The National Archives Museum

The National Archives Museum

The National Archives Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Repository where the most important historical documents of the United States are held, such as the original Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution and the 1297 version of the Magna Carta.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Admission tickets
from
AU$75.90
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience The National Archives Museum
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Federal Triangle
How to get there
  • Archives • 3 min walk
  • Federal Triangle • 7 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Steph S
    Bristol, United Kingdom94 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It’s a National Treasure
    Paid a quick visit to the Archives museum a couple of hours before it closed and found this to be a great time as there was no queue and we walked straight in. There are a couple of cool exhibits but of course the main attraction is viewing the Declaration of Independence and making all the appropriate National Treasure jokes along the way. That aside it’s the Declaration and a crucial part of America’s history so I can highly recommend taking the time to see it.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 October 2023
  • montanapescado
    Albuquerque, New Mexico1,474 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quality over Quantity
    The museum here is not extensive, but it really doesn't need to be. You come here for the biggies.... the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. A quick stop, but a real must for most American citizens. Be sure to see it once in your lifetime, but you probably won't need to go back.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 18 November 2023
  • Seamus
    Oakville, Canada1,660 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Capital Gem
    One thing Americans get right is memorials and museums, and this attraction is right as rain. Not a large museum its significance, however, is unparalleled by any in the land. You know why you came: the only originals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, working copies of the Bill of Rights, written amendments to all of these documents that form the USA’s foundation. Hugely impressive to us Canadians, this has to be instructive for all Americans. A special bonus for lawyers, as well, is the Rubinstein Gallery of Rights, featuring one of only 4 extant copies of the Magna Carta, the 13th century document establishing the rule of law. The interactive display beside is very instructive as well. And BTW, the cafeteria here is better than the one in the Natural History Museum. No advance tickets needed.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 December 2023
  • Bea
    1,295 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Home to the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights
    The National Archives museum is a must museum when you are in Washington D.C. It is home to the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. You can see these three important documents in Rotunda. We had to book a time slot ticket in advance. And you are not allowed to take photos inside.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 December 2023
  • Car7177
    58 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Go!
    Even though the museum is under renovation this is a must see. The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, & The Bill of Rights! So powerful to see them in person. Make sure to make a free reservation online prior to going—then you hardly have to wait & can get right in!!!
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 March 2024
  • Cassie S
    36 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing
    This is amazing. But there are pros and cons. Pros: •Has the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the deed to the staute of liberty. •It's great. •It's free. Cons: •It's tiny, only has 2 open exhibits, (The rights exhibit and the Declaration of independence exhibit) •It under construction (2 exhibits are closed) •Seeing the Declaration of independence is like a buffet line.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 March 2024
  • Kate S
    346 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun Impromptu Visit
    We had some extra time in between activities and decided to go to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights in person. The line wasn't very long and we were able to see everything within an hour. We did not see the rest of the Archives, though. Just those documents. The documents are cool to see, but very old and hard to even read because the ink is fading. Still cool to see in person, though!
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 2 May 2024
  • Pwaynez
    64 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing important documents!
    Very exciting for a person who enjoys limited edition, exclusive, important items and documents. The Magna Carta, Bill of Rights, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence were definitely the highlights. The room where you view the latter 3 items was a cluster, allowing people to cut the line who didn’t want to read about the facts and history of them prior seemed to make the wait longer.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 2 June 2024
  • Kim C
    La Crosse, Wisconsin883 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    This is a hidden gem...
    This was an unplanned stop on my DC tour. I ended up here thinking I was going somewhere else, but I was really glad I came. There are some amazing documents here that you can see personally. Take some time to appreciate the documents that made our country possible!
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 12 June 2024
  • Kristin
    Racine, Wisconsin8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Must See!
    Unexpectedly got to see the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth documents! Long lines, but moved very efficiently and quickly. We got tickets in advance. A guard noticed my dad’s navy vet hat and let us skip the line! The staff and volunteers were all very helpful and knowledgeable.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles3,597 reviews
Excellent
2,331
Very good
893
Average
286
Poor
59
Terrible
29

Pia S
katy195 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We went here in February when the crowds are small and it was still very hard to get to see anything. There really were no direction any where, and the staff weren't very friendly. You are not allowed to take any pictures at all, that may seems obviously but then you can take pictures in all the other museums in town. They keep telling you that you can't stand in line to see the displays but they don't do anything to move people ahead so you have to try to move in to see the display and then people get mad and think you are jumping the line. They should do like they do in England with the crown jewels they have narrow line and keep it moving so every one can get a change to see the displays. Also there really aren't anyone to answer any questions.Its interesting but with all the security you have to go through to get in I'm not sure if I would go again.
Written 2 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris D
Athens, GA44 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
A required stop every time I visit DC. The most obvious reason being that the Archives house original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These are located in the rotunda on the second floor. Additionally, there are also several rotating exhibits located in the first floor galleries.

