Can you tour Big Ben?
Updated October 27, 2026
Quick answer
Yes. UK Parliament runs guided tours up the Elizabeth Tower, the clock tower that holds Big Ben, for £55 an adult and £35 for ages 11 to 17, sold only on Parliament's own ticket site. You must be 11 or over and able to climb 334 steps with no lift, and no tour sold on this site goes up the tower.
Big Ben is strictly the name of the Great Bell, and the tower around it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012, though most people use Big Ben for the whole thing. The tower belongs to the Palace of Westminster, not to Westminster Abbey across the road. Tour facts below are UK Parliament's, read on its ticket site on 27 October 2026.
Who can book the Elizabeth Tower tour and how
Anyone aged 11 or over can book, online, on UK Parliament's ticket site. Visitors must be 11 by the date of the tour, and children aged 11 to 17 must come with an adult aged 18 or over. One person can book up to eight tickets, depending on availability. Tours run in English only. Parliament says to arrive at the Cromwell Green entrance no later than 30 minutes before your tour starts; arrive later and you cannot join the tour, with no refund or exchange. An accessible tour can be requested through Parliament's online form.
The climb: 334 steps, no lift
The tour climbs 334 steps up a spiral stairwell to the Belfry, and it does not include use of the lift. On the way, Parliament's listing says, you stop in exhibition spaces, see the clock mechanism, step behind the 6.9-metre clock dials and stand beside the bell as it strikes. Noise levels are high, so ear defenders are provided. The whole visit lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, which includes the 90-minute tour plus time at the start and end, and it also takes in Westminster Hall, the Jubilee Café and the Jubilee Shop.
Price and how fast it sells out
An adult ticket costs £55 (about $73) and a child ticket for ages 11 to 17 costs £35 (about $47), on Parliament's ticket site for tours from August 2026. Tickets are released on the second Wednesday of every month at 10:00, and that release is the moment to be online. Dates do sell out: a January 2027 slot checked on 27 October 2026 already showed sold out. If the dates you want are gone, none of the tours or passes sold on this site is a way round it, because none of them includes the climb.
The Parliament tour as the alternative
If the tower is sold out, the next best thing is inside the Palace of Westminster itself. The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey guided tour sold on this site, $159, goes inside Westminster Hall and the chambers of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and then takes you through the Abbey with skip-the-line entry. It does not go up the Elizabeth Tower. It lasts 225 minutes, holds 4.5 from 389 reviews on GetYourGuide, is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers, and its listing carries the badge Likely to sell out. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead.
Seeing Big Ben with an Abbey tour
From outside, yes; from inside, no. The Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace walking tour, from $44, starts with an introduction to Big Ben and Parliament from the street, and its listing says plainly that Buckingham Palace and Big Ben are closed to the public on the tour and entry is excluded. The 4-hour option adds a guided visit inside the Abbey; the 3-hour option sees the Abbey from outside with free entry to a service. The tour walks 3.2 km with at most 20 people and a Blue Badge guide, and it holds 4.8 from 4,034 reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Can tourists go inside Big Ben?
Yes, on UK Parliament's own Big Ben tour, if you are 11 or over and can climb 334 steps. Tickets are sold only on Parliament's ticket site.
How much is a Big Ben tour?
£55 for an adult and £35 for ages 11 to 17 on Parliament's ticket site, for tours from August 2026.
When do Big Ben tour tickets go on sale?
On the second Wednesday of every month at 10:00, on Parliament's ticket site.
Does any Westminster Abbey tour include Big Ben?
Only from outside. The Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham walking tour views the tower from the street, and the Parliament and Abbey tour goes inside Westminster Hall and both chambers, not up the tower.
How long does the Big Ben tour take?
The visit lasts 1 hour 45 minutes in total, including the 90-minute guided tour, according to Parliament's ticket site.
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