tour of oval office

The official office of the President and his primary place of work, the Oval Office provides the President with easy access to senior advisors and the Residence. It was created in 1909 when the West Wing doubled in size under President William Howard Taft.

Each President may decorate the Oval Office to suit his tastes, though some features remain constant, including the white marble mantel from the original 1909 Oval Office. President Barack Obama chose to retain the famous "Resolute Desk” – recognized in the historic photograph of the young JFK, Jr. peeking out from its panel. Constructed from timbers of H.M.S. Resolute, the desk was presented by Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.

In August 2010, the Oval Office was refurbished for President Obama with striped wallpaper, new sofas, and a mica-clad coffee table. An oval rug features the presidential seal and historical quotes of meaning to President Obama around the border.

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A Historic Tour of the Oval Office

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The workspace of the President of the United States — better known as the Oval Office — has undergone several changes over the last century or so. President William Howard Taft is credited for having the first Oval Office built in 1909, and in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt constructed the modern office. Since then, while the overall layout and architectural features have remained relatively consistent, the color scheme, the paintings that adorn the walls, the furniture, and more have been changed to reflect the taste and, often, the ideals of each incoming President. Some items, such as the Resolute Desk, have found their way into the room more often than not, serving as a symbol of grandeur and authority. Here are seven pieces of Oval Office history that not only tell a story of their own, but also contribute to the larger narrative of American history.

The Resolute Desk

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President George W. Bush has selected several paintings depicting Texas scenes by Texas artists for his office. Many are on loan from museums in San Antonio and El Paso.

President Bush is the 43rd President of the United States and the 17th President to occupy the Oval Office.

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"As my time in Washington draws to its close, I’ve had occasion to reflect on the astonishing journey I’ve been privileged to make from the banks of the Rock River to this glorious site overlooking the mighty Pacific. The journey has not just been my own. It seems I’ve been guided by a force much larger than myself, a force made up of ideas and beliefs about what this country is and what it could be.

- Ronald Reagan, March 4, 1987

On an early October morning in 1909, President William Howard Taft became the first President to walk into the Oval Office, located in the center of the south side of the West Wing.  In 1934, during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the Oval Office was moved to its current location within the West Wing – in the southeast corner, overlooking the Rose Garden. Each president decorates the Oval Office to suit his tastes.  President Reagan, inspired by the West, added earthy colors, western art including a collection of bronze saddles, and, of course, a jar of jelly bellies for his desk!  While at the Reagan Library, you will be able to view this full-scale replica of the Oval Office, decorated as it was during President Reagan’s presidency.  As you peer into the room known as the president’s formal workspace, you’ll notice the desk.  Made from the timbers of the H.M.S. Resolute, an abandoned British ship discovered by an American vessel and returned to the Queen of England as a token of friendship and goodwill, it was commissioned by Queen Victoria and presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.  Now known as the Resolute Desk, it has been used by every president since Hayes, with the exception of Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford.  But if you look closely, you’ll notice that the wooden base appears altered.  This is because President Reagan added the 2” base to the desk to accommodate his 6’2” frame and keep the desk drawers from hitting his knees! President Reagan’s inspirational can-do spirit was made clear by the two plaques he kept on his desk: “It can be done” and “ There’s no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit. ”

The Art in the Oval Office Tells a Story. Here’s How to See It.

By Larry Buchanan and Matt Stevens May 5, 2021

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This is a pretty standard White House photo, the sort of image you have probably noticed dozens of times since President Biden took office a little more than 100 days ago, from newspaper photographs to shots on cable news networks.

But look just past the president and notice the bust of Robert F. Kennedy behind him.

Kennedy crops up a lot these days, observing the scene here a few weeks ago

and nosing in here,

as Winston Churchill did during the Trump administration,

and as Abraham Lincoln did during the Obama administration.

