Visiting Independence Hall

No Restroom available on Independence Square

Restrooms are available at the Independence Visitor Center at 6th & Market Streets and the Benjamin Franklin Museum (museum entrance requires a fee) in Franklin Court between Market and Chestnut Streets and 3rd and 4th Streets

 

See the room where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed.

NPS photo

 

Location

Independence Hall is located on Chestnut Street, between 5th and 6th Streets. Entrance is through a security screening area on Chestnut Street, just west of 5th Street. After passing through security, visitors line up behind Independence Hall for a tour. The GPS address for Independence Hall is 520 Chestnut Street.

Hours and Fees

Thru January 31
Independence Hall is open 9 am to 5 pm daily with guided and self-guided options.
The security screening area closes 15 minutes prior to the building closure time, or earlier if all tours are full.

 

Ticketing

Thru January 31
No tickets are required, except the expanded tour at 3:15 pm.

• 9:15 am to 2:45 pm—20 minute guided tours at 15 and 45 past each hour, no tickets required
• 3:15 pm—40 minute guided tour, tickets required on rec.gov
• 3:40 pm to 5 pm—the Independence Hall experience is self-guided. Park rangers will be available to answer questions. Plan to arrive early—due to building capacity limitations, not all visitors are guaranteed entry.

February 1 thru March 7
Tickets are required between 10:40 am to 4:20 pm. There is a $1.00 per ticket handling fee for tickets. Learn how to obtain tickets on the ticketing web page. Obtain your tickets on recreation.gov. Tickets can be printed in advance or shown on a mobile device for scanning at the time of entry.

Tickets are not required to enter Independence Hall between 9 am to 10:30 am.

• During this time, the Independence Hall experience is self-guided. Park rangers will be available to answer questions.
• All non-ticketed visitors must exit the building at 10:30 am.
• Plan to arrive early—due to building capacity limitations, not all visitors are guaranteed entry.

Independence Hall Tickets for Teachers/Educators

Need help obtaining Independence Hall tickets for your school group or other non-profit education group? Please visit the Plan a Field Trip web page for more information.

*Individual reservations or commercial tour operators must reserve tickets through recreation.gov.

 

Guided Tours

Thru January 31
Entrance the building is by guided tour only between 9:15 am and 2:45 pm, first-floor only. All tours will visit the Assembly Room where the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were both signed.

The expanded tour at 3:15 pm visits both floors of the building. Tickets are required. Access to the second floor is by staircase only.

From 3:40 pm to 5 pm, the Independence Hall experience is self-guided, first-floor only. Park rangers are available to answer questions.

February 1 thru March 7
Guided tours of the building run every 20 minutes between 10:40 am and 4:20 pm. Guided tours require a timed ticket.

• The tour is about 15-20 minutes long.
• Visitors should arrive 30 minutes before their tour time to clear security screening.
• Visitors will see the Assembly Room (where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed) on the first floor of the building.

 

Accessibility

The first floor of Independence Hall is accessible for those with mobility impairments. An audio description tour is available upon request. For those with hearing impairments, the "Birthplace of a Nation" pamphlet provides written information about the rooms shown on the tour and assistive listening devices are also available. American Sign Language interpretation is available by request. You must first reserve tickets and then call the park to arrange for an interpreter at least 14 days prior to your visit. Get the details on how to reserve an ASL interpreter here.

 

Security

All visitors and their belongings are required to undergo screening to enter Independence Square. This includes all items in pockets, bags, medical devices, and underneath strollers and wheelchairs. Belongings must pass through an x-ray machine or pass visual inspection by security officers.

• No firearms, knives, explosives, or any other weapons are permitted.
• No open containers of food or drink are allowed through the screening. Examples include: an open tray of french fries or a disposable coffee cup. Bottles with screw on lids are permitted through.
• Visitors will be screened using a walk-through metal detector. Visitors who are unable to pass through or who alarm the walk-through metal detector will undergo additional screening with a hand-held metal detector or a pat-down screening by a same gender security officer

The screening area is located adjacent to Old City Hall, near the corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets.

 

Images and Historical Information

Want to learn more about the architecture, history, and significance of Independence Hall? Additional resources about Independence Hall are available on our website. See photos and videos of Independence Hall below.

 

More to Explore on Independence Square

• Great Essentials Exhibit in the West Wing
• Congress Hall
• Old City Hall
• Museum of the American Philosophical Society

 

 

• 

  Birthplace of Freedom: A Tour of Independence Hall

  Let this film guide you through the building where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and signed.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 31 seconds

 

• 

  Peale's Museum

  Learn about Charles Willson Peale's Philadelphia Museum, once located on the second floor of Independence Hall in the early 1800s.

  Duration:

  4 minutes, 10 seconds

 

• 

  The Fugitive Slave Hearings

  Discover how people accused of being fugitives from slavery were held for hearings on the second floor of Independence Hall.

  Duration:

  4 minutes, 15 seconds