A Big Ben tour is a walk, because nobody sells the tower interior to tourists except UK Parliament itself. I compared six guided Big Ben tours on GetYourGuide, from $21 to $294, and each one shows you the tower from outside while a guide covers Westminster. This page puts them side by side with route, languages, meeting point and what reviewers say. If you want every option including photoshoots, my guide to Big Ben tickets lists all ten.
Tour
From
Rating
Length
Free cancellation
Book
Big Ben, Palaces, and King's Guard Sightseeing Tour
The tower is on the route of every Big Ben tour, and entry to it is not. Wikipedia notes that Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell and, by extension, of the tower, which was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 (Wikipedia). A guide stands you in Parliament Square, points up, and tells you the story.
What a guide adds is context for a sight you could otherwise photograph in 30 seconds: who built it, why the bell is called Big Ben, what the buildings around it are. The tower tour that goes inside is run by UK Parliament and is listed at 55 pounds for adults in Google results, per parliament.uk/bigben, a page I could not open to confirm. My rule is simple: book a guided Big Ben tour for the story and the neighbourhood, not for the interior.
Short Big Ben Walking Tours
Two of the Big Ben tours are short walks that tie the tower to Buckingham Palace and St James’s Park.
Explora Londres costs $21, runs 2.5 hours in Spanish and English, and is the cheapest guided tour on this page. Small groups meet outside St James’s Park Underground station, to the right of the exit, with a guide holding a blue umbrella. The route runs from St James’s Park past the Guards’ Chapel, Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade, 10 Downing Street, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Entry fees to museums on the way are not included. It has 18 reviews at 4.9, which is a small sample, though several Spanish and Portuguese reviewers single out the guide Marijose.
Explora Londres
Big Ben, Palaces, and King's Guard Sightseeing Tour
★4.9 (18 reviews)
2.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The cheapest guided Big Ben tour: $21, 4.9 from 18 reviews, 2.5 hours, small groups in Spanish or English.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Small groups for a more intimate and personalized experience
✓ London-based tour guide with extensive knowledge of the city's history
✓ Recommendations for restaurants, pubs, museums, and other places to continue enjoying London
Not included / not suitable
✕ Drinks and food
✕ Transportation
✕ Entrance fees to the museums we'll pass by
Meeting point: Outside St. James's Park Metro Station, James's Park Tube Station, to the right of the exit, the tour guide will be waiting for you with a blue umbrella Westminster, Londres SW1H 0BB, Reino Unido
Languages: Spanish, English
Duration: 2.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Great! Our guide Maxime was very interesting with fun facts about the city” – GetYourGuide review
Scandic Tours costs $28, takes 2 hours and runs in English, Spanish, Italian, French and German, which is the widest choice here. The guide waits near the fountain outside Green Park station with a Scandic Tours sign. The route links Buckingham Palace, The Mall, St James’s Park, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, 10 Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Its rating is 4.2 from 56 reviews, the lowest of the six. The complaint is specific: the listing text suggests the Changing of the Guard is included, while the guide told one group it was not certain and the guide was hard to hear.
Scandic Tours
London Buckingham Palace, Big Ben & Westminster Walking Tour
★4.2 (56 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The language pick: $28, 2 hours, five languages, but 4.2 from 56 reviews and the Changing of the Guard is not guaranteed.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Buckingham Palace
✓ The superstar home of the royal family and their place of work. The changing of the Guard takes place Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
✓ The Mall
✓ The fabulous entrance to Buckingham Palace. Home to the great processions and events of British legend. Gilded by the great homes of royalty and St James's Park
✓ St James's Park
✓ Whitehall
Not included / not suitable
✕ Drinks and food
Meeting point: Follow the Buckingham Palace signs out of Green Park Station. Your guide will be waiting near the fountain with a Scandic Tours sign. London SW1A 1RN, UK
Languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Lara was fantastic! Highly recommend booking a tour w her. So much historical information and fun tidbits. She made sure we had a wonderful time.” – GetYourGuide review
If you want the inside of one building on the same morning, pick a Big Ben tour that includes the Abbey. The Walks tour is the most-reviewed of the six at 4.7 from 156 reviews. It costs $119, lasts 2.5 hours, is in English and uses a certified Blue Badge guide. You meet at the Viscount Palmerston statue in Parliament Square, 15 minutes early, under a yellow sign. The route goes through Parliament Square, Big Ben and the Changing of the Guard before the Abbey, with skip-the-queue access. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before.
