The Houses Of Parliament, Westminster, London

These buildings are really cool, the vast size of them is just amazing. Once you step into it’s view you will see its wow factor, it shines in the light of the sun. At night it looks really good it glows against the river Thames. You can also go inside the Houses of Parliament in August and September, another must see it is just as good inside as it is outside.

Open for internal viewing in August and September, whilst Parliament is not in session, this makes an interesting day out.

The buildings themselves from the outside are very interesting, and look impressive from the banks of the river when lit up at night - especially the Bell Tower.

The guided tour of the interior is informative and interesting - see where Parliamentary debates take place, rub Churchill’s boot, and post a letter from the special House of Commons mailbox.

If you want to visit the internal of the Houses of Parliament, remember to visit there on August and September.

The Houses of Parliament will only open during that two months when there is no meetings held.

You can have a look of how the government officials held in the meeting and the places that those meetings held.

this is yet another of londons fine land mark buildings. even if you arent into arcitecture or anything politically related it is worth making the effort to visit the buiding as it is very striking and the entourage of a variety of visitors makes the hussle and bussle outside a welcoming atmosphere.

Took the tour one day and ended up in the House of Commons and tried to sit in Tony Blairs seat and almost got thrown out. Is such a beautiful building that goes back centuries. A must see when your in London.

The Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace as it is also known is neo-gothic masterpiece of architecture and an unmistakable feature of London. The official tour is only £7, less than half the price of other London attractions such as St Pauls and the Tower of london, and is well worth the money. I was guided round by a fantastically well-informed tour-guide who was familiar with the customs and legends of this iconic institution. The interior is as stunning as the exterior and full of fine art. Highly recommended for tourists and Londoners alike.

One of the most iconic landmarks in London. Definately a must see for any tourist. Located on the southbank and easy acces via waterloo.

Beautiful on the inside and out, the Houses of Parliament should definitely be visited.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to take a proper tour, just attend a public session of either of the Chambers.

Remember there is a very thorough security check at the entrance! So leave your swiss army knives at home.
Also, you will need to leave absolutely everything at the coat check outside the Chambers (no phone, no pens, no note-taking, no drawing, no music. Nothing.) so don’t carry too much stuff.

I’m lucky enough to work in the Houses of P, as they’re fondly known amongst Whitehall insiders. I think the thing that strikes me most about the Houses of Parliament is not all of Pugin’s architecture, not the grand gilding, nor the plush carpets, but just the sheer size of the place in relation to the teeny tiny chambers for both the Commons (where there are not enough benches to allow every MP to sit down) and the Lords. You will be very surprised, and even disappointed, by how small those chambers are, when they seem so enormous on TV.

If you do a tour of the Houses of Parliament, please please do it in flat shoes. Not only will you be exhausted after walking around in heels, but there are some very old stone stairs leading down to Westminster Hall, some very shiny marble floors, and some very thick carpets that it’s all so easy to trip on. I’ve done so, more times than I care to remember.

Another top tip if you’re buying souvenirs is that the House of Lords gift shop sells much the same things as the House of Commons gift shop, but more cheaply. The champagne is a good £4 cheaper, and comes with a free gift box, for example, whereas in the Commons you have to pay £1 for the box.

Oh and finally - do be prepared for the interior to resemble a grand cathedral, rather than a place of politics. It seems more like it should be called the Basilica of Westminster rather than the Palace of Westminster!

The houses of parliament are spectacular to look at. Very picturesque and brilliant in photos. My best advise is to get a tour around the place, even if it is the only time you ever do it, it is something you have to experience. Although I believe they mainly do this in summer. There is now a lot of security protecting the houses of parliament which is clearly noted by the guards and bollards that are visible outside. It is part of London’s history and every wall has a story. Definitely worth a look, even from the outside.

The Houses of Parliament is also known as The Palace of Westminster, and for good reason, as it looks just like one!
Located on the banks of the River Thames, it was designed in a gothic style & is brightly lit up each night - making it a fantastic sight to witness @ nightime & to photograph!
The clock tower housing the massive clock & bell is known as 'Big Ben’, whilst Wesminster Abbey is just across the street.
There’s also a small green/pavement area opposite the Houses, that is often used by Protestors for numerous causes that are current to the time.
They do have tours of the interior during summer months for tourists & the public, however any other time during the year you must be a UK resident to gain access.
Spectacular exterior architecture to marvel at both day & night is free to all & that’s what counts! ;)

I have never done the tour of the building but am a great fan of the architecture. From the bridge you can get a wonderful photo of Big Ben and the end of the Houses of Parliament; at early evening, if the light is just right, the ambience of the colours is fantastic. The Houses of Parliament is also of huge significance in terms of what goes on inside; protesters have frequently made their pitch just outside the entrance to the Houses, making their stand on all sorts of issues from anti-war to anti animal experiments. From across the river you can get a great view of the Houses and appreciate the full scale of the building. This is one of the iconic buildings on the skyline of not only London but the world.

You can never get board looking at this building, the architecture is amazing and good job guy forks never blew it up as he had planned all those years ago. Big Ben to me seems so much bigger on the TV! If you are visiting the capital this is a must see place. River tours along the Thames gives you a great view of the south side of the building facing the Thames. The tube station to get here is Westminster. Outside the building you will see the war protestors that reside permanently outside of the premises.

This is one of those buildings and attactions that most people only visit once. However, if you do it properly it’s well worth it. If you are planning a trip to London and you’re based in the UK you can try to arrange a special pass through your local MP and this is well worth it, if you’re really wanting to experience as much as possible. The queues are rather horrendous on a warm day, but the surrounding grounds and views are just lovely. I wouldn’t take the kids, as they probably won’t enjoy it unless they’re old enough to appreciate the experience. All in all, I’d recommend to do it if only once.

I took a tour of the houses of parliament and it was really really interesting. The guides show you around both the house of commons and the house of Lords and tell you all about the history surrounding them.
I was fortunate to be able to watch one of the debates and that was certainly an interesting experience.
I would love to go back sometime and would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the history of London and the UK.

this is a great place to visit. speak to your local mp and ask for some passes into the house of commone=s to watch a session in progress and your visit will be so much better. you can also walk inside big ben and view what not many people see. this is a great place and is full of history.

It is something to see while you are in London. The tours are really good, and I learned a lot of new things. Although this may be interesting for some people, I wouldn’t recommend taking younger children here, as they may get bored very easily.

The Houses Of Parliament, along with Big Ben, are an extremly popular tourist destination despite it being almost impossible to get inside and have a look around. I unerstand that on Wednesdays when there is Prime Minister’s question time you can queue to get into the visitors gallery, but if you are going to try this be sure to get there early.

There is a small park on the West side of the building which offers some good views over the Thames too. Definately a must see tourist destination, but from the outside not too much extra to see.

i recommend the members bar, where MPs and their guests drink very cheap tax free beer in an atmosphere thick with plotting, back room deals and tawdry affairs. wonderful stuff. if you don’t know your MP well enough for that, check out the public gallery, and recall such historic events as Guido Fawkes and his posse trying to blow up the whole place with a huge consignment of gunpowder (it has since been calculated it would have worked if they could have lit the fuses) and the flour bombing of Tony Blair.

My review is only concerned with the outside of the building (which is of course free to look at!) - I must in future take a tour of the inside.

The houses of parliament are such an iconic symbol of Britain that you sometimes forget they are not the original buildings that Guy Fawkes tried to blow up.

It is a stunning beautiful building and I can only imagine it looked better when there was far less security than there is today which is oppressive. Concrete bollards block any access from the road for example.

There are 2 main statues outside - Richard the Lionheart & Oliver Cromwell - no-one ever said the British weren’t full of contradictions!

There is a nice garden park at the back past the sovereigns entrance, well worth going for a quiet bite away from the crowds - you may see an MP or two as well ;)

I hate a brilliant time when I visited. It was very factual and interesting. You get to see pretty much every room that makes up the houses of parliament. The groups are decent sizes so there is not too many. The guides are very factual and answer any and every question you ask. If you are lucky enough to see parliament in session it is often very interesting to watch MP’s in action. I know when I went I learned a lot and now know a lot of background information. My daughter visited with her secondary school and found it inspiring. The only annoying thing is that it is hard to find where to enter for the tour. When we visited we wandered around fro ages trying to find where to go. it is in a good location, it is near the London eye. When you go you reallise that Parliament is not just one room which MP’s go to debate in, it is many diffferent important rooms all together. Unfortunately you are not permitted to take pictures in there but it leaves a lasting memory. You can buy from the giftshop. There is the usual stuff (postcards, pens, pencils, books, chocolate, etc.) but as any other place it is overpriced. I woould recommend it to anyone.

Definitely worth a visit.

I have attended when the Houses are in session and it is enjoyable to watch the debates but I think I enjoyed my visit last year more during recess.

During recess you start your tour at the Sovreigns gate and work through the robing room and take a tour to the floor of both houses as well as other bits.

The Guides were knowledgeable and friendly. Recommend a visit

Brilliant architecture and a cultural icon! =D

great photo opportunity, building are very impressive with the architecture and worth a look at. They also do tours which are very impressive and great to see the inside of the building its like a whole other world in the corridors underground, also to see where all their mps have their coat pegs with their names on it.
they also have a gift shop where you cn but things like their own branded wine or whiskey or key rings amongst other things.

The summer tours of the House of Parliament are well organised, and you get a detailed look at the interior of the House of Parliament - really a nice building.

Furthermore, the guide tells a little about the history of the parliament as well as about the official route taken by the Queen during the openning scene.

The only draw back, is the amount of security within the Parliament….Ok, it is obvious that this security is needed, but at times it seems oppressing, if not intimidating.

Wow, it is spectacular (at least the building is, BUT I am not too sure about the people who work there)...
It is possible to attend afternoon tea, but I was not very impressed last time. The staff were lazy and unhelpful, the tea was luke-warm and scones cold and hard…
I guess they only provide decent service to the Lord’s and Lady’s, which is very classist but typical of the UK in general!

Did go to the house of lords once as my father is very political! and it was incredibly boring, although it was some kind of experience, it wasnt one In really enjoyed! nevertheless the houses of parliament do look great and royal! Got some good snaps. :)