You will see the bust over and over because of its particular placement next to the fireplace, behind the chair where the president sits during many meetings. Biden has long cited R.F.K. as one of his political heroes, and sees his evolution from a hard-nosed attorney general into a liberal icon as a sign of the capacity to grow.

But it is only one of the highly symbolic pieces of newly installed art that now saturate the images that come out of the White House.

The art in the Oval Office is ever-present, carefully chosen and deliberately placed

adding historical weight,

silently commenting on the moment,

the present, now more than ever, in constant tension with the past.

What if the paintings and sculptures could talk? What if they already do?

Indeed, the paintings and the sculptures that are displayed in the Oval Office represent the choices of each American president — subtle and not so subtle signals every administration sends about its values and view of history.

And so although the Oval Office is perhaps not often thought of as an ultra-high-profile rotating exhibition space, in one narrow sense, that is exactly what it is.

“The Oval Office decoration often reflects a president’s view of history and the nature of his hopes for the future,” said Jon Meacham, the presidential biographer whom Biden asked to advise on art for the Oval Office .

“Presidents have a unique place, not only as an object of the historical imagination, but as an architect of it. And so to catalog and take a look around the virtual attic of the Oval Office through the years tells you a lot about what presidents value — not only the stories they are interested in, but the stories they are writing themselves.”

Presidential and art historians say that already, Biden’s approach to art appears distinct from his predecessors. In terms of sheer volume, he has included more sculptures and paintings than other recent presidents, in part, experts say, because he is trying to signal his support for an array of causes: labor, science, the importance of compromise and more.

Look at Biden’s fireplace wall:

Most presidents hang only one or two portraits in this space.

He put up five.

And unlike most of his predecessors, he chose to give the most prominent space above the fireplace to a large portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt, like Biden , came to power at a moment of crisis — a point Biden underscored during his address to a joint session of Congress last week . And Biden has largely embraced F.D.R.’s New Deal spirit, signing a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package and outlining a similarly big, ambitious and expensive infrastructure plan .

George Washington usually gets the prime spot above the fireplace, but in the Biden administration, his portrait has been moved off-center. Lincoln hangs below him.

And on the other side of the fireplace, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton — two men whose political conflicts became unlikely fodder for a hit Broadway musical — are paired together to underscore that argument and division are perennial.

Busts of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and R.F.K. sit below the framed wall art. Their juxtaposition commemorates their legacies, but also shows how people can change: As attorney general, R.F.K. authorized wiretaps of King , but later became one of his allies .

And unlike most of his predecessors, he chose to give the most prominent space above the fireplace to a large portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

George Washington usually gets the spot above the fireplace, but in the Biden administration, his portrait has been moved off-center. Lincoln hangs below him.

And on the other side of the fireplace, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton — two men whose political conflicts have become much more widely understood in recent years — are paired together to underscore the need for unity even between those with differing opinions.

Busts of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and R.F.K. sit below the framed wall art.

Their juxtaposition commemorates their legacies, but also shows how people can change: As attorney general, R.F.K. authorized wiretaps of King, but later became one of his allies.

Moving to the other side of the Oval Office …

“Avenue in the Rain”

flanking the Resolute Desk …

Biden has displayed a bust of Lincoln and another of Harry S. Truman.

He has also hung a 1917 painting of flag-decorated Fifth Avenue by the artist Childe Hassam, a work that also hung in the office during the Obama and Clinton administrations.

And he has given precious wall space to a portrait of Benjamin Franklin, chosen to honor science and reason. Gone entirely is Andrew Jackson — a favorite of Donald J. Trump.

Centered directly behind Biden’s head is a bust of the labor leader Cesar Chavez.

Biden has displayed a bust of Lincoln …

and another of Harry S. Truman.

Biden’s office contains at least seven busts of key figures, an unusually high number. They include women, people of color and civil rights champions.

Taken together, the sculptures represent a diverse and inclusive cross-section of America and its history.

