Houses of Parliament Tour - Tickets & Information

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Houses of Parliament

During the Summer Opening, UK residents and overseas visitors can buy tickets to tour Parliament. It is arranged during the summer recess, when Parliament does not sit and Members work away from Westminster.

Tours run from Monday to Saturday inclusive, but not on Sunday or Bank Holidays. Tours take about 75 minutes. The 2008 opening will be from 28th July to 27th September 2008.

	Information
	Opening Times
	How To Get There
	Parking
	Facilities
	Top Tips

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Information

Visit the House of Commons and the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster with this guided tour.

The UK Parliament is one of the oldest representative assemblies in the world. The site of the Houses of Parliament is the Palace of Westminster, a royal palace and former residence of kings. The layout of the Palace is intricate, with its existing buildings containing nearly 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases and well over 3 kilometers (2 miles) of passages. Among the original historic buildings is Westminster Hall, used nowadays for major public ceremonial events.

During the Summer Recess the Palace of Westminster, home to the House of Lords and the House of Commons is open for a one hour guided tour, which includes both Chambers and other great State Rooms.

Everyone attending a tour must have a ticket. Children under 5 admitted free, but they must still have a zero value ticket. PLEASE NOTE this tour is not recommended for small children as there is a lot of walking. Pushchair/ strollers cannot be taken on the tour and must be left at and collected from Westminster Hall.

For Security Reasons:
Please avoid carrying bulky hand luggage on the tour.
Please do not carry items for personal defence on the tour.
Once the tour has started you must not stray from your guide or in any way leave the tour before reaching its designated end point.

Opening Times

Full day tours every 15 minutes Mon, Fri and Sat (+ Tues in August) 09.15 - 16.30
Half day tours on other days, 13.15 - 16.30
No tours on Sundays or Bank Holiday Monday August 25

How to Get There

Rail and Underground
Visitors travelling on the London Underground can use the District, Circle or Jubilee lines to get to Westminster station, which is fully wheelchair accessible. Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo mainline stations are about 20 minutes away by foot and have connecting buses.

Buses
Buses stop near Parliament Square in Victoria Street (opposite the Houses of Parliament) and further up towards Trafalgar Square, in Whitehall. All buses in London are now wheelchair accessible.

Walking
If you’re travelling by foot, Westminster and Waterloo bridges are wheelchair accessible, as are the Golden Jubilee pedestrian bridges (the old Hungerford Bridge), which connect the South Bank with Victoria Embankment.

Bicycles
Members of the public cannot bring bicycles into the parliamentary estate. There are public bicycle racks a short distance away outside 7 Millbank.

Parking

There is a commercial car park near Victoria Tower, with advance booking for disabled bays. There are disabled parking spaces nearby in Great Peter Street, Smith Square, and by Methodist Central Hall on Matthew Parker Street.

Coming by car is not recommended as parking is expensive and severely limited, and you will often be subject to the congestion charge.

There is no designated area to drop or pick someone up from Parliament. If you need to do this, motorists can stop briefly just before the entrance to Victoria Gardens, towards Millbank. However, please be aware that for security reasons the police will quickly move you on.

Facilities

Wheelchair users
All tours are accessible by wheelchair users. Alternative routes and viewing points exist for visitors with large motorised wheelchairs. One stop (of seventeen) on the tour requires a slight detour before rejoining the main group.

The public galleries of both Houses and committee rooms are fully wheelchair accessible or have space set aside for wheelchairs.

Visually impaired visitors
Guide dogs can accompany their owners on tours. They are also welcome in the public galleries and committee rooms, but only two at a time within the galleries. If there is no space, visitors may leave their dog with the police.

Deaf or hard of hearing visitors
An interpreter (BSL signer) may accompany you on a tour. Parliament staff will arrange this through the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) if given advance warning - but be aware there is heavy demand.

Visitors to the public galleries and committee Rooms must arrange their own interpreters and we require advance notification of their attendance. Contact the Admission Order Officer on 020 7219 3700. The public galleries and committee rooms are fitted with induction loops.

Toilets
Within Parliament disabled toilets are located off Central Lobby. Visitors going on a tour should be aware that they last around 75 minutes and there are no facilities available at the starting point. Accessible public toilets are at the nearby Westminster tube station.

Top Tips

The Palace of Westminster can become busier in the afternoons - morning tours may be quieter and comprise of less visitors per guide.

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