Congress Hall
Congress Hall
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Home of the United States Congress when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: City Center East
How to get there
- 8th St • 3 min walk
- 8th St • 3 min walk
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2,882 within 5 kms
Attractions
400 within 10 kms
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
353 reviews
Excellent
229
Very good
103
Average
19
Poor
1
Terrible
1
ELKW
United States11,862 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
it must be ranger-led to tour this building , there is tour every 20 min, first come, first serve, max. 40 ppl, but the tour is not full, so easy to join, after entering the building, the ranger will ask us to sit on the seats, listen to him to talk for a while, we can also follow him to see the rooms on the second floor
Written 7 July 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.
Bethany E
2 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
Nice, free visit after 5pm of two rooms. Has always been on my list, did not disappoint. Come at 5 or just before to line up if you want the free tour.
Written 22 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.
yazdragonfly
Ft. Lauderdale421 contributions
Apr 2023
Our expectations were much more that what is actually here. To begin with, you must pass a metal detector and have you items scanned. That is reasonable in a protected area, however, once you enter the "courtyard", there is little to no security. There are no gates, or fences, just low hanging chains, which are easy to step over., so the security screening is almost laughable. The tour itself, which must be reserved online for $1/person, takes about 15-20 minutes, and you are taken into the building and shown where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Some background is given and you get to see two rooms. Then you are rushed out without barely any time to take a few pictures. Not worth the wait time of approximately 20-30 minutes, or the $1. You must be a real history buff to enjoy this stop.
Written 19 May 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.
Judy T
13 contributions
Mar 2023
The Congress Hall building is right next to Independence Hall and was a natural follow-up tour. It was interesting to see the committee rooms and the legislative and senate chambers.
Written 20 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.
Linda P
Ballston Spa, NY409 contributions
Mar 2023
Next door to Independence Hall (and across the street from Liberty Bell), free tour of the building used while the White House was being built. Washington handed over the presidency to Adams there, world leaders came to see if it really would happen. Ranger led: artifacts, architecture and verbal history on tour.
Written 13 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.
Anonymous855
Trabuco Canyon, California1,680 contributions
Sep 2022
There are some stairs to climb and a bit of standing (and sitting) to hear the historical story of this building. We were the only two who showed up for this time slot so it was very nice.
Written 10 October 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.
Subteach10
Asheville, NC366 contributions
Oct 2022
Great place to learn history and see authentic artifacts from American history. The guides are great to answer any of your questions.
Written 7 October 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.
anderson213
Hannibal, MO808 contributions
Jul 2022
Short tour, but it had good information packed in it. I loved the story about how V.P. Adams had to ask politely for the president to leave the building. There's some interesting details within this tour.
Written 1 August 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.
KrispyDonut
Centerville, UT89 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Booked in advance before we arrived in Philly. So glad we did because each day we were there the tour tickets were all reserved. It was free, but book in advance. Kids are young and they enjoyed learning about America’s historical roots. The Park Rangers were knowledgeable and answered all our questions.
Written 17 July 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.
tenniseyeguy
new york158 contributions
Jun 2022
Thanks to the tour guide, Larry, we had an excellent visit to Congress Hall. He explained the history of the building with such ease and knowledge, that he brought the otherwise plain interior to life. This was a very good addition to the touring of Independence Hall.
Written 14 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.
Margie S
Warrensburg, MO6 contributions
I plan on visiting most all historical sites while in Philadelphia. I'd like to know about how long you'd suggest for each site. Also if we should do certain sites in certain orders.
Independence hall
National constitution center
Liberty bell center
Independence national hall park
City hall
Congress hall
Ben franklin museum
Betsy Ross house
US mint
jediknight101
Denver, CO131 contributions
The Betsy Ross house and the US Mint are both self guided tours, so you can set the pace. You can probably walk start to finish in 5 minutes at both of them, but I would recommend taking more time.
I spent about an hour walking the US Mint tour. There was no line to get in, though there are metal detectors, so you may want to empty your pockets before you go to speed things up. In an hour, I was able to watch the short video, read most of the information on the walls and spend some time watching coins getting punched. There is also a gift shop that you can go into before or after the tour.
The Betsy Ross tour has a few options. You can walk through, reading the information in about 15 minutes. They also offer an audio playback tour, which I would give about half an hour. There are also sometimes actors there whom would love to talk with you for as long as you want.
Definitely get tickets for the timed tours first, then fit these 2 between the rest.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Congress Hall
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Congress Hall:
- Dark Philly Adult Night Tour (From ₹ 3,166.14)
- Philadelphia and Amish Country Day Trip from New York City (From ₹ 14,080.99)
- Philadelphia History, Highlights, & Revolution Walking Tour (From ₹ 4,915.85)
- Revolution and the Founders: History Tour of Philadelphia (From ₹ 2,416.26)
- Explore Philadelphia: Founding Fathers Walking Tour (From ₹ 4,915.85)
- Hotels near Congress Hall:
- (0.05 km) The Franklin Residences
- (0.24 km) Morris House Hotel
- (0.07 km) Convention Center, Center City
- (0.26 km) The Ledger Residences By Sosuite - Old City
- (0.50 km) ROOST East Market
- Restaurants near Congress Hall:
- (0.00 km) Dunkin'
- (0.02 km) Chestnut Food Market
- (0.04 km) Munchie's Cafe
- (0.05 km) Passero’s Coffee Roasters
- (0.05 km) Craftsman Row