Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Tickets

Which DC museums need a pass or a ticket

Most big museums in DC are free to enter, but a few ask for a timed pass, and a few charge a fee. The list below goes museum by museum, and the museums DC page covers the rest of the choices. A timed pass is a free ticket for one entry hour. It lets the museum control crowds. At Air and Space, bring bottled water if you like, keep any food sealed, and expect a bag check at the door.

The table near the end sums it all up. Prices and rules below come from each museum's own page, read on 25 October 2026. Rules change, so open the museum's page again before you go.

The best museum visit starts with the pass, not with the museum.

1. Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum tickets: a free timed pass for everyone

The Air and Space Museum in DC is free, but every visitor needs a free timed-entry pass, "regardless of age," says the museum's visit page. You reserve passes online, up to nine at once. Passes release on the first of the month at noon Eastern, two months ahead. April passes open on February 1, for example, according to the museum's FAQ.

The museum is at 650 Jefferson Drive SW and opens from 10 am to 5:30 pm. It is closed on December 25. Nobody is admitted after 5:15 pm. The FAQ also says to plan for an average wait of 25 minutes at the door, and do not arrive earlier than the time on your pass.

If you find no pass for your day, check back, because the museum says more passes may appear later. The IMAX theater and the planetarium are separate, and you buy those tickets at the box office on site.

The closest Metro station is L'Enfant Plaza, which the museum says is about a 10-minute walk from its Exit A. It serves the Blue, Yellow, Orange, Silver and Green lines. Everyone enters through the doors on Jefferson Drive, and the museum has no parking of its own.

On display you will find the 1903 Wright Flyer, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, the Mercury capsule Friendship 7 and Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B. Food must stay in sealed containers and cannot be eaten inside. Bottled water is allowed, and the Mars Café on the lower level sells meals, 11 am to 5 pm. Backpacks are allowed but are inspected at security, and selfie sticks, tripods and monopods are not.

Still no pass? A 3-hour bus tour with an optional Air and Space entry ticket is one way in. The tour page lists the museum ticket as an option you choose, from €53 per person, and the tour is run by DC Guided Tours.

Pro Tip Set a reminder for noon Eastern on the first of the month, two months before your trip.

2. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: free timed tickets, with a $1 fee

The Holocaust Memorial Museum needs a free timed-entry ticket for its Permanent Exhibition. The museum's ticket page says tickets for visits through December 2026 are available now. Special exhibitions such as Daniel's Story do not need a ticket.

Booking ahead online adds a $1 transaction fee from Etix. A limited number of same-day tickets go online at 7 a.m. Eastern each day, with no advance fee listed. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the last timed entrance is at 4:30 p.m. It is at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW.

3. National Museum of African American History and Culture: check the pass rules first

The African American History museum is free, and it is the one museum here where we could not read the current pass rules. The museum's own site blocked our request on 25 October 2026. We do not know if a visit needs a timed pass today, so open nmaahc.si.edu before you plan.

If you want a sure slot, two paid tours bring an entry reservation. A walking tour with a reserved ticket to the African American museum runs 3 hours for up to 18 people, from €71 per person, and has 4.4 stars from 162 reviews. The listing says the museum ticket is free and the provider books it for you. It also says you explore the museum on your own after the walk. The tour starts at Lafayette Square, at Pennsylvania Ave NW and 16th Street NW, and the listing excludes the guided museum tour, transport and tips.

For a guide inside the museum, a private African American History Museum tour lasts 2 hours and costs from €312 for a group of up to 5. It has 4.7 stars from 55 reviews. Both tours are run by UTG Experience Limited US. The private tour meets at 1400 Constitution Ave. NW, and its listing excludes hotel pick-up, food, drinks and tips.

4. National Zoo: free passes for every guest

The National Zoo is free, but the Zoo's visit page says entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. You reserve them online through the Zoo's passes page. The page does not say when new passes are released.

Zoo grounds are open 8 am to 4 pm, with last entry at 3 pm. The animal buildings open from 9 am to 3:30 pm.

5. National Archives: no ticket needed, but a $1 timed ticket saves time

Entry to the National Archives is free and tickets are not required, but the Archives recommends reserving. A timed-entry ticket costs $1 online, with slots every 15 minutes from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Archives is open daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm.

Without a timed ticket, the museum says it can take an hour or more to get in during busy periods. That is the real price of skipping the $1.

Want a guide for the Archives and one more museum? A small-group Archives and American History Museum tour lasts 3 hours, takes up to 6 people and costs from €67 per person. It includes National Archives skip-the-line entry and entry to the National Museum of American History. DC by Foot runs it, and it has 4.7 stars, though from only 4 reviews.

6. Library of Congress: free timed tickets for the Jefferson Building

The Library of Congress needs a free timed-entry ticket for its Thomas Jefferson Building. The Library's visit page says you can reserve up to 30 days ahead, and same-day tickets come out at 9 am Eastern. It is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and until 8 pm on Thursday.

The Library is not giving guided tours for groups right now. Volunteers answer questions in the building instead.

7. Other Smithsonian museums on the Mall: read the museum's own page

The Natural History, American History and American Indian museums are free, and we could not confirm their current pass rules. Their official sites answered "403 Forbidden" to our requests on 25 October 2026, so we do not publish a rule we could not read. Each museum sets its own rules and hours, and many run 10 am to 5:30 pm.

In short, the Natural History, American History, American Indian and African American History museums are free to enter, the National Zoo is free with a pass, and the Spy Museum and Museum of the Bible charge a fee and are not Smithsonian museums. Their rules are not listed here. For a busy day at one of these museums, open its page on si.edu a week ahead and look for a "reserve passes" button.

8. International Spy Museum: a paid, timed ticket

The International Spy Museum charges admission and recommends buying timed tickets in advance. The museum's visit page warns that tickets sold on site may be for a later time than your arrival, or sold out for the day. The price shows only in the booking calendar, so we do not quote one.

The museum stands at 700 L'Enfant Plaza SW. Hours differ by day, and the last ticket is sold one hour before closing.

9. Museum of the Bible: a paid ticket that costs more later

Museum of the Bible is a paid museum at 400 4th St. SW. Its ticket price shows only after you choose a date, and it rises as your visit date gets closer. Our Museum of the Bible tickets guide covers what to expect, so book early.

How to choose your DC museum pass plan

Start with the museums you most want to see, because those need the earliest booking. Air and Space passes are the hardest to get, so plan around the release day.

If you cannot get a pass for the museum in DC, the Udvar-Hazy Center is the second site of the National Air and Space Museum, in Chantilly, Virginia. Admission is free with no pass required, and parking costs $15. It holds the Space Shuttle Discovery, the SR-71 Blackbird, the B-29 Enola Gay and a Concorde. For the DC site, take the Metro to L'Enfant Plaza and walk about 10 minutes from Exit A.

Key Takeaway Air and Space passes release on the first of the month at noon Eastern, two months ahead, and you can reserve nine at once.

Our count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found five tours with "Museum" in the title, from €53 per person. If you want a guide, the museums DC page lists the paid options. A guided visit is the step for readers who missed a free pass or want a guide inside. Most readers do fine with the free passes alone. A tour is worth the money when you want a guide or a booked slot, such as the Archives tour that meets at 1300 Constitution Ave. NW and lasts 3 hours.

Museums are only one part of a trip. For free sights outside the museums, see our National Mall monuments guide, and for getting between museums, read about public transport in Washington, DC.