Welcome to the EU institutions
The European Union institutions are open to visitors from around the world to learn more about the EU and get an understanding of their work.
With sites in several major European cities, the institutions offer a variety of options to visitors. Some institutions provide interactive on-site visitor centres, some allow physical access to their buildings, and some organise tailor-made presentations and discussions involving their staff.
Whatever form a visit to an EU institution takes, visitors are guaranteed an interactive and educational experience. Students and tourists alike will see and learn first-hand how the EU works. And have fun, too.
Open Day and virtual tours
Each year, to celebrate Europe Day, the EU institutions open their doors to the public in early May in Brussels and Strasbourg. Local EU offices in Europe and across the world organise a variety of activities and events for all ages.
The EU’s Open Day offers a unique opportunity for you to discover how the European institutions affect your life. You can step inside the buildings and take part in special activities, such as public debates and guided tours.
And if you can’t visit in person, you could always take a ‘virtual tour’. Several institutions offer virtual access to their buildings, so you can discover how the EU works from the comfort of your own home.
Click on each city section to open a full list of the possible venues, along with a link for more detailed information.
European Parliament
The European Parliament has a number of venues in Brussels, for individual or group visits. This includes the ‘hemicycles’ where EU laws are debated and voted on, the EU’s interactive visitor centre - the Parlamentarium - the House of European history and Station Europe.
Plan your European Parliament visit (Brussels)
European Council / Council of the EU
Step inside the Council, discover the buildings where EU leaders meet and learn how the Council shapes Europe's future. To visit the Council, you can either explore our visitor centre and the public areas on your own or take part in our weekly guided tours.
European Commission
The European Commission has different visit venues in Brussels. This includes the Commission’s Visitors’ Centre where groups wishing to discover the Commission and its policies can hear directly from Commission officials. Visits should be booked at least 10 weeks in advance, and can be tailored to groups’ needs. Experience Europe is the interactive exhibition centre of the Commission at the Schuman roundabout (300m from the Visitors’ Centre). No prior registration required for individual visitors or groups of less than 10 persons. Open 7 days a week.
European External Action Service
The European External Action Service welcomes group visits to its headquarters in Brussels. Find out how the External Action Service manages EU diplomatic relations with countries outside the European Union, carrying out the EU’s common foreign and security policy. All visits are tailor-made.
Plan your visit to the European External Action Service
European Economic and Social Committee
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes visitors to its headquarters in Brussels for an interactive presentation on its activities and its role in the decision-making process. Virtual group visits can also be arranged.
Plan your visit to the European Economic and Social Committee
European Committee of the Regions
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) organises information visits at its premises in Brussels. Find out how the CoR works and the role of the regions in shaping the content of EU legislation. Virtual visits are also possible.
Plan your visit to the Committee of the Regions
European Data Protection Supervisor
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) welcomes specialist groups - such as students at post-graduate level - to its premises in Brussels to learn about what it does and how it works. Only official requests (e.g. from an official organisation email address) are considered.
European Parliament
The European Parliament welcomes individual or group visits to its ‘hemicycle’ building in Strasbourg. See where the Parliament’s most important debates and votes are held before visiting the Simone Veil Parlamentarium, an interactive exhibition offering insight into the Parliament’s role and work.
European Parliament
The European Parliament offers guided tours of its Robert Schuman building in Luxembourg. Visit the site of the first administrative seat of the European Parliament and see its ‘hemicycle’ building during your group tour.
Plan your European Parliament visit (Luxembourg)
Court of Justice of the European Union
The Court welcomes individual or group visits to its site in Luxembourg. Attend a public hearing at the Court of Justice or the General Court, or take a guided tour of the buildings and the various works of art, donated or loaned to the Court by EU countries, which reflect Europe’s varied cultural heritage.
Plan your visit to the Court of Justice
European Court of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) organises group visits to its site in Luxembourg. Visits involve a presentation by an ECA official on the role and workings of the Court, followed by a discussion. You must book at least 2 months in advance.
Plan your visit to the European Court of Auditors
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank admits groups of visitors to its premises in Luxembourg on receipt of a written request. Visitors must have a direct professional interest in the bank’s activities or be university students studying economics or finance.
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) offers a number of options to visitors, to explore what its work entails and the activities it supports in Frankfurt. Take a tour of the ECB’s Visitor Centre, attend a tailored lecture or visit its art collection.