Tour Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament

Quick summary

Why these two buildings together

Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster face each other across Parliament Square. They were built within 200 years of each other, by the same crown, for two halves of the same medieval idea: church and state operating in deliberate proximity. Visiting one without the other is like reading the first half of a sentence. The Abbey crowns monarchs; Parliament limits their power. The political theatre that plays out in the House of Commons every Wednesday at PMQs only makes full sense once you’ve stood on the floor where every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned 150 metres away.

That’s why combined tours work: they tell one story across two buildings, with around 800 metres of walking between them.

The standard combined tour route

1. Meeting point — usually outside Westminster Tube station exit 4, on Parliament Square. Your guide holds a small flag or sign.
2. Outside orientation — 15 minutes walking the perimeter of Parliament Square: Big Ben, Churchill statue, Mandela statue, view of the Abbey’s west front.
3. Westminster Abbey entry — pre-booked skip-the-line lane. Roughly 90 minutes inside covering Nave, Quire, Sanctuary, Lady Chapel and Poets’ Corner.
4. Cellarium Café break — optional 20-minute pause for coffee in the medieval cellarium.
5. Walk to Parliament — 4-minute stroll across Parliament Square, with stops to discuss the Cromwell statue and Old Palace Yard.
6. Parliament entry — through Cromwell Green visitor entrance and airport-style security.
7. Inside the Palace — Westminster Hall (1097, the oldest part), Central Lobby, Members’ Lobby, House of Lords, House of Commons.
8. Tour ends — outside on the Embankment, with views back to Big Ben.

What you see inside the Houses of Parliament

Public tours of the Palace of Westminster cover roughly 60% of the building. In order on the standard route:

Westminster Hall

The oldest surviving part of the Palace, built 1097 by William II. The 14th-century hammerbeam roof is the largest medieval timber roof in northern Europe — 21 metres wide, no internal columns. Charles I was tried here in 1649; Nelson Mandela addressed both Houses of Parliament here in 1996; the late Queen Elizabeth II lay in state here in 2022.

St Stephen’s Hall

Built on the site of the medieval chapel where the Commons sat from 1547 to 1834. Brass studs in the floor mark the original chapel walls; statues of parliamentary orators line the walls.

Central Lobby

The octagonal hub of the building where the Commons (south) and Lords (north) meet. Modern MPs still meet constituents here — hence the British political idiom "to lobby" your representative.

House of Lords

Red leather benches, gold-and-red gothic decoration, the throne where the monarch sits at the State Opening. You stand on the floor of the chamber when no business is sitting.

House of Commons

Green benches, rebuilt 1950 after the wartime bombing of 1941. Smaller than it looks on TV — only 427 seats for 650 MPs, which is the structural reason why heated debates always look crowded.

Price breakdown: is the combined ticket worth it?

The £25–£30 premium pays for the guide and the joined-up storytelling. If you’d otherwise hire a Blue Badge guide just for the Abbey, the combined tour is the better deal. If you’re comfortable using audio guides at both, save the money and DIY.

When is each building open?

Parliament

• Saturdays year-round: public tours run, around £35 self-guided, £42 with a Blue Badge guide.
• Weekdays during recess (typically late July to mid-September, plus February, Easter, Whitsun and Christmas weeks): full public access.
• Weekdays while Parliament sits: UK residents only — you need to write to your local MP or peer to arrange. Not open to general public tours.

Westminster Abbey

• Monday to Friday 09:30–15:30 (Wed until 18:00); Saturday 09:00–15:00. Full timetable.
• Closed Sundays for sightseeing.

The intersection: Saturdays year-round, or weekdays during Parliamentary recess. Combined tours are easier to book in summer when both are reliably available daily.

Practical timing

Most tours start either at 09:30 or 13:30. Morning slots are objectively better — Abbey is quieter, Parliament tours haven’t been compressed by Saturday crowds yet, and you finish with the rest of your day free for the Churchill War Rooms or a Thames-side lunch.

What to wear and bring

• Comfortable shoes — you’ll cover ~3 km of walking and standing.
• Photo ID — Parliament security requires it.
• Small bag only — large luggage isn’t permitted in either building; no cloakrooms.
• Modest dress — no enforced dress code but you’re inside an active church and a parliament.
• Layer — both buildings can be chilly even in summer.

Photography rules

• Abbey: still photos for personal use everywhere except Lady Chapel; no flash, no tripod, no video.
• Parliament: photos allowed in Westminster Hall and outside; not allowed inside the chambers, lobbies or libraries.

Accessibility

Both buildings have step-free routes. The Abbey provides portable ramps and a lift to the Diamond Jubilee Galleries. Parliament has lift access throughout the public route. Note that the cobbled approach to Cromwell Green can be uncomfortable for wheelchair users — book the disabled-access entrance directly with Parliament in advance.

FAQ

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