Bureau of Engraving & Printing

Washington, DC


Cha-ching! The nation's paper currency is designed and printed here. Guides lead 40-minute tours during which you peer down onto the work floor where millions of dollars roll off the presses and get cut (by guillotine!). It's actually a pretty dry jaunt; don't expect exciting visuals or snappy dialogue. In peak season (March to August), timed entry tickets are required. Get in line early at the ticket kiosk. It opens at 8am. Tickets are often gone by 10am.

During non-peak season (September through February), no tickets are required and you can come in through the main entrance at 14th and C Sts; tours take place every 15 minutes from 9am to 10:45am and from 12:30pm to 2pm.

The building is expected to undergo structural renovations starting in late 2018; tours will continue to run, but there may be tweaks to the scheduled times, so call or check the website before heading out.

Transportation

  • bus: Circulator
  • metro: Orange, Silver, Blue Line to Smithsonian

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Washington, DC attractions

2. Artechouse

0.22 MILES

Straddling technology, art and science, this 15,000-sq-ft, three-level state-of-the-art digital gallery mesmerizes with large-scale, interactive, multi…

3. Floral Library

0.26 MILES

In spring, just steps from the fabled cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin, some 10,000 tulips explode in vibrant color in a sweet garden called…

4. Washington Monument

0.29 MILES

Peaking at 555ft (and 5in) and composed of 36,000 blocks of stone, the Washington Monument is the district's tallest structure. Political shenanigans…

5. George Mason Memorial

0.29 MILES

This little oasis of flowers and fountains honors the famed statesman and author of the Commonwealth of Virginia Declaration of Rights (a forerunner to…

6. National Museum of Asian Art

0.3 MILES

This is a lovely spot in which to while away a Washington afternoon. Japanese silk scrolls, smiling Buddhas, rare Islamic manuscripts and Chinese jades…

8. Tidal Basin

0.38 MILES

The 2-mile stroll around this constructed inlet incorporates the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson memorials as well as the Floral Library…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/washington-dc/capitol-hill-south-dc/attractions/bureau-of-engraving-printing/a/poi-sig/1097274/1329650",
      "destination": "Washington,-DC",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "city": "Washington,-DC",
      "position": "superzone"
    }