The White House is open for tours in the morning, Tuesday through Saturday, and is closed every Sunday and Monday. All White House tours are free. All tours are significantly enhanced if visitors stop by the White House Visitor Center before or after their tour. The White House Historical Association also sponsors a sales area. Please note that restrooms are available, but food service is not.
Visitors move from room to room at their own pace on the self-guided public tour.
Visitors usually walk along the Ground floor corridor and look through the doors of the Vermeil room and the Library, walk up stairs to the State floor, and through the East, Green, Blue, Red, and State Dining rooms and exit from the north portico lobby. Tour officers are stationed throughout the house to answer questions. Visitors should allow between 15 and 20 minutes once inside the house for the self-guided tour. All other times of the year visitors line up, without tickets, at the Visitors Entrance on East Executive Avenue. The National Park Service distributes free tickets during the peak season at the White House Visitor Center, located at the southeast corner of 15th and E Streets.