Blog Post

There are a number of different types of tours if you are visiting the Houses of Parliament. You can buy tickets at the Houses of Parliament but if you want to save a few pounds, get them online. Of course, this also means you get to skip the lines at the ticket booth!

Be sure to arrive well before your tour starts as it takes a while to get through security. We took the guided tour a few years ago and I am sure they are far more cautious now!

How long is the guided tour of the Houses of Parliament? It takes about 90 minutes and you are with a group of 20 – 30 people. How interesting the tour is will depend on your tour guide. My brother-in-law suggested we do it and told us it was his favorite thing to do in London. The day we went, friends went at the same time, but in a different group. They loved it too. My teen daughter and I did not. Ours was SO boring. I love history but learned very little I didn’t already know and the guide just was not interesting. It was a big disappointment.

So, I would not recommend this for younger children. If you do love history, you should probably visit as it seems that our experience was not typical!

To help you make your decision, here is the official video preview of the tour.

You can opt for a self-guided tour if you want to control the time you spend in the Houses of Parliament. On the other hand, if you can’t get enough of it, you can buy a ticket to stay on for tea afterward!