Houses of Parliament & Westminster Abbey tour:
Inside the chambers that shaped an empire
Destination
London, UK
Duration
3.8 hours
Tour size
Max 20
Language
English
Overview
Walk the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey with an expert guide who brings 1,000 years of history to life, room by room. You'll hear the full story of both landmarks firsthand: England’s seat of law and seat of faith, side by side on the same stretch of Thames riverbank.
- •Enter Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation Chair has waited for every British monarch since 1308
- •Walk beneath the medieval hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall, where the timbers have survived fire, revolution and a gunpowder plot
- •Step into the gilded Chamber of the House of Lords, still lined in velvet and stained glass from its 19th-century rebuild
- •Stand in the House of Commons where lawmakers debated the abolition of slavery and the Brexit referendum
- •Pass through the Division Lobbies and parliamentary corridors that TV cameras never reach
What's included
- Skip-the-line Westminster Abbey ticket
- Houses of Parliament tickets
- Expert Blue Badge guide
- Headset
You will visit
- Westminster Abbey
- Houses of Parliament
- Westminster Hall
- Chamber of the House of Lords
- Chamber of the House of Commons
- Division Lobbies and parliamentary antechambers
- Parliament Square
Get a taste of Houses of Parliament & Westminster Abbey tour
What to expect
Westminster Abbey: where kings are crowned and poets rest
Your tour begins inside one of England's most storied churches. With skip-the-line access, you'll walk straight into the soaring Gothic nave, where every stone slab, stained-glass panel and carved tomb witnessed a coronation, a royal wedding, or a burial. You'll see the Coronation Chair that has seated monarchs since 1308, stand at the graves of Darwin and Newton, and find the quiet rivalries buried in Poets' Corner.
Westminster Hall: the oldest part of Parliament
Next, you'll cross Parliament Square to the oldest surviving part of the Houses of Parliament. Westminster Hall has hosted trials, lying-in-state ceremonies and political crises since 1097. The oak hammerbeam roof overhead spans 20 meters without a single supporting column. Your guide will take you from the trial of Guy Fawkes to the days when the Thames rose high enough to flood the chamber floor.
"People walk into Westminster Hall, look up at that roof, and go completely quiet. Every single time."
Karen,
WalksDevour Blue Badge guide
"Everyone knows the chambers, but the Division Lobbies are where the real drama happens on voting nights."
Sue,
WalksDevour Blue Badge guide
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Frequently asked questions
Our guides love answering your questions. Here are some things they'd like you to know before you arrive.
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