Touring the White House requires some advance planning. Public tour requests must be made through your member of Congress and submitted up to three months in advance and no less than 21 days prior to your visit.
If you’re an international visitor and wish to schedule a tour, please contact your home country’s embassy in Washington, DC. Public, self-guided tours are 45 minutes and are run between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays unless otherwise noted.
Once you clear security, you will enter the East Wing. Once you enter, you will see a corridor of pictures of past presidents. You will also see some photos of first families and first pets. After that, you will be able to peek into some of the ground floor rooms like the Library, the China Room, the Map room and Vermeil Room. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to enter any of these rooms.
After that, you will go up and you can walk through the rooms on the state floor. First, there is the East Room which is the biggest room in the White House. The East Room is used for ceremonies, receptions, and has hosted several weddings. The Green Room is next – it is a parlor often used to serve cocktails during the reception.
Then, there is the Blue Room which is where the president and first lady often receives guests. The Blue Room is where the White House Christmas tree is located. The Red Room is a small parlor and a personal favorite of some former first ladies. Finally, you will then see the State Dining Room which can host up to 130 people. Then, you will exit through the north side of the building.
If there is a tour slot available during your visit to DC, you will be given a specific date and time to arrive and be instructed on where to check-in. All guests over 18 years old will be required to present a valid, government-issued photo ID upon check-in.
Foreign nationals must present their passport. Please bring as little as possible (avoid backpacks, food, large handbags, bottled water, etc.). Note that smartphones and compact cameras with a lens no longer than 3 inches are permitted on the public tour route, but video recording devices and flash photography are not allowed inside the White House.
According to washington.org; triphacksdc.com. Source of photos: internet
