The Congress opens its doors to citizens on November 29 and 30

To request an appointment to participate in the open days, you must fill out a form which can be consulted on the Congress website. Each visitor can reserve a place with a maximum of three accompanying persons and up to five children under 14 years old. No prior reservation will be necessary for people over 65 and an accompanying person.

These days, celebrated since 1997 in honor of Constitution Day on December 6, citizens have the opportunity to walk in places normally reserved for are within the reach of the authorities and accredited. These will be the second open days of 2024, after those of June 14 and 15, during which the elections of June 15, 1977 were commemorated.

The famous bronze doorthe work of José María Sánchez Pescador, reserved for special occasions such as the solemn acts presided over by His Majesty the King and the opening sessions of the Cortes Generales of each legislature, is one of those places that can be visited.

A few days for people

Citizens will enter the Palace through this famous bronze door to begin the tour in the Entrance hall of Elizabeth IIwhere you can see a copy of the Constitution of 1812.

The tour continues in the conference room, known as the Room of Lost Steps. In this room the vault stands out with four allegories of the continents, law, justice, religion and abundance. In the center of the room is the mahogany and agate table. The center of the hall is where institutional visits are received and where other events such as the Constitution Day reception take place.

Let’s then come to the reason for the visit: the entrance to the Hemicycle or Session roomin which the 350 seats of deputies are distributed. On both sides of the Presidency are two large paintings, “The Oath of the Cortes of Cádiz” and “María de Molina presenting her son before the Cortes of Valladolid”.

From there we move on to visit the first floor of the Palace to browse the portrait gallery of the presidents of the Congress of Deputies. From there, and passing through the bridge over the Patio de Floridablanca which connects the Palace to the Extension building, the visit continues through the Constitutional Hall, the Ernest Lluch Hall and the Cedaceros Hall.

Other visit alternatives

If you cannot attend, the sessions will be broadcast live on the Congress website and on the Parliament channel on YouTube.

Another alternative to know the seat of the legislative power is to visit the Congress virtually. This allows for a personalized guided tour in augmented reality. This visit gives the opportunity to advance in the different rooms, to observe the environment at 360 degrees, to get closer to contemplate the smallest detail of each room; while listening to simple and educational explanations.

The visit can also be done in augmented reality with VR (Virtual Reality) devices and is accessible to people with disabilities. Using VR glasses allows users with movement limitations to move around rooms.

In addition to these sessions, they can take place throughout the year, both individually and in groups, free guided tours of the Palacein addition to attending plenary sessions as an audience.