warm, welcoming, knowledgeable and made our history relatable and conversational. It was great for a family.

Amazing tour with Donna!...

Published on Dec, 2024

Amazing tour with Donna! Learned so much more nuanced details about our history and important documents.

DC in December

Published on Dec, 2024

We really enjoyed our tour. Our guide, Danna, was amazing. Very knowledgeable and you could tell that she enjoyed what she was doing.

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