Houses of Parliament Tours

Published 18 September 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

You can see inside the Houses of Parliament on a paid tour, either a 90-minute guided tour in English (from £40 for an adult) or a self-guided audio tour (from £31, with one child free per adult), and these run on Saturdays all year and Monday to Saturday when Parliament is in recess. Watching debates from the public galleries is free for everyone, including overseas visitors, on most weekdays when Parliament is sitting.

The Houses of Parliament, officially the Palace of Westminster, is where the House of Commons and the House of Lords meet. It is a working building, not a museum, which is why tours only run when the politicians are not using the rooms. A tour takes you through Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the estate, and into both debating chambers.

There are really two ways in. You can buy a ticket for a tour on a day when Parliament is not sitting, or you can queue on a sitting day to watch MPs and Lords at work from the galleries. This guide covers both, along with the airport-style security check that everyone goes through.

Which Parliament tour to choose

Parliament sells four tours to the general public. The two main ones cover the same route; the difference is whether a person or a handset does the talking. Prices below apply to tickets bought from 1 September 2026.

Children under 5 go free but still need a ticket. UK armed forces personnel pay the 16-24 rate on the guided and audio tours. Check the current figures on Parliament's tour prices page before you book.

Guided or audio: our view

The guided tour is better if you like to ask questions and want the stories behind the rooms. Parliament's guides are in-house staff, and groups are kept to a manageable size. The drawback is that it is only in English and moves at the group's pace.

The audio tour is the better choice for families, for visitors who prefer their own language, and for anyone on a budget. The official ticketing site lists English, British Sign Language, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Welsh, plus an English version for children and an audio-described version. It covers more than 15 stops, and you can linger where you like.

When the tours run, and why dates are limited

Tours run on Saturdays throughout the year. During parliamentary recess, the breaks when MPs and Lords are away, they run Monday to Saturday, and Parliament says there are also dates in most school holidays. On ordinary weekdays when Parliament is sitting, there are no public tours because the chambers are in use.

That is the reason to plan. If you are in London for only a few days in the middle of a sitting week, your only chance to see the chambers may be the Saturday. Recess dates are published on Parliament's What's on calendar, and the booking calendar only shows days when tours run.

Parliament advises booking in advance for the best price and to guarantee entry. You can buy tickets online or at the ticket office at the front of Portcullis House on Victoria Embankment. Because it is a working building, tours can occasionally be cancelled or the route changed at short notice.

What you see inside the Palace of Westminster

Both main tours follow a similar route through the most famous rooms. The highlights, as Parliament lists them, are:

• Westminster Hall. Almost 1,000 years old and the oldest building on the parliamentary estate. It survived the fire of 1834 that destroyed most of the old palace, and its sheer size is the first thing that strikes most visitors.
• St Stephen's Hall. A long corridor lined with statues of famous parliamentarians.
• Central Lobby. The octagonal hall between the two Houses, which you have probably seen on television news.
• The House of Commons chamber, with its famous green benches, where the Prime Minister faces questions.
• The House of Lords chamber, much more ornate, with its golden throne.

The tours do not include the Elizabeth Tower. If you want to climb to the bell, you need a separate ticket, explained in our guide to Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower. Across the road, Westminster Abbey makes a natural pairing on the same day, although its visiting hours end in mid-afternoon.

Watching MPs and Lords debate, free of charge

This is one of the best free experiences in London, and many visitors do not know it exists. UK residents and overseas visitors are welcome to watch debates from the public galleries in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. There is no charge and, for ordinary debates, no ticket.

• When: the galleries are open Monday to Thursday and on some Fridays. Times vary by day and by House, so check the parliamentary calendar the day before.
• How: go to the Cromwell Green entrance and queue. On most days you just wait your turn, and visitor assistants can tell you how long the wait is likely to be.
• Committees: you can also watch committee hearings, and Commons debates held in the Grand Committee Room off Westminster Hall, known as Westminster Hall debates.

Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesdays

Prime Minister's Questions takes place in the Commons chamber every Wednesday at 12 noon when the House is sitting. Tickets are free but go only to UK residents, through their MP. Overseas visitors can queue on the day and get in only if there is space, with no guarantee. Our advice: if you want to see Parliament in action, pick an ordinary debate on a Tuesday or Thursday, when the queue is likely to be shorter than on a Wednesday. If you cannot get in, every public session is shown live on parliamentlive.tv.

The security check: what to expect and what to leave behind

Everyone entering Parliament goes through airport-style screening, which may include a hand search. You may be asked to remove your belt and coat. Parliament says the average wait is up to 30 minutes, rising to 45 minutes on busy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. The queue starts outside, so dress for the weather.

