London's Palace of Westminster: How to see the inside!
Below are 4 options to see the inside of the Palace of Westminster! Note: you are not guaranteed entry with the free options - it depends on day of demand and availability.
**Entry for all of these events is the Cromwell Green Entrance. The entrance is right across the street from the back of the Westminster Abbey off of St. Margaret Street. This is where you will go through security before you are allowed to continue into the Palace of Westminster.
Option 1 - Guided Tour ($)
The first option to tour the Palace of Westminster is by booking a guided tour in advance. These tours often book quickly, and slots are released a few months in advance. They are also not offered every day of the week; often only one week of the month and Fridays. Make sure to check the link attached to the place widget above!
The main tour highlights are the House of Commons Chamber, the House of Lords Chamber, and Westminster Hall.
On days that guided tours are offered, the slot times to choose from are between 10:15 - 15:45. This tour costs 32 GBP for adults, 26 GBP for young adults (ages 16-24), 16 GBP for children, and kids 5 and under are free.
This is a live guided tour meaning a tour guide will speak to you and guide you around. You may be given a headset, but this is only to help you hear your guide. If parliament is in session the day/time of your tour, you will be able to see each room still but they will not let you walk through the chairs and they will wait for commentary until after you are out of the room. The tour takes about 90 minutes.
*These tours are only offered in English
Option 2 - Multimedia Tour ($)
Another option to tour the Palace of Westminster is by going on multimedia tour. This means you will be self-guided (with restrictions) and will learn from a recording on a headset. You can go at your own pace, but they recommend that you stay for 90 minutes.
As with the guided tour, you will be able to see the House of Commons Chamber, the House of Lords Chamber, and Westminster Hall.
These tours do not book out as quickly so you are more likely to get last minute reservations for these mulitmedia tours. Check the link above for availability! These tours are still only offered on Fridays and a few other days of the month. They run from 09:00 - 16:30 on most days offered.
This tour costs 25 GBP for adults, 18 GBP for young adults (ages 16-24), 8 GBP for children, and kids 5 and under are free.
In addition to the recording, there is an English only option that includes interactive games and learning content for children age 11 and under.
*This tour is offered in 9 different languages. Check the link in the widget above for more information.
Option 3 - Attend the Prime Minister's Questions (Free)
Every Wednesday at 12:00 pm the House of Commons holds the Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). This is a free event but you have to have a ticket. Tickets first go to UK residents and if there is any extra availability tourists can fill the empty seats. It is recommended to get their early so you can be near the front of the line and increase your chances of getting a spot.
Again, the entrance is through the Cromwell Green entrance (There is a map on the website attached above). This is where the line will queue and if you get let in you will go through security.
This event lets you see the Palace of Westminster as you walk through and sit in the House of Commons. You will sit in the public gallery. You do not get to see other areas of the building like the House of Lords. However, you do get to see the Prime Minister (or a fill in) in action.
Option 4 - Attend an Open Session of Parliament (Free)
A final option to get into the Palace of Westminster is to attend a debate. This is not a ticketed event, availability depends on the daily queue. Public debates are offered at different times each day and week. It is typically Monday through Thursday. Click the link above to view the calendar for updated information. The calendar gives the date, time, topic, and house in session. (I included the link in the House of Lords Place widget since the other one's were previously used. This is not the only room you can watch a debate in!)
Both The House of Commons and The House of Lords hold these debates. On certain days both Houses are in session. If they overlap, you may have the opportunity to sit in for each one, depending on demand.
The way this works is similar to the PMQs. You will queue and enter at the Cromwell Green entrance. I wouldn't say that you need to get to the entrance too early for these debate sessions, but it all depends on the season of year and topic being discussed. So, it wouldn't hurt to queue early. You can also arrive after the start of the debates. This is because the public are free to come and go as they please, so many don't sit in for the entire debate.
The workers will let you know how long your estimated queue will be so you can decide if you want to wait. Once you are let in, they will direct you to the correct House and viewing gallery. You will get to sit in for as little or as long of the debate as you want.
When we went, the both the House of Lords and Commons were debating so once we left one public gallery, we got to go to the next viewing. It was also a pretty slow day so we didn't have a problem. If it is busier, I would guess they would restrict access a bit more so more people are able to get in. I am not certain on this, though.
As I said before, visitors can come and go as they please. This allows more people to enter the Palace of Westminster because it seems to be on a one out one in basis.
Both of these free options are great because you get to see the two well known debating rooms of British Democracy. And, you get to see sessions in action. The drawback to these options is that you do not get an actual tour. You are restricted to staying in the public viewing galleries (you can't walk through the actual seats and debate floor of the rooms) and you do not get to learn the history of the Palace.
Adding a trip inside Westminster is something you must add to your next London itinerary.
Thank you for reading!
Please leave feedback or a tip if this guide was helpful to you! I hope you enjoy your time in London and are able to step inside the recognizable Palace of Westminster.
Check out my growing collection of guides for other ideas in London and around the world!
*This guide is focused for overseas visitors. There are other options for UK residents to visit the Palace of Westminster as well as all of the options listed above can be free.
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