Walks - UK
Westminster Abbey Tour with Guard Change & Big Ben
★4.7 (156 reviews)
2.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: My pick for most people: the most-reviewed tour, 4.7 from 156 reviews, $119, Blue Badge guide and skip-the-queue Abbey entry.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Certified Blue Badge guide
✓ Expertly guided walking tour
✓ Skip-the-queue access to Westminster Abbey
Not included / not suitable
✕ Hotel Pick-up/Drop-off
✕ Gratuities
Meeting point: Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a yellow WalksDevour sign. This tour meets at Viscount Palmerston Statue, Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3JX Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3JX, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 2.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Our guide was extremely knowledgeable! She showed her love for England. She was friendly and wonderful . My daughter and I loved this tour🩷 highly recommend” – GetYourGuide review
Thank You London City Tours is $38 for 3.5 hours, with an official Blue Badge guide, and the guided option includes Abbey admission and about 60 minutes inside. After that the walk continues through St James’s Park to Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, Fortnum and Mason and Piccadilly Circus. It has two options: the guided one, and a non-guided one that gives free Abbey access only for the afternoon Evensong, with no guiding, no excursions and no photography. Check which one you are booking, because the meeting point depends on it. The rating is 5.0, from 6 reviews only. One reviewer was footsore and weary at the end but pleased to have seen the Abbey.
Thank You London City Tours
Westminster Abbey Guided Tour, Big Ben, Palace, Guard Change
★5.0 (6 reviews)
3.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The value pick if you trust a tiny sample: $38, 3.5 hours, Abbey admission and a Blue Badge guide, 5.0 from 6 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Two options: A guided tour including Westminster Abbey and a non-guided tour with free Abbey access only for afternoon Evensong, no guiding, excursions and photography strictly prohibited.
✓ Admission ticket to Westminster Abbey
✓ Official London 'Blue Badge' Tourist Guide
✓ Approximately 60-minute guided tour inside the Abbey
✓ T-Guide Accredited Tourist Guide - a specialist qualification for guiding adults and children with learning and intellectual difficulties
✓ Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance.
Not included / not suitable
✕ Entry to the Elizabeth Tower or access to the Big Ben bell
✕ Entry to The Palace of Westminster aka The Houses of Parliament
✕ Entry to Buckingham Palace or its State Rooms
✕ Entry to The Tower of London, which is not in this area of the city and should not be confused with The Palace of Westminster
Meeting point: Meeting point may vary depending on the option you select. Check availability for more details.
Languages: English
Duration: 3.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“It was very authentic. Richard explained a lot to us and told us many jokes. We highly recommend this tour.” – GetYourGuide review
My page on Westminster Abbey tickets covers the Abbey on its own if you would rather book that part separately.
Long Big Ben Tour With Churchill War Rooms
Top Sights Tours runs the longest Big Ben tour at 5 hours and $100, with a small group and a ticket to the Churchill War Rooms. The guide meets you outside the Ritz hotel at 150 Piccadilly, next to two red telephone boxes, under a Ritz sign. The listing says you pass over 20 sights, including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade, 10 Downing Street, Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey, and finish at the War Rooms. Entry into Buckingham Palace or Big Ben is not included. Its rating is 4.8 from 111 reviews.
Top Sights Tours LLC.
Big Ben, Churchill War Rooms & Buckingham Palace Tour
★4.8 (111 reviews)
5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The long day: $100, 5 hours, 4.8 from 111 reviews, a small group and Churchill War Rooms entry included.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Fun local tour guide
✓ Entrance ticket to Churchill War Rooms
✓ Walking tour of Westminster area with over 20 top sights
✓ See Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and more
✓ Small group experience
Not included / not suitable
✕ Hotel pickup and drop-off
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Entry into Buckingham Palace or Big Ben
Meeting point: We meet outside of the Ritz hotel (150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR) next to 2 red telephone boxes and 2 souvenir stands, underneath one of the Ritz signs. The nearest tube station is Green Park Underground station. When you get to Green Park Underground station, take the left hand exit. You will see a set of stairs and a ramp leading out of the station. Take the stairs up and walk towards the Ritz Hotel. 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Our guide, Adrian was excellent! He was very knowledgeable and really kept our attention. We would highly recommend Adrian as a guide!” – GetYourGuide review
“Adrian is a fantastic guide. He really made it come to life!”
