Useful things to know before your visit
Address: Houses of Parliament, Parliament Square, Westminster SW1A 0AA. Telephone: 0207 219 4114. Website: parliament.uk
How much do the tickets cost?
Adult tickets for the Guided Tour are from £40, young adults (aged 16-24) from £30, and children (5-15 years) from £20. Infants under-5 are free. Adult tickets for the Self-Guided Tour are from £31, young adults (aged 16-24) from £24, and children are from £12.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times for the Guided Tour during recess are 9am to 4pm (Mon-Wed and Fri-Sat). Times outside recess are 9am to 4pm (Sat only). For the Self-Guided Tour during recess the times are 9am to 4.15pm (Mon-Sat), and outside recess they are 9am to 4.15pm (Sat only) – Recess is during the 1st week of Jan, middle two weeks of Feb, two weeks around Easter, last week of May, 1st week of June, last week of July, all of Aug, 2nd half of Sep, 1st half of Oct, 2nd week of Nov and last two weeks of Dec.
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to the Houses of Parliament takes 1½ to 2 hours.
Which buses go to the Houses of Parliament?
Bus routes 11, 24, 148 and 211 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Westminster, which connects with the Circle District and Jubilee lines. It only takes two minutes to walk to the Houses of Parliament.
Which other attractions are nearby?
These attractions are all within 15 minutes walk of the Houses of Parliament: Big Ben, Jewel Tower, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, Downing Street, Banqueting House, London Dungeon, London Eye, Garden Museum, Horse Guards, Household Cavalry Museum and St. James’s Park.
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Email My review of the Houses of Parliament
I love this place. I even love the politicians inside it (well, most of them). If you come to London and don’t visit the Houses of Parliament then it will have been a totally wasted trip. It would be like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope. Or going to Amsterdam and not getting stoned.
Photo: londondrum.comYou might think it’s out of bounds to the public but there are actually four different ways to get inside. The first one is to stand as an MP and get 50,000 people to vote for you at the next General Election, but, granted, that is probably too much hassle if you’re only here on holiday. The second way is to write a letter to your local MP and ask them for a Members’ Tour. He or she will then put your name down on a waiting list for a free one. But, once again, that’s not much use if you live abroad so the third way is to turn up during parliamentary recess when it’s usually open from Monday to Saturday. And the fourth way is to just come along on any old Saturday, because the Saturday tours operate all year round.
There are two different tours to choose from: a 90-minute guided tour where you get led around by an expert, and a self-guided audio tour where you just you walk around with some headphones (only available on Saturdays).
Finding the Visitors’ entrance
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comThe visitor entrance is roughly opposite the back-end of Westminster Abbey, and once you’ve made it past the gun cops at the gate armed with tasers, lasers and sub-machine guns (I exaggerate only slightly) you’ll have to negotiate another tight layer of security inside where they take a photo of your face, buzz you with a handheld metal detector, x-ray your bones, peer into your pockets, make you take your belt off… if they could prise out all your teeth to see what’s underneath then I think they would. The frisk that I received today was probably the most thorough that I have ever experienced in my life – it felt like he was counting my ribs with his fingertips.
Photo: londondrum.comThe 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall
After you’ve negotiated your way through all of that you pass into the oldest part of the palace. When Westminster Hall was built by William Rufus it was the largest hall in Europe, and 1,000 years later its medieval wooden roof is still the largest single span in England.
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comIf you’re on a guided tour then this is where you’ll meet your guide. If you’re on a self-guided audio tour then this is where you’ll pick up a map and some headphones and then you’re totally on your own – you can walk around the building unaccompanied. Obviously you can only stick to a pre-defined route so it’s not a complete free-for-all (if you jump over the ropes then the police will probably pump a hundred bullets into you), but it does make you feel quite important wandering around the corridors while everyone else is being shepherded through the rooms by a tour guide.
Norman Porch, Robing Room & Royal Gallery
My guide today was a guy called Colin who not only looked like a Colin, but also had the encyclopaedic knowledge of a Colin, and for the first five minutes he just took us on a silent trek to the very far end of the building where the whole thing begins.
After a quick look down the stairs to the Sovereign’s Entrance he huddles everyone up in a quiet corner of the Norman Porch and for the next hour he passes back through the rooms again, pointing out all of the art and architecture and describing the historical events that happened there.
Photo: londondrum.comFirst stop is the Robing Room where the King puts on his heavy robes and Imperial State Crown during the State Opening of Parliament, surrounded by five frescos telling the legends of King Arthur.
Then you enter the Royal Gallery with its walls full of real kings and queens and two huge paintings commemorating our most famous military moments – The Death of Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar and The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo.
The decor in all of these Royal rooms is right up there with Buckingham Palace, but if I had to choose my favourite then it would be the Tudor-themed Prince’s Chamber – a beautiful little anteroom with portraits of Henry VIII and his six wives, his heirs and ancestors, and reproductions of the famous Armada tapestries.
Enterting the House of Lords
You won’t believe your eyes when you finally step inside the heavily gilded House of Lords. You enter it from the top and stop five feet from the golden throne. Don’t sit down on the plush leather benches for chrissakes because you’ll definitely get told off by the tour guide. In fact, that is something that I should warn you about before I go any further: the 90-minute tour is very heavy on your feet and they only let you sit down twice, so if you have knees like mine they’ll be seizing up by the end.