The bust of King was put on view during the Obama administration. The Biden administration has added sculptures of Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks and Chavez. And White House curators believe those artworks are among the first of women and people of color to be displayed in the Oval Office.

No painted works by artists of color have been prominently displayed in the Oval Office over the last six decades, according to curators. No female painters, with the exception of Elizabeth Shoumatoff who painted a portrait of F.D.R., have ever had their work displayed prominently in the room.

It was in the 1960s that Jacqueline Kennedy, as first lady, began the transformation of the White House into a sort of grand, living museum. She created the White House Historical Association, hired the first White House curator and established various committees to assist with preserving art. As a result, the White House now has its own art collection, which presidents often tap when it is time to redecorate.

The Oval Office itself is not very large — around 800 square feet . There are a few places where art traditionally resides.

President’s

Typical spots

The president can request items from federally funded art institutions including the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum — or really any other museum that is willing to lend.

Yet the collection of paintings that have hung on the walls of the Oval Office since the Kennedy administration is remarkably small — only about 43 different works (and one photograph) spanning 60 years:

Most of the paintings have been portraits of founding-father types and other figures from American history such as Washington, Franklin, Lincoln and Jackson:

There were also landscapes:

And there was a photograph of Earth, hung during the Nixon administration.

Astronauts from the Apollo 8 mission gave Richard M. Nixon the photograph, and he had it reframed so it would become “something more suitable” for the Oval Office. He hung the photo to the right of his desk. But it was later replaced with a painting of the White House.

At times, the Oval Office has been more functional and homey than it is today. Franklin Roosevelt, who had the office moved to its present location, barely had room to work on his desk because it was covered with tchotchkes. John F. Kennedy kept a coconut shell on his desk as a paperweight to remind him of the time he was stranded at sea during World War II.

As we take you back in time, keep your eye on the spot above the fireplace —

President Biden,

Donald J. Trump,

Barack Obama,

George W. Bush,

Bill Clinton,

George H.W. Bush,

Ronald Reagan,

Jimmy Carter,

Gerald Ford,

Richard M. Nixon,

Lyndon B. Johnson,

and John F. Kennedy.

You may have noticed many of the same landscapes and portraits appearing over and over. Or that Kennedy changed tack, filling his office with seascapes and naval scenes. (Go back and scroll fast. It’s kind of fun.)

Biden’s selection of Roosevelt to hang in the prominent spot above the fireplace is a break from nine consecutive administrations that picked a Washington portrait:

G.H.W. Bush

G. H.W. Bush

Trump’s decorative choices reflected his admiration for Jackson — a president Trump embraced as a populist leader even as some Democrats distanced themselves from him .

Obama sought to modernize his home and office, bringing in a California decorator to freshen the spaces and borrowing paintings from the Whitney Museum of American Art .

On the other side of the office, watch the spots to the right and left of the desk.

Did you notice anything different in that last photo of Biden’s Oval Office?

Look again.

Where is the Chavez bust? The White House moved it onto a pedestal early on in the administration. It’s on the right in this photo:

The change means the bust isn’t quite as prominent as it was at first.

But it won’t look as distracting in pictures.

Biden administration

Charles Alston, “Martin Luther King, Jr.” (1970)/National Portrait Gallery

Anonymous artist after Jean-Baptiste Greuze, “Benjamin Franklin” (19th century)/National Gallery of Art

Anonymous artist after Victor Lamkay, “Eleanor Roosevelt” (c. 1993)/White House Collection

Robert Berks, “Robert F. Kennedy” (1968)/National Portrait Gallery

George Cooke, “City of Washington From Beyond the Navy Yard” (1833)/White House Collection

Childe Hassam, “The Avenue in the Rain” (1917)/White House Collection

George P.A. Healy, “Thomas Jefferson” (c. 1842-1860)/National Gallery of Art

Allan Houser, “Swift Messenger” (1990)/National Museum of the American Indian

Charles Keck, “Harry Truman” (1947)/White House Collection

Artis Lane, “Rosa Parks” (1990)/National Portrait Gallery

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, “Abraham Lincoln” (c. 1923)/White House Collection

