Fully-Guided Houses of Parliament & No Wait Westminster Tour

Discover the unique stories, traditions and lore of one of Europe’s oldest constitutional monarchies. Enter Westminster Abbey, Britain’s most cherished church. Learn from a local expert guide how the British monarchy helped shape the country’s conversion to democracy, as well as a few interesting tidbits about Winston Churchill, one of the only non-royals to ever lay in state in the Abbey after his death. Then it’s on to Parliament. While most people see it with an audio guide, you’ll be shown around by a tour guide who has spent years studying the facts and events that really immerse you in the story of this amazing building. Beneath the titanic timbers of 600 ancient oak trees, learn about the history of the building, how it was almost lost to fire numerous times and how it keeps reinventing itself to accommodate new generations of royals and politicians. You’ll also peek into the room where the Queen dons her crown and ermine-trimmed cape before she officially opens the sessions of each new parliament.

Head into the engine room of British democracy; the Chamber of the House of Commons, where Britain’s elected Masters of Parliament face off (literally) over how to run the country. From this hotbed of democratic zeal, head over to the chamber of the House of Lords, where peers who had inherited their titles from the bluest bloodlines in the nation used to sit. After learning some of the highlights of the building’s history, including a failed bomb plot in 1605 that the British still celebrate today (ever hear of Guy Fawkes Night?), head into two of the most unique rooms in the building: the Division Lobbies. It’s in these rooms that, according to a tradition that dates back to Ancient Rome, opposing sides gather before a parliamentary vote, the ‘Ayes’ in one room, the ‘Noes’ in another and are then counted as they leave.
As you stroll these halls, you are literally walking in the footsteps of men like Henry VIII and Winston Churchill. History, legend, lore and a lot of pomp and circumstance mix and mingle as you take in nearly one thousand years of history from one of the best guides in London.