Peers’ Corridor, Central Lobby & Members’ Lobby
Photo: londondrum.comAfter the House of Lords you leave the Royal half of the palace with its palette of chestnut browns, deep reds and golds, and head towards the Commons with its ivy greens and undressed stone. The pictures switch from kings and queens to prime ministers, and the stories swap from palaces to politicians.
First up are the set of eight murals down Peers’ Corridor depicting scenes from around the time of the English Civil War when Parliament faced down Charles I – culminating in that famous moment when he tried to arrest five MPs in the chamber.
Then you enter that room you always see on the 10 O’Clock News – Central Lobby – which is always heaving with happy packs of tourists staring up at the art, parliamentary staff rushing through with armfuls of papers, and a few famous faces being door-stopped by the journalists.
Members’ Lobby is Parliament’s Hall of Fame with a few dusty busts of our more recent PMs surrounding larger statues of Lloyd George, Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, who’s guarding the bomb-damaged arch into the Commons.
Entering the House of Commons
I must have been on this tour five or six times but I still get a little thrill whenever I walk into the House of Commons. There can’t be a single Brit who isn’t silently mouthing wow when they walk into this chamber for the very first time.
You enter it from behind the Speaker’s Chair and head straight past the table where the ceremonial mace is placed, past the PM’s spot by the dispatch box, and then file into the back benches so the guide can tell you about the famous things that have happened here.
It’s a lot smaller than it appears on TV and all the time he’s talking you’re looking around imagining how incredible the noise must be when the MPs are drowning each other out from the opposite benches.
After you leave the Commons you head through St. Stephen’s Hall and back into Westminster Hall where the tour began. Don’t forget to visit the little cafe and gift shop to the left of the entrance before you walk out of the double doors.
Photo: londondrum.comIn conclusion…
So which one is better… the guided tour or the self-guided audio tour? If you choose the audio tour then you’ll save yourself a few pounds and see exactly the same rooms, but if a tourist asked me this question then I’d probably still recommend the guided tour because it’s a lot easier being led around by an expert who points out all the highlights.
But if I had to recommend one for a visitor with a bit more time on their hands then I’d probably stick with the self-guided audio tour because it’s quite nice being able to walk around the building at your own pace. I’ve also noticed that the headphones supply a lot more information than the tour guide provides – you’ll hear some interesting bits and pieces about the 1834 fire for example, and some stories about the State trials in Westminster Hall. And even if you don’t care for this extra content at least it gives you a reason to stand quietly in the corner of the rooms and admire the art, which is something you don’t have time for on a guided tour. That’s what the audio tour really gives you… time. Time to admire everything.
I’ve ranked the Houses of Parliament as ★1 in London’s most famous landmarks, ★3 in my favourite historical sites in London and ★5 in my top 25 London bucket list
It also appears in my best way to see London in a day itineraries, three 2-day London itineraries and 7-day London plan
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
What do you think? (12)
Ask a question, or share your experience of the Houses of Parliament
Shelly Do we have to book for a tour? (reply)
Craig You do need a ticket, but it is possible to just turn up and buy them on the day if you want. But it can be a very busy tour and there’s no guarantee there will be any slots available on that day. Or you might be given the first available time slot which can be a few hours away. So I’d always recommend that you book your time slot online in advance. (reply)
Mary Hi Craig! Have been reading a couple of your reviews and I really enjoyed your honest down to earth witty comments. Keep going. Regards Mary. (reply)
Craig Thanks for that Mary, I’m glad you like them (it’s nice to know at least one person takes the time to read them!). Craig. (reply)
Maureen My husband walks with sticks and is a little slow. Would the tour be suitable for him? Maureen. (reply)
Craig Hi Maureen, I have dodgy knees myself and I was feeling it by the end. You only get to sit down for approximately two minutes on the entire tour (which lasts for about an hour and a half). The rest is all walking and standing on the spot whilst you’re listening to the guide. The longest walk is at the start, when you walk the entire length of the building from Westminster Hall to the Norman porch, after that it is just little walks from room to room. If he’s okay being on his feet for at least 30 minutes at a time then it’s definitely worth doing. (reply)
Alex Qerreti Who is allowed in the Houses of Parliament? (reply)
Craig Hi Alex. Everyone is allowed inside. You don’t have to be a UK citizen. If you want a guided tour then you’ll have to buy a ticket first, but if you just want to watch the MPs debating inside the House of Commons then you don’t even need to do that -- see here events/?p=16946 (reply)
Libby Is there an entry fee? (reply)
Craig Hi Libby. It depends what you want to do. If you want to go on one of their Saturday guided tours, or a tour during the Summer Opening, then you have to pay for those – events/?p=22807 – but if you just want to go and sit inside the public gallery at the House of Commons or House of Lords then that’s free – events/?p=16946 (reply)
David Hi, can you take photos inside? (reply)
Craig Hi David. You’re always allowed to take photos inside Westminster Hall, and the last time I was on a guided tour we were also allowed to take them inside St. Stephen’s Hall as well, but you’re not supposed to take them anywhere else. Taking photos inside the House of Commons and House of Lords is a definite no-no (if they catch you then you’ll get told off). (reply)
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