Some items are simply illegal to carry in the UK, even if they are legal where you come from. Parliament warns that you will be arrested if you are found with guns, knives with a blade over 7.7 cm, flick knives, butterfly knives or personal defence sprays. Other items, including Swiss army knives, scissors, flags, placards, whistles and open drinks other than water or baby milk, are held at the entrance and returned when you leave.

Once through, you receive a visitor pass, which you must wear visibly. Armed police officers are a normal sight inside and outside the building, which is worth mentioning to children in advance. Protests are common in Westminster and can mean longer queues, but Parliament says visits are rarely disrupted. Our guide to staying safe in London covers the wider picture.

Photography rules inside Parliament

Photography for personal use is allowed in Westminster Hall and St Stephen's Hall, and in the visitor area of New Palace Yard, which has views of the Elizabeth Tower. It is not allowed anywhere else on the tour route or in the public galleries, and phones should be switched off during tours. Tripods are never permitted. Take your pictures of the hall at the start, because you will not get another chance inside the chambers.

Afternoon tea, cream tea and other refreshments

You may have read about afternoon tea on a terrace overlooking the Thames as part of a Parliament visit. That package is not offered on Parliament's current tour and ticketing pages, which we checked in September 2026. If an add-on is available for your date, it will appear during booking on the official site; do not buy it from unofficial resellers without checking.

What is available to every visitor is the Jubilee Café, in a converted stable block next to the shop just off Westminster Hall. It serves coffee, sandwiches and cakes, and its Jubilee Cream Tea (a fruit scone with butter or clotted cream, preserve and a pot of tea or a coffee) costs £7.00. During sitting weeks it opens from 9am on Monday to Wednesday and from 10am on Thursday to Saturday; during recess it is open 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. If you want the full ritual of sandwiches, scones and cakes, our guide to afternoon tea in London lists places nearby and further afield.

Visiting Parliament with children or with a disability

Parliament is well set up for families. The children's version of the audio guide has quizzes and games aimed at children up to about 11, and you can download it to your own device and use the free Wi-Fi. Children aged 5 to 7 can pick up a Family Trail booklet instead. The guided tour is permitted for all ages but is better for children aged 12 and over. Our guide to London with children has ideas for the rest of the day.

Parliament says it is accessible to visitors with disabilities, and Westminster station is fully wheelchair accessible. Assistance dogs are welcome on the main tours, but Parliament asks you to email the visitor team in advance to avoid delays at security. There are a few disabled parking spaces that must be booked at least 48 hours ahead. See our guide to accessible London for more.

Getting there and planning the rest of the day

Westminster station on the Jubilee, District and Circle lines is right opposite Parliament; our guide to the Underground explains how the network works. Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo main-line stations are each about 20 minutes' walk away. Buses stop around Parliament Square and along Whitehall, and river boats call at Westminster Pier, although the pier ramps can be steep for manual wheelchairs.

A tour fits easily into a morning or afternoon in the Westminster area. Afterwards you could walk to the Churchill War Rooms, stroll through St James's Park towards Buckingham Palace, or, on a recess weekday, combine the tour with the Changing of the Guard, which at Buckingham Palace takes place at 11am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (not every week, so check the official calendar). Because the whole visit is indoors, it is also a good choice for a rainy day in London, as long as you allow for the outdoor security queue.

Frequently asked questions

Can tourists visit the Houses of Parliament?

Yes. Overseas visitors can book the guided tour or the self-guided audio tour, which run on Saturdays and Monday to Saturday during recess. Anyone can also watch debates free from the public galleries on sitting days, usually Monday to Thursday, by queuing at the Cromwell Green entrance.

How much does a Houses of Parliament tour cost?

For tickets bought from 1 September 2026, the guided tour costs £40 for an adult booked in advance or £43 on the day. The audio tour costs £31 in advance or £34 on the day, and each full-paying adult brings one child aged 5 to 15 free.

Is it free to watch Parliament debates?

Yes. Watching debates from the public galleries of both Houses is free for all visitors, and ordinary debates need no ticket. Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesdays at 12 noon is ticketed for UK residents through their MP; overseas visitors can only queue and hope for space.

How long does the security check take at Parliament?

Parliament says the average wait is up to 30 minutes and about 45 minutes on busy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Arrive at least 20 minutes before a tour. There is no cloakroom, and bags larger than 60 cm by 40 cm are not allowed.

Does the Parliament tour include Big Ben?

No. The guided and audio tours cover Westminster Hall, Central Lobby and the two chambers but not the Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben tours are booked separately, cost £55 for an adult and are only for visitors aged 11 and over.

Sources

• UK Parliament - Tours (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament - Tour prices (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament official ticketing - Audio tour dates and information (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament - Attend debates (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament - Prime Minister's Questions (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament - Security information (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament - Jubilee Cafe (checked September 2026)
• UK Parliament - Family-friendly tours and experiences (checked September 2026)