George Henry Story, “Abraham Lincoln” (c. 1915)/White House Collection

Gilbert Stuart, “George Washington” (c. 1805)/White House Collection

Frank O. Salisbury, “Franklin Delano Roosevelt” (1947)/White House Collection

Paul A. Suarez, “Caesar Chavez” (1996)/Cesar Chavez Foundation

John Trumbull, “Alexander Hamilton” (c.1805)/White House Collection

Unknown artist, “Daniel Webster” (mid-19th century)/White House Collection

Fireplace image: Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Desk image: Doug Mills/The New York Times

Trump administration

Joseph Siffred Duplessis, “Benjamin Franklin” (c. 1785)/National Portrait Gallery

Asher B. Durand, “Andrew Jackson” (1835)/United States Naval Academy Museum

Ralph E.W. Earl, “Andrew Jackson” (c.1835)/White House Collection

George P.A. Healy, “Thomas Jefferson” (c.1842-1860)/National Gallery of Art

Andrew Melrose, “New York Harbor and the Battery” (c.1887)/White House Collection

Rembrandt Peale, “Thomas Jefferson” (1800)/White House Collection

Rembrandt Peale, “George Washington” (c.1823)/White House Collection

George Henry Story, “Abraham Lincoln” (c.1915)/White House Collection

Fireplace image: Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Desk image: Carlos Barria/Reuters

Obama administration

Edward Hopper, “Burly Cobb’s House, South Truro” (1930-33)/Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper and Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Whitney Museum of American Art

Edward Hopper, “Cobb’s Barns, South Truro” (1930-33)/Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper and Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Whitney Museum of American Art

Thomas Moran, “The Three Tetons” (c. 1895)/White House Collection

Rembrandt Peale, “George Washington” (c. 1823)/White House Collection

Norman Rockwell, “Working on the Statue of Liberty”/Copyright SEPS, via Curtis Licensing

Fireplace image: Doug Mills/The New York Times

Desk image: White House Historical Association

George W. Bush administration

William Henry David Koerner, “A Charge to Keep” (1929)

Tom Lea, “Rio Grande” (1954)/El Paso Museum of Art

Julian Onderdonk, “Near San Antonio” (no date)/San Antonio Museum of Art

Julian Onderdonk, “Chili Queens at the Alamo” (no date)/Witte Museum

Julian Onderdonk, “Cactus Flowers” (no date)/Witte Museum

Fireplace image: George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum

Clinton administration

Thomas Moran, “The Three Tetons” (c.1895)/White House Collection

Thomas Sully, “Andrew Jackson” (c.1824)/National Gallery of Art

Unknown artist after William Henry Bartlett, “The President’s House” (c.1836-37)/White House Collection

Fireplace image: White House Historical Association

Desk image: Dirck Halstead/The LIFE Images Collection, via Getty Images

George H.W. Bush administration

Frederic E. Church, “Rutland Falls, Vermont” (1848)/White House Collection

Charles Willson Peale, “Benjamin Henry Latrobe” (c. 1804)/White House Collection

Unknown artist after William Henry Bartlett, “The President's House” (c.1836-37)/White House Collection

Fireplace image: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

Desk image: Susan Biddle/White House and The LIFE Picture Collection, via Getty Images

Reagan administration

Sanford Gifford, “Seventh Regiment Encampment” (1861)/Union League Club of New York

Victor De Grailly (attributed), “Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay” (1845)/White House Collection

Charles Willson Peale, “George Washington” (1776)/White House Collection

A. Wordsworth Thompson, “Passing the Outpost” (1881)/Union League Club of New York

Desk image: Ronald Reagan Library

Carter administration

Victor De Grailly (attributed) “Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay” (1845)/White House Collection

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (attributed), “Benjamin Franklin” (1782)/Department of State