— GetYourGuide reviewer
Private Big Ben Tour
Daria Pohorielova offers a private Big Ben tour at $294 for 2.5 hours, in English or Russian. It meets at the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square. You see Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben from outside, then the Thames views, the Prime Minister’s office, the place where Charles I was executed, Admiralty Arch, Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column, the National Gallery and St James’s Park. The listing does not say whether $294 is per person or for the group, so confirm that before paying. It has 2 reviews, so the 5.0 rating tells me little.
Daria Pohorielova
Private tour “From Big Ben to Buckingham”
★5.0 (2 reviews)
2.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: Private route from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace: $294, 2.5 hours, English or Russian, only 2 reviews so far.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ During our tour you will see (outside) the best and most famous sights of London, such as:
✓ Westminster Abbey
✓ Westminster Palace
✓ Big Ben
✓ Panoramic views of the Thames and London Eye
✓ The Prime Minister's office
Meeting point: Address:
Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3JX
Winston Churchill Statue Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3JX, UK
Languages: English, Russian
Duration: 2.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Our tour guide - Daria - was awesome! She granted us with marvellous new information, including some funny remarks. Totally worth our money!” – GetYourGuide review
Across the review texts I read for each Big Ben tour, praise goes to the guide almost every time: knowledge, pace, humour, patience with a group. Complaints are narrow and practical. They are a guide who was hard to hear, a Changing of the Guard that did not happen, and a long afternoon on foot. That pattern says the operator matters less than the size of the sample, so I lean on the tours with more reviews.
Guided Big Ben Tour or the Official Tower Tour?
These are different products. A guided Big Ben tour from $21 to $294 shows the tower from the street and covers its surroundings. The official tower tour, listed at 55 pounds for adults aged 18 or over in Google results of the UK Parliament site, goes inside, and I could not confirm who may book or when. Nobody on GetYourGuide resells it.
If you only want to look at the tower, you need no booking: Westminster Underground station is roughly 70 metres away by Google Maps coordinates, and my Big Ben opening hours guide explains the options and the entrance. Lines and service updates are on Transport for London.
Small Group, Private or Standard
The listings state group size for only two tours here: Explora Londres and Top Sights Tours both say small groups, and the private tour is a group of your own. I did not find a stated cap for the Walks, Scandic Tours or Thank You London City Tours listings, so ask the operator if size matters to you.
How I’d Choose a Big Ben Tour
First visit with the Abbey: the Walks tour at $119, the most-reviewed Big Ben tour.
Lowest price: Explora Londres at $21, in Spanish or English.
Five languages: Scandic Tours at $28.
Abbey on a budget: Thank You London City Tours at $38, with the review caveat.
A full day: Top Sights Tours at $100 for 5 hours.
Private: the $294 tour, once you know what the price covers.
Before you book, my Big Ben map shows what sits around the tower, and the Big Ben history page gives the background that a guide has little time to tell. When you are ready to pick, the full list of tickets for Big Ben is the place to go, and the home page lists the other London attractions I compare.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Big Ben tour go inside the tower?+
No. None of the six guided Big Ben tours I compared enters the tower. The Thank You London City Tours listing says entry to the Elizabeth Tower or access to the Big Ben bell is not included, and the Top Sights listing says the same about Big Ben. The inside is sold by UK Parliament as its own tower tour, so check parliament.uk/bigben.
How much does a Big Ben tour cost?+
From $21 to $294 for the six guided tours here. The two cheapest walks are $21 from Explora Londres and $28 from Scandic Tours. The mid-range is $38 for a Westminster Abbey tour and $100 for a five-hour walk with Churchill War Rooms entry. The private tour is $294.
Which Big Ben tour includes Westminster Abbey?+
Two do. The Walks tour at $119 lists skip-the-queue access to the Abbey, and the Thank You London City Tours option at $38 lists an Abbey admission ticket with a guide for about 60 minutes inside. The other four walks pass the Abbey from the outside.
Does a Big Ben tour include the Changing of the Guard?+
Not reliably. The Walks listing names the Changing of the Guard in its route, but an Italian reviewer of the Scandic Tours walk says the guide explained that seeing it was not guaranteed. A reviewer of the Top Sights walk was steered away from a poor view and watched a horse parade instead. Treat it as a bonus.
How long is a Big Ben tour?+
From 2 hours for the Scandic Tours walk to 5 hours for the Top Sights walk with Churchill War Rooms entry. Most of the guided tours here take 2.5 hours. The Thank You London City Tours option runs 3.5 hours because it includes the guided Abbey visit.
