A visit to tour the Elizabeth Tower and see Big Ben has been on our wish list since we moved to London.
We haven't done it yet because it's only open to UK permanent residents and you have to go through your MP (Member of Parliament) to schedule a visit.
But did you know that Parliament is open to all UK and overseas visitors?
This really should be one of the top five things for visitors to experience.
You can attend debates, watch committee hearings or take a tour of
"one of the world's most iconic buildings" which is exactly what we did.
Parliament is one of my favorite buildings in London. I was very excited to be going inside.
Matt and I met up across the street and then headed through security.
Security, as you can imagine is very tight. Bags and bodies are all scanned.
They take your photo and give you a badge for your visit.
The "Blue Badge" guided tours are run throughout the year on most Saturdays and on select days during the week when in recess. Admissions are timed between 9:15am and 4:30pm.
Currently, prices are £16.50 for adults, £14.00 for seniors, Armed Forces and students and one child free per each paying adult, otherwise £7.
Although, I don't think I'd take younger children. There is a lot of walking and obviously
strict guidelines as to behavior. There are only a few specific places where you can sit and we were instructed not to touch anything. Older kids would definitely enjoy the walk through history.
The tour starts and stops in the 900 year old Westminster Hall.
It's massive and you can feel the weight of its age and importance.
This space has been at the center of UK political history for almost 1,000 years.
Plaques in the stone floor mark the places were famous British leaders were laid in state before their funerals. It's a majestic space full of importance.
This is where we lined up (by language) for our guided tour of the rest of Parliament.
Our guide was friendly and informative and the tour took about 90 minutes.
There are no photos allowed during the rest of the tour but you can take a virtual tour online.
The guided tour follows the route the Queen takes at the State Opening of Parliament;
from The Queen's Robing Room, through the Royal gallery and into the Lords Chamber.
We then crossed the Central Lobby, Member's Lobby and one of the voting lobbies
before entering the Commons Chamber.
This portion of the structure is much newer than Westminster Hall.
It was rebuilt in the 1800's after a devastating fire.
The House of Commons had to be rebuilt again in the 1940's following bomb damage during a wartime blitz.
This tour was fascinating and very informative.
It also left me wanting to learn more about the UK political system.
So much history within these walls and I can't believe that I didn't visit sooner.
That night I watched "The Iron Lady".
It was great to see the scenes set in the House of Commons
and notice all of the little details that I'd learned about earlier in the day.
Tip. Don't make the rookie mistake of forgetting that you have your Swiss army knife on you
like my husband. We immediately mentioned it to the police upon entry and they locked it away safely. It was returned once we were off the premises. (Can't take him anywhere.)
Have you visited the UK Houses of Parliament?
