The New White House Tour Allows Visitors to See Rooms That Were Previously Off-Limits

Improved, multi-sensory signage. Photo: The White House/Flickr/Erin Scott

Photo: The White House/Flickr/Erin Scott

Improved signage including videos. Photo: The White House/Flickr/Erin Scott

The bulk of the improvements made for the public tour of the White House consists of updated signage containing more educational and story-telling content, including some with sensory displays, videos, and dynamic digital photographs. Other enhancements include a permanent digital timeline of American history in the East Colonnade, and a three-dimensional dynamic model of the White House in the East Garden Room.

Three-dimensional model of the White House. Photo: The White House/Flickr/Erin Scott

Signage inside the Diplomatic Reception Room. Photo: The White House/Flickr/Erin Scott

The biggest change made to the White House tour, however, is the expanded access to rooms that were previously off-limits. Some of the rooms that were roped off in the past are not open for the public to go inside and see them from up close, and the Diplomatic Reception Room, entirely closed off in the past, is now open. The Diplomatic Reception Room is not only famous for being the space from where President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcast his evening radio addresses known as “fireside chats” during the Great Depression and World War II, but also because of its impressive panoramic wallpaper.

While visitors still don’t have access to the Oval Office on this new tour of the White House, a new tourist attraction in Washington, DC, The People’s House: A White House Experience, offers visitors the chance to see an exact replica of President Biden’s office. The replica of the Oval Office will be redecorated in January 2025 after the new US president takes office to reflect the changes.

Taking a tour of the White House is not like visiting a museum; you can’t just show up and purchase a ticket — it’s a lot more complicated. That said, 10,000 people do it every week, so with a little work, you should be able to secure a spot.

US citizens can either request a tour through the official White House website or via their Members of Congress whose addresses are available on Congress.gov.

Foreign nationals need to contact their embassy in Washington, DC, and request a tour.

All the tours must be booked well in advance (up to 90 days in advance for foreign nationals) and are free of charge.