Fireplace image: Everett Collection/Alamy

Desk image: Jimmy Carter Library

Ford administration

Albert Bierstadt, “Old Faithful” (c. 1881)/White House Collection

Charles Willson Peale, “Benjamin Franklin” (1785)/Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Nixon administration

Bill Anders, “Earthrise” (1968)/NASA

Gilbert Stuart, “George Washington” (c.1803/1805)/National Gallery of Art

Desk image: Bettmann/Getty Images

Johnson administration

George Healy, “Henry Clay” (c. 1845)/National Portrait Gallery

Elizabeth Shoumatoff, “Franklin D. Roosevelt” (1966)/White House Collection

Fireplace image: LBJ Presidential Library

Desk image: LBJ Presidential Library

Kennedy administration

Thomas Birch, “USS Constitution vs. Guerriere”/Navy Department, via Canadian War Museum

Thomas Birch, “USS United States vs. HMS Macedonia” (c. 1813)/Philadelphia Maritime Museum

George Catlin, “Buffalo Bull, Grazing on the Prairie” (1832-1833)/Smithsonian American Art Museum

George Catlin, “Buffalo Hunt under Wolf-skin Masks” (1832-1833)/Smithsonian American Art Museum

Robert Salmon, “Boston Harbor” (1843)/Corcoran Gallery of Art

Dominic Serres, “Engagement Between the Serapis, Captain Pearson and the Countess of Scarborough, Captain Percy with Paul Jones and Two American Frigates off Flamborough Head (USS Bonhomme Richard)” (late 18th century)/Corcoran Gallery of Art

Desk image: Robert Knudsen/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

Note: We've done our best to be comprehensive, interviewing art historians and presidential scholars, reviewing hundreds of images and checking our lists with the White House and its curator’s office. But artworks come and go, and it’s possible we’ve missed a piece or two.

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President Biden Takes Office

Photos: president biden's redecorated oval office.

Mark Katkov

President Biden signs his first executive action in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

President Biden signs his first executive action in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon.

The famous Jan. 20 five-hour (more or less) White House move-out/move-in, as one presidential family leaves and another arrives, is not limited to the residence. The Oval Office also gets a redo, reflecting the new president's taste and, often, politics.

On Wednesday, photographers got a look at President Biden's Oval Office shortly before he arrived at the White House to begin work. Right away they noticed that the portrait of populist President Andrew Jackson, which former President Donald Trump had hanging near the Resolute desk, was gone, replaced by a portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

Biden kept the drapes and most of the furniture but exchanged a pastel rug for a dark blue one and added busts of Americans famed for their commitment to civil rights.

Here are some views of perhaps the world's most famous workspace, redecorated to the taste of its new tenant.

Biden kept the drapes and most of the furniture, but the rug and artwork in the Oval Office have changed. Flanking the Resolute desk are busts of Abraham Lincoln (left) and Harry Truman. Above Lincoln is The Avenue in the Rain by Childe Hassam. Above Truman is a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

Biden kept the drapes and most of the furniture, but the rug and artwork in the Oval Office have changed. Flanking the Resolute desk are busts of Abraham Lincoln (left) and Harry Truman. Above Lincoln is The Avenue in the Rain by Childe Hassam. Above Truman is a portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

A bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oval Office. Former President Donald Trump also displayed a bust of King. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

A bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oval Office. Former President Donald Trump also displayed a bust of King.

A portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt hangs above the Oval Office fireplace. Portraits (clockwise from top left): George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King Jr.'s bust is to the left; a bust of Robert Kennedy is on the right. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

A portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt hangs above the Oval Office fireplace. Portraits (clockwise from top left): George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King Jr.'s bust is to the left; a bust of Robert Kennedy is on the right.

A bust of civil rights leader Rosa Parks in the Oval Office. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

A bust of civil rights leader Rosa Parks in the Oval Office.

A moon rock is displayed on a bookshelf in the Oval Office. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

A moon rock is displayed on a bookshelf in the Oval Office.