The one major complaint about the Archives is that chaos and disorder reign supreme, especially when the rotunda is crowded. There is little to no organization or management of crowds. The guards tell people that they can either take in all of the exhibits from left to right, or that they can go straight up to the three founding documents if they wish. This causes a major backup and delay for those who are attempting to take in the entire exhibit because those who are only there for the founding documents continually file in to the area for them. It would be more efficient to just have everyone pass through the entire exhibit and keep the line moving in a consistent manner.

Having read other reviews about the poor attitudes and service from the security personnel, I have to say that during our visit, they were very polite and accommodating. I am hoping that whatever issues may have existed with their engagement of the public have been resolved.
Written 2 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KKTraveler
24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
Absolutely a must see in Washington! You can get timed tickets which is good for crowded times or just go in general admission line. Don’t miss the Magna Carta on lower level. Beautiful handwriting and medallion. If you know more details of history it is fun recognizing signers names, other than most familiar ones, on the documents.
Written 9 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bellevue1
Lynnwood, WA1,022 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Solo
Obviously, National Archives is a must visit when you are in DC. One thing i would like to mention is even when advanced reservation is no longer required, i strongly suggest you book your time in advanced. This will save you time in line for security check, especially during holiday weekend when line us super long.
I was 30 min early and was able to go in right away, bypassing those people in line.
It only coat $1, which is very worth it in my opinion.
Written 31 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lynn S
League City, TX587 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2022
This was one of the highlights of our recent DC vacation. I didn't have the opportunity to visit here on my previous DC trip so I was very excited to go here and view the original founding documents of our nation. Here you can see the ORIGINAL Declaration of Independence (it is faded but you can still make out some of the words and you can definitely make out John Hancock's signature), Constitution and Bill of Rights. I was very thankful that a security guard announced to everyone that there wasn't a line and you could feel free to move around to view the documents, otherwise it might have taken a lot longer. They do not allow photography inside at all and while I understand why, that was a bit of a disappointment. The museum is not large and while you could spend several hours here, 1-2 hours is plenty.
Written 9 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jaskel08
California355 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2024 • Family
The National Archives is one of the must see sites in Washington DC. Located inside is the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Emancipation Proclamation, and an original version of the Magna Carta. Inside the Rotunda where a lot of these documents are located, there are no lines to see each document. Visitors are allowed to walk directly up to each document and take pics without flash.

FYI, there is a long line to get in. But if you make reservations in advance….. it’s timed and very inexpensive, you get to bypass that long line. This is especially helpful if it’s hot/humid outside.
Written 2 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GretchenDK
Montclair, NJ138 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
I only had a brief amount of time to visit this great institution so I focused mainly on seeing the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights, all located in the Rotunda. There were a lot of people visiting, mainly student groups. Upon entering you line up and the line is supposed to move around the semi-circle so people can see each display case. It did not work well as many of the students would congregate chatting and that made it harder for people to file around. I'm not sure why the security guards didn't tell them if they'd finished looking, to go back out into the foyer of the rotunda to wait for the rest of their class to finish. There were several guards there but they didn't say a word. This caused the line to back up. So if you think you can just run in and out to see those three main items, think again.
Written 23 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sandy B
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2021
Absolutely chilling experience to get to see the Declaration and other documents in person. Fantastic to see them. After reading the security comment from another reviewer, I will say that we had a fantastic experience compared to the other museums we visited. We were one of the first groups of the day, so I don’t know if that made a difference, but all the employees were very pleasant.
Written 16 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mike J
19 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2019
The National Archives holds the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and US Constitution in one rather darkened room to protect the documents from fading - apparently one A Lincoln had them displayed in front of windows for 30 years so they have faded somewhat already. The guards do not take kindly to any light so don't even put your mobile phone on or they'll almost literally jump on you.
There is a queue to get in as numbers in the room with the documents are limited and the expected airport style security though the guards range from very jolly and friendly to downright miserable.
It's very interesting to be so close to these historical documents. There is also an exhibition about the archives and what they do etc.
Written 8 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

justalittlebitocd
Melbourne, Australia659 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2023 • Couples
we pre booked our ticket paying the $1 to skip the line so we walked straight in at our allocated time. NOBODY even checked our tickets. Anybody could have gone in that line and saved themselves a wait in a queue ​- lil tip there 😉​ ​😉​
​​
​​Look, it’s a bit chaotic in there. Some people opt to start left and work their way along the display boxes , some start right and others just push in from the back. It was a mess. I think this needed to be better managed .

We started at the left and slowly worked our way through the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Amazing history right there
​​
​​glad we went . Kinda felt surreal seeing those documents
​​
​​Took approx 30mins to 1 hour
Written 28 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 3,312
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

The National Archives Museum - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Washington DC HotelsWashington DC Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Washington DC
All things to do in Washington DC
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars