Inside Houses of Parliament, the rooms you can enter on a visit follow a line from the oldest hall to the debating chambers. This page is a map of that line: where you arrive, which rooms a tour passes through, and what to look at in each. Before the details, check my guide to tickets for Houses of Parliament, because the ticket you pick decides whether you walk the rooms on your own or with a guide.
Houses of Parliament Map: Entrance, Stations and Sights Nearby
The map below shows the Palace of Westminster with its entrances, the nearest stations and the landmarks around it, from Google Maps data.
Westminster station is the nearest, about 3 minutes on foot by my estimate, with Parliament Square Garden also about 3 minutes away and Big Ben about 2 minutes. The London Eye is about 9 minutes away across Westminster Bridge, and Buckingham Palace about 20 minutes. Those times come from straight-line distance multiplied by 1.3 at 4.8 km/h, so treat them as estimates. The audio tour listing meets you at the statue of George V on Abingdon Street, opposite the Cromwell Green entrance, and that is where I would aim for on arrival.
I looked for an official plan of the tour route to link as an official map and did not find one. The Parliament site would not open for me when I checked, so I can only point you to its visiting section for the current route and rules. The order below is my own reading of the building, based on Wikipedia’s description of its layout and the tour listings. Tour routes can change, so follow the guide or the audio app on the day.
The Route I Would Take Inside Houses of Parliament
This is what to see inside Houses of Parliament if your ticket opens both chambers. I give no times because no source I could read gives a time per room.
My route inside the Houses of Parliament
1Security and entranceArrive early for the bag check
2Westminster HallThe oldest part of the palace
3St Stephen's HallMarble statues of parliamentarians
4Central LobbyThe middle of the building
5House of LordsThe golden throne
6House of CommonsWhere laws are debated
Security and the Entrance
The queue to get inside Houses of Parliament is a security queue, not a ticket queue. Every visit starts with airport-style security, and the official ticket pages ask you to arrive early. One official ticketing page advises at least 20 minutes before your slot. The audio tour listing reminds you that the ticket is a reserved entry, with a host at the meeting point, and that it does not include a guide or the Big Ben tour. My page on the Houses of Parliament opening hours covers the days the building is open to visitors.
Westminster Hall
Inside Houses of Parliament, this is the room that shows the age of the place. Westminster Hall is the oldest part of the palace and the room I would look at first. Wikipedia says it dates from the reign of William II, who ruled from 1087 to 1100. The audio tour listing calls it the oldest building where the three highest courts used to sit. Look up at the roof and then along the length of the hall: it is far larger than anything else on the route, and you pass through it on the way in or out.
St Stephen’s Hall
St Stephen’s Hall houses a collection of marble statues of prominent parliamentarians, per Wikipedia. It is also the one place on the route with steps. The official accessible tour page says the steps are at either end of the hall and a lift route is available, so wheelchair users can still see the hall from the Central Lobby.
The Central Lobby
The lobby is the hinge of any plan of the inside of Houses of Parliament. The Central Lobby is the middle of the building, about 18 m across and 23 m from the floor to the centre of its vaulted ceiling, per Wikipedia. Stand at the middle and you are between the two chambers, with the Lords on one side and the Commons on the other. I would give this a few minutes, because it explains the geometry of the whole palace.
The House of Lords
The first chamber inside Houses of Parliament on most plans is the Lords. The Lords Chamber measures 13.7 by 24.4 m, per Wikipedia, and it holds the golden throne where the king opens each session of Parliament with a speech, per the audio tour listing. Wikipedia places the Royal Gallery, the Robing Room and the Prince’s Chamber at this end of the palace as well. Whether you enter all of them depends on the tour, so read your confirmation.
Vox City Walks
London Houses of Parliament Ticket & Political Audio Tour
★4.5 (333 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The audio tour that walks the Lords, the Commons and Westminster Hall at your own pace: $41, 2 hours, 4.5 stars from 333 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Houses of Parliament reserved entry ticket
✓ Houses of Parliament audio guide in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, British Sign Language, Welsh, and Brazilian Portuguese
✓ Political London’ audio guide app in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Chinese
✓ Host at the meeting point
✓ Any applicable fees and taxes
Not included / not suitable
✕ Guided tour
✕ Headset and mobile device (for Political London audio guide app)
✕ Big Ben ticket
Meeting point: Meet your host at the George V Statue, located at Abingdon St, London SW1P 3JY (opposite the Cromwell Green entrance at the Houses of Parliament). Your host will be wearing a dark blue ‘VoxCity’ uniform.
Please arrive 10 minutes early if possible. Bring photo ID, and have your ticket downloaded and ready to show Abingdon St, London SW1P 3JY, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 2 days in advance for a full refund
“This was an excellent insight to the workings of parliament. Very well organized and no waiting around. Bought this ad a present fir my husbands 75th birthday and he loved it.” – GetYourGuide review
The second chamber inside Houses of Parliament is the one most people know from television. The Commons Chamber is smaller than the Lords, at 14 by 20.7 m according to Wikipedia, and it is where proposed laws are debated, per the audio tour listing. A reviewer of that tour wrote that they enjoyed getting close up to both the Lords and the Commons, which is the reason I give this tour first. I would compare it with the guided options on my Houses of Parliament tours page if you want a person to explain what you see.
Outside: Elizabeth Tower and Victoria Tower
The two towers frame the palace from outside. Wikipedia gives the Victoria Tower as 98.5 m and the Elizabeth Tower, which holds Big Ben, as 96 m. Neither is part of the standard tour route: the audio tour listing does not include a Big Ben ticket. Wikipedia also says the building has over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8 km of passageways over four floors, so a tour sees a small part of it.
Amigo Tours UK
Houses of Parliament & Westminster Abbey Guided Tour
★4.1 (292 reviews)
75 minutes - 4 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: If you want Westminster Abbey on the same morning, this guided tour pairs it with the palace: $79, from 75 minutes to 4 hours depending on the option.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Entrance to the Abbey (if you choose the option)
✓ Entrance to the Houses of Parliament (if you choose the option)
✓ Guided visit inside Westminster Abbey (if you choose the option)
✓ Audio-guided visit inside the Houses of Parliament (if you choose the option)
Not included / not suitable
✕ Entrance to any other monument
✕ Hotel pick-up and drop-off
✕ Additional expenses like tips or souvenirs
Meeting point: Your guide will be waiting outside the entrance to the Abbey shop at Westminster Abbey, 20 Dean's Yard, London SW1P 3PA, UK. Please, try to arrive 15 minutes before the tour starts to avoid any issues Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3JS, Reino Unido
Languages: English, Spanish
Duration: 75 minutes - 4 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Jane was so kind and knowledgeable. The perfect tour guide for the perfect day. Thanks for an incredible experience!” – GetYourGuide review
There are two ways I would look at it. The $41 audio tour is the one that opens the rooms above with a reserved entry and a host at the meeting point, and it adds an audio app with a digital map of 15 points of interest around political London, including 10 Downing Street. The $79 guided option pairs the palace with Westminster Abbey and lets you choose between a shared and a private visit, so the time you spend in the palace is shorter and the guide is the main addition. The official site also runs its own guided tours, which the ticket pages describe as lasting 90 minutes, and I would check them first if you want the plainest option.
Neither listing is a substitute for reading the confirmation, because tours inside Houses of Parliament depend on what Parliament is doing. Sitting days, recess and ceremonies can change which rooms are open, and the tour pages say tours run on Saturdays all year and on more days during recess. I could not read the current calendar, so check it before you pick a date.
Getting Around and Access
The official accessible tour page says most of the tour route is step-free, with the exception noted at St Stephen’s Hall, and visitors can take breaks as needed. Hearing loops and other needs should be raised with the visitor team in advance. The free 75-minute tour for UK residents is booked through a local MP. For the story behind the rooms, read my Houses of Parliament history page, and when you are ready to book, compare every Houses of Parliament ticket in one place. The home page lists the other attractions I cover.
Frequently asked questions
What can you see inside Houses of Parliament?+
On a tour you see Westminster Hall, the Central Lobby and both debating chambers, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, per the Parliament tour pages and the audio tour listing. The audio tour I compared names the golden throne in the Lords as one of the highlights.
Is there an official Houses of Parliament map?+
I could not find a downloadable official floor plan for the tour route, and parliament.uk would not load for me when I checked, so I have not linked one. The official visiting section and the ticket site are where to look for the current route.
Can you walk around the Houses of Parliament by yourself?+
Only on a ticketed tour or as a visitor to a debate or committee. The two tours I compared are an audio tour at $41 and a guided Westminster Abbey and Parliament tour at $79, and the audio tour lets you go at your own pace through the Lords, Commons and Westminster Hall.
Is the Houses of Parliament tour wheelchair accessible?+
Anyone planning a day inside Houses of Parliament with reduced mobility should read the official page first. The official accessible tour page says most of the route is step-free. There are steps at either end of St Stephen's Hall, and an alternative route with a lift is available. Email the visitor team in advance for hearing loops and other needs.
How long is a tour inside Houses of Parliament?+
The official ticket site says to allow 90 minutes for the standard guided tour. The audio tour listing I compared is 2 hours, and the combined Abbey and Parliament tour runs from 75 minutes to 4 hours depending on the option.