A bust of labor organizer and civil rights leader César Chávez sits on a table with Biden family photographs. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

Looking toward the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

Looking toward the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.

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Tour the White House in 360-Degree Virtual Reality

By David Foxley

Today marks the launch of The People’s House: Inside the White House with Barack and Michelle Obama, the first-ever Facebook 360 project filmed inside the world’s most famous home. The piece, produced by Emmy-winning cinematic virtual reality creators Félix & Paul Studios alongside the Oculus team at Facebook, takes viewers to nine famous areas within the iconic building—from sitting with the President in the Oval Office to walking around the Situation Room to stopping into the Old Family Dining Room with Mrs. Obama.

“Michelle and I always joke, ‘We’re just renters here. ’ . . . The owners are the American people and all those invested in creating this amazing place with so much history,” President Obama says in the VR experience. “What we wanted to do is make sure that everybody felt they had access to the White House, . . . that as many people as possible could come in and appreciate the place where Lincoln, FDR, or Reagan made the decisions that helped to shape America.”

Take the Facebook 360 video tour of the White House here.

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Oval Office Tour and Presidential Interview

President Clinton conducted a tour of the Oval Office with Brian Lamb . He talked about the redecoration of the Office under his administrati… read more

President Clinton conducted a tour of the Oval Office with Brian Lamb . He talked about the redecoration of the Office under his administration. He also spoke about the significance of the Office to him and some of his reflections on previous presidents.

The Oval Office is the newest room in the White House and is used as the official place of work for the president. close

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The President and Dr. Biden are delighted to welcome members of the public to tour the White House. Public tour requests are scheduled through your Member of Congress and their Congressional Tour Coordinator. Constituents may reach your Member of Congress and Congressional Tour Coordinator through the U.S. House of Representatives Switchboard at 202-225-3121, the U.S. Senate Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or online at  www.congress.gov/members .

Consistent with prior practices, public White House tour requests must be submitted a minimum of 21 days in advance and no more than 90 days in advance of the requested tour date(s). Reservations cannot be accepted for tour dates outside this 21 – 90-day window.  

Public tours are typically available from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, excluding Federal holidays or unless otherwise noted. If your tour is confirmed, please note that you will be assigned a specific time.  All White House tours are free of charge. The White House tour schedule is subject to change, with little notice, based on inclement weather or official use.

If you are a citizen of a foreign country, please contact your embassy in Washington, D.C. for assistance in submitting a tour request.

Identification Requirements

All U.S. citizens ages 18 and older, and foreign nationals of all ages (including children), must present a valid, government-issued photo ID upon arrival for their tour. Acceptable forms of identification are below.

U.S. CITIZENS

• United States Driver’s License
• Valid United States Passport
• United States Military ID

FOREIGN NATIONALS

• Valid Passport
• Alien Registration Card
• Permanent Resident Card
• U.S. State Department Issued Diplomatic ID Card

A U.S. driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification for foreign nationals. No foreign-issued state IDs, foreign-issued driver’s licenses, expired passports, photocopies, other transmissions of these documents, or other forms of identification will be accepted. Individuals without acceptable identification, or whose identification does not exactly match the information previously registered, may be denied entry.

Prohibited Items

• Bags of any kind (including fanny packs and clutches)
• Cameras with detachable lenses
• Electric stun guns
• E-cigarettes
• Knives of any kind
• Martial arts
• Tobacco Products
• Toy Weapons
• Video cameras
• Weapons/devices
• Any pointed object
• Any other item determined to be a potential safety hazard

Please note that storage facilities are not provided during your visit. Individuals who arrive with bags or prohibited items will not be permitted to enter the White House.

Permitted Items

• Baby carriers worn on the body
• Breast pumps
• Cell phones
• Compact cameras with lenses less than 3 inches
• Umbrellas without metal tips
• All items needed for medical purposes (i.e. wheelchairs, EpiPens, medication, etc.)

