The Five Visitor Tours at the Palace of Westminster

UK Parliament is promoting five distinct ways to visit the Palace of Westminster, from a self-paced multimedia tour to a physically demanding climb of the Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben. Ticket prices span £23 to £55 per adult, with some options aimed at families, others at international visitors, and one restricted to UK residents.

The most flexible and cheapest mainstream option is the multimedia-guided tour, priced from £31 per adult and including one free child place. It operates at the visitor's own pace, covers the House of Commons, the House of Lords and other spaces, and is available in ten languages with a children's version in English. A 90-minute guided tour, delivered by a live guide and offered in English only, costs from £40 and covers the same principal chambers. The most specialist offering, from £23, takes visitors into Speaker's House to explore the history and traditions of the Speaker's role.

The headline-priced experience is the official Big Ben tour of the Elizabeth Tower at £55, which involves more than 300 steps, is open only to those aged 11 and over, and is available to UK residents only. Separately, constituents can join a 75-minute guided tour arranged through their local MP, which focuses on how Parliament and democracy work today — a route that sits outside the standard ticket lineup.

What Each Tour Offers — and Who It's For

Three Ticket Tiers for Three Different Audiences

The pricing structure breaks the lineup into clear segments. The £31 multimedia tour is the family and international option: ten languages, a children's version, and one free child per adult ticket make it the only offering designed for non-English speakers and younger visitors. The £40 guided tour trades flexibility for structure — a 90-minute, English-only experience with a live guide — while the £23 Speaker's House tour is a niche product built around the history and working routine of a single office.

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Big Ben: Exclusive, Demanding and UK-Only

The £55 Elizabeth Tower tour is the outlier. The 300-plus-step climb and the 11-and-over age limit are straightforward physical constraints, but the restriction to UK residents sets it apart from the other tours, which are open to all visitors. The combination of scarcity and heritage appeal is what justifies the highest ticket price in the list.

The MP Route: Parliament as a Civic Experience

The 75-minute tour booked through a local MP is positioned differently from the commercial ticketed options — it is framed around how Parliament and democracy work, rather than around heritage and architecture. Notably, the listing does not state a price, so visitors should confirm cost and availability with their MP's office before planning around it.

Booking Tips: Prices, Eligibility and the MP Route

  • Book ahead online — the listing says pre-booked tickets secure the best price on the £31 multimedia and £40 guided tours.
  • For families, the £31 multimedia ticket includes one free child, making it the value entry point among the paid tours.
  • Plan around languages: only the multimedia tour is available in languages other than English; the 90-minute guided tour is English-only.
  • Meet the Big Ben conditions before booking — aged 11 or over, comfortable with more than 300 steps, and resident in the UK — for the £55 Elizabeth Tower ticket.
  • For a civic-focused visit outside the ticketed lineup, contact your local MP's office about the 75-minute tour; its price and availability are not stated in the listing.