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Westminster Abbey: Explore Iconic London Landmarks
4.6
131 Ratings
Greater London
Step into the heart of British democracy with a comprehensive fully-guided tour of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Explore London’s most exclusive building with an expert guide and small group.
Step into the heart of British democracy with a comprehensive fully-guided tour of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Explore London’s most exclusive building with an expert guide and small group.
Duration:
3 hours, 45 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Parliament Square - Meet your guide and small group of travelers. Here, your guide will introduce themselves before heading to the first stop of the tour.
- Westminster Abbey - Your day begins with skip the line entry into Westminster Abbey, the most serene time to see Britain’s most cherished church. With roots dating back over 1,000 years,…
- Parliament Square - Meet your guide and small group of travelers. Here, your guide will introduce themselves before heading to the first stop of the tour.
- Westminster Abbey - Your day begins with skip the line entry into Westminster Abbey, the most serene time to see Britain’s most cherished church. With roots dating back over 1,000 years, this Gothic masterpiece is the traditional coronation site and burial ground of kings and queens, along with national heroes like Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and William Wilberforce. On your visit, you’ll 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.
- Houses of Parliament - Then, discover The Houses of Parliament. Enjoy a guided tour of the British Democracy with a qualified, Blue Badge tour guide, instead of following the audio guide. Visit the Chamber of the House of Commons, where Britain’s elected Masters of Parliament meet. 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. Learn 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?). Walk in the footsteps of 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.
What's Included
- Entrance to Westminster Abbey
- Fully guided tour inside Houses of Parliament & Westminster Abbey
- Entrance to Houses of Parliament
- Headsets
- Expert Guide
- Entrance to Westminster Abbey
- Fully guided tour inside Houses of Parliament & Westminster Abbey
- Entrance to Houses of Parliament
- Headsets
- Expert Guide
What's Not Included
- Food & Beverages
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Food & Beverages
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Additional Information
Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament are two of London’s must-see landmarks—and this tour offers exclusive access to both. Bypass the queue at Westminster Abbey and step into the magnificent church, where your guide will reveal details about its royal heritage. Then, enjoy the unique chance to visit sections of the Houses of Parliament that…
Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament are two of London’s must-see landmarks—and this tour offers exclusive access to both. Bypass the queue at Westminster Abbey and step into the magnificent church, where your guide will reveal details about its royal heritage. Then, enjoy the unique chance to visit sections of the Houses of Parliament that are usually closed to the public.
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- Sites on this tour are subject to occasional closures. If modifications are needed and time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour. For last-minute closures, modifications may be communicated at the tour start time.
- This tour is in English.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
Location
Viscount Palmerston Statue
Parliament Square
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets at Parliament Square, London, SW1P 3JX at the statue of Viscount Palmerston.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(131 Ratings)
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Andrew_m
Jul 13, 2025
A great tour with lots to learn about the history and workings of these landmarks. - This tour is in two parts with separate guides. Suzanne was our Abbey guide and she had exceptional knowledge of the history of the abbey and the people buried/commemorated within. Headset was only issue being awkward to use for some.
Steve was our Halls of Parliament guide and again was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Headset for this part was very good. Skipping the line entry is certainly worth it and overall a great tour…. Be wary that you are on your feet for nearly four hours with only a few chances to sit down.
Review provided by Viator
Ethan_b
Jun 29, 2025
Informative and entertaining - This was my husband’s first time through Westminster, though my 2nd. I did the audio guide my first time, however. I can say this made this experience sooo much more enjoyable! Our guide, Matt Ware, was not only knowledgeable, but seemed to thoroughly enjoy sharing what he knew, which is always infectious. He knew his history, had great tips on the best photo ops, had interesting lore to share, and mixed in humor here and there to make it all more enjoyable.
Review provided by Viator
Jpjpjpjpj
Jun 23, 2025
Completely delivered on an enriched tour!! - This was an in depth smallish (about 15) group guided tour of both Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliment. Everything was well-organized and the guides were great. Getting into the Abbey as one of the firsts (we were the absolute first that day) enhanced the experience and it was quiet and easy to hear our guide, David, and ask lots of questions. He was personable and funny. We thoroughly enjoyed him. He was very open for questions and gave us lots of info without it being overwhelming.
We were then handed off to Arthur at the Houses of Parliment as our guide. Again, knowledgeable and enthusiastic and quite funny. This tour is a little on the higher than average price and completely worth it for the quality of the guides and the information and attention we were given. Best of all, we never felt crowded or overrun by other groups or rushed along the way.
Thank you both so much!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebeccaar6378dr
Jun 15, 2025
Well-organized, informative tour. - Our tour guide was fantastic. it was quite crowded, but that's to be expected in London in June. The guide did an excellent job. keeping us all together and explaining everything in great detail.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_h
Jun 6, 2025
Don't miss this tour! - Paul is an AMAZING tour guide. He explained everything thoroughly and with passion. Going upstairs was the best part.
Review provided by Viator
V4030uokevink
May 26, 2025
Awesome Experience - We recently completed a tour of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. This included tickets to both locations. Our guide, Guy, was with us for Westminster Abbey and the introduction to Parliament. He was amazing. His depth of knowledge was great. He was interesting and funny. He captured everyone's attention. The small group was 17 people. We all had headsets. We learned so much. We could take photos at the Abbey. Guy then handed us off to a guide who works for the Houses of Parliament. Headsets were also provided. No photos here except in the Great Hall. We had a fabulous day. Would book with Walks in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arlene_p
May 24, 2025
Our guide Guy was... - Our guide Guy was organized, professional and knowledgeable with a good sense of humor. Be prompt, tour leaves right on time.
Review provided by Viator
Frank_b
May 21, 2025
2 Amazing, Historical Sites - Westminster Abbey is amazing! Must see in London. Ben was a very knowledgeable guide; however, the cathedral is so crowded making it difficult to stay together & identify the location of some royals entombed there. Overall was a good experience. Viewing the entire main areas of the House of Parliament was well worth the ticket. The young lady who lead the tour was very well informed, but it was difficult to follow her talk due to foreign accent & her trying to cram so much info into our time. I still recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Bhc55
May 27, 2025
Not So Great! - You are better off with audio tours to go at your own pace. You miss so much with this fully guided tour, especially in Westminster Abbey. We stopped to less than half of the things to talk about just a few things.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judy
May 13, 2025
Horrible tour company - they do not care about their customers - Walks is a horrible company to book with. On the day of our tour, there was a huge protest and the police prevented us from
entering the park to get to the meeting place for the tour guide. We called the tour operator repeatedly to meet the tour guide at an alternate location but there was no answer. We called Viator, and when they were finally able to reach the tour guide (after 35 minutes on the phone - as we stood outside Westminster Abbey) we were told that the tour operator canceled our tickets and told us to reschedule - we were already there waiting (we had arrived early) and we were leaving the following day so we could not reschedule. And then they refused to issue a refund. We were charged $750 for a tour they refused to allow us to join on a trip, which was supposed to be a vacation. The staff at Westminster Abbey felt horrible for us and allowed us to purchase tickets to see the Abbey even though they were sold out that day. If I could give Walks 0 stars, I would they were horrible as was their supervisor Euan. I would not recommend anyone to book with this company and I’m calling the Better Business Bureau on them. Shame on them! What a horrible way to treat people. They should be ashamed to conduct business like that.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
