nyse

I thought you had to be a UK citizen to get a guided tour of Parliament (not just the visit to listen to speeches) but now I've seen references sprinkled across Fodors. £16.50

http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/vi...of-parliament/

This is very good news for my next visit (not yet planned), and perhaps for other Anglophiles as well.

And if this is old news, I apologetically say "never mind..."

annhig

if you are a British citizen, you can go on a free tour with your MP:

http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/vi...liament/tours/

i did this with my family when i was in my teens; i don't remember much except we weren't allowed to sit on the green benches - they are reserved for MPs.

I didn't know that you could go on a non-MP guided tour, so thank you nyse for letting us [or me] know.

elberko

We went on a LondonWalks tour that included a look inside while parliament was in session years ago.

~Liz

flanneruk

Guided tours of Parliament have NEVER been limited to British citizens. Till lately, they were limited to UK residents.

Unlike certain countries whose Congresspeople notoriously believe their job is to look after the interests only of those able to vote for them, Britain requires its MPs to represent everyone living in their constituency. That has long included getting their constituency secretary to arrange free Parliamentary tours for any constituent - not just those of one of the 54 nationalities entitled to vote for a UK MP.

Gordon_R

The guided tours open to overseas visitors (which are generally on Saturdays - when Parliament is not sitting) have been around for a while I think.

People might be interested to know that, in additional to the Westminster Parliament in London, there are also excellent open-to-all tours available of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. We went last month and it was a very interesting insight into the architecture and business of the Scottish Parliament. Unlike its London counterpart, the Scottish Parliament tours are free of charge to all.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vi...arn/24228.aspx

annhig

THanks for the correction Flanner - you are right of course.

nyse

Gordon_R: Thanks for link re Scottish Parliament. Adding it to my bucket list.

emily71

I believe that overseas visitors can book a tour in the summer when Parliament isn't in session. Highly recommended tour and you can actually go into the House of Commons and stand in the back benchers area(but don't sit on them!). I learnt so much on the tour.

London Walks also has a Westminster by night which ends at Parliament where one can watch late night sessions if interested. We managed to sit in the Lords Gallery and see the incredible gold plating and design. Highly recommended.

I believe you can also visit the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff.