The Parliament building in London is one of the most well known and attractive structures in the city. Inside this huge building there are two debating chambers, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. UK politicians meet and debate here and towering over the whole “Palace of Westminster” as it is known, is the huge clock tower containing Big Ben, the deep sounding bell which chimes on the hour.
The Commons is where the MPs sit and make laws which are then further discussed by the non-elected Lords. There are also MP’s offices inside, but the building across the road, Portcullis House, contains further offices for the politicians.
Guided tours are available most Saturdays and also on weekdays during the summer and we’d thoroughly recommend them. The tours take you through Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the current building and then into most of the significant rooms that are used by the politicians. You’ll notice that the various rooms are colour coded – red for the House of Lords, and green for the House of Commons. You’ll see the King’s robing room where he prepares for his annual speech, along with lobby areas, the voting corridors where MPs are counted after a debate and most significantly, the two debating chambers.
We found the tour very informative and entertaining. It dealt with both history of the building and the workings of parliament. You’ll learn about some of the artworks in the building too and you get to see one area where war damage has not been repaired on the orders of Winston Churchill no less! The highlight for us was standing in the House of Commons across the benches from where the Prime Minister sits – it’s so much smaller than it looks on TV.
Tours operate between 9.15am and 4.30pm on Saturdays and in parliamentary holidays. Adult guided tours cost is £34 (2025 prices) and we’d definitely recommend booking tours in advance through the Parliament website as they sell out very quickly! Audio tours are slightly cheaper at £27 (2025 prices). If you want to buy in person, head to the ticket office which is next to the Jewel Tower on St Margaret Street, roughly opposite the Cromwell Green entrance to parliament. You will need to allow up to half an hour before your tour to go through security. If no official tours are available, you can often get around this by booking a private tour last minute here: UK Parliament Guided Tours.
If you’re not interested in seeing inside and just want to view the buildings from outside, the best view is from Westminster Bridge or the opposite side of the River Thames where you get a good idea of the size of the place. You can also get a more familiar view of the Houses of Parliament from Speaker’s Green on the Westminster Abbey side – this is where TV correspondents do their reports which are beamed all over the world.
LOCATION & CONTACT
Address: The Palace of Westminster, Victoria Embankment, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7219 3000
The nearest tube stop is Westminster. A great way to see the Houses of Parliament and other London landmarks is by using the Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour which always gets great reviews.
MORE ON THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
UK Houses of Parliament – Official Website
UK Houses of Parliament – Wikipedia
Hotels near the Houses of Parliament – Booking.com
London Guide Books – Amazon.co.uk
London City Guide – From our sister-site, Free-City-Guides.com