Getting Here

Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged, as there is no parking available on the White House complex and street parking is limited. The closest Metrorail stations to the White House are Federal Triangle (blue and orange lines), Metro Center (blue, orange, silver, and red lines), and McPherson Square (blue, orange, and silver lines).

The White House Tour entrance is located in Sherman Park at 15th Street NW and Alexander Hamilton Place NW. If arriving by rideshare, use the White House Visitor Center (WHVC) as the drop-off address. The WHVC is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20230, which is one block from the White House.

Restrooms are located at the White House Visitors Center, located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20230. There are no restrooms available once you arrive for your tour.

Accessibility

The White House tour route is wheelchair accessible. Visitors who wish to use a White House wheelchair should notify a U.S. Secret Service officer upon arrival.

Guide animals are permitted in the White House.

Health and Safety Guidance

Guests who receive a confirmed tour reservation will be issued a White House Tour Pass ahead of their tour date containing pertinent health and safety guidance.

Know Before You Go

• Tours are self-guided and last approximately 45 minutes
• Eat a snack and stay hydrated prior to arrival.
• Dress for the weather, knowing you will be outside before your tour.
• Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time.
• No late arrivals are accepted.
• All guests must be previously registered via the RSVP link provided by the White House.
• Please silence your cell phone and refrain from phone calls during the tour.
• No flash photography or video recording is permitted during your tour.
• Visitors may call the 24-hour Visitors Office information line at 202-456-7041 for latest updates and information relevant to White House tours.

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Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

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Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

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Tour of famous Moscow Metro. Explore the Underground World! (2 hours)

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On this tour you take in some of Moscow's most important and highly decorated stations. Carrying up to 7 million passengers a day and covering almost the entire city, the Moscow Metro is one of the most extensive mass transit systems in the world. It's famous for the fine examples of social-realism which decorate many of its stations.

Visit some of the most important stations and get the chance to admire spectacular baroque-style ceilings, marble statues, busts of Communist heroes, stained glass windows, and ceiling mosaics depicting the bright Soviet future. Visit the most remarkable stations like Komsomolskaya, Kurskaya, Kievskaya and others, with the experienced guide who will bring you a full insight into their fascinating history.

• Tour of Moscow's Metro system visiting beautifully decorated key stations on the network.
• System that carries more than 7 million passengers per day
• Views of the most opulently designed tunnels & platforms
• Significance to the country—known as the “People's Palace”
• History & stories relayed by an expert local guide

If you wonder why the Moscow metro is considered one the most beautiful in the world, this tour is made for you!

Important info

Ask a travel expert.

• Professional English-speaking guide assistance. Other languages upon request (additional charge may apply)
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off
• Personal expenses
• Gratuities (optional)
• Food and drinks
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Children must be accompanied by an adult

Departure and return point: nearest metro station to your central Moscow hotel  

Departure time:  flexible

Sights included in program

Thanks ! We will reply you in less than 24 hours (usually within 1-2 hours) .

Our flexible payment options allow you to pay 20% of a deposit first and the remaining 80% in 14 days prior to your tour date - payment can be done both online or over the phone. This gives you the peace of mind knowing your spaces are booked on the tours and that you do not miss out on making the most of your time in Russia.

Also you get the best, top-rated and most experienced and knowledgeable hand-picked tour guide appointed on a priority basis. In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the best tour guides only. Multilingual and well travelled, each possesses deep insight into the diverse attractions and cultural patterns throughout the region. With us guides undergo a rigorous selection process, achieving outstanding knowledge of local culture and language. Rest assured that the best tour guides only will be working on the tours to give you excellent opportunity to explore the best of the sights during both short and long-term stay in Russia.

Once you complete your reservation, we will send you a booking confirmation email. As the day of the tour approaches, our logistics team will provide you with all relevant information for your tour.

Speak  to an expert Call us now

+1 (888) 845-8877

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