Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

Nearest Station: Westminster

Entry price: Guided Tours: Adults – £25.50, Child (5 to 15) – £11, Concessions – £21. Audio Tours: Adults – £18.50, Child – £7.50 (one free child per paying adult), Concessions – £16.

Typical opening hours: Open Saturdays throughout the year and on most weekdays during Parliamentary recesses including Christmas, Easter and the summer. English tours depart every 15 to 20 minutes from 09:00 to 16:15.

Phone: 0207 219 4114

Website: www.parliament.uk/visiting/

Home of the UK government for over 500 years, the Houses of Parliament are world-renowned. The current building dates from the 1840s as the previous building was destroyed by a large fire.

The most famous part of the building is undoubtedly the clock tower which lies on its northern side, largely referred to as Big Ben. However, Big Ben is actually the name of the 13.5-ton bell located inside the tower. The tower itself is called the Elizabeth Tower.

Paid tours of the inside of the building are available and advanced reservations are strongly recommended. Tours are available on Saturdays year-round, and weekdays when Parliament is in recess.

Guided tours and audio tours are available, and we highly recommend them. Audio tours are available in a variety of languages, whereas Guided Tours are in English only.

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben have become trademark symbols for London and are daily staples in films, TV shows, documentaries and news programmes around the world.