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I always have been lucky to have some time off in the New Year, and in the last few years have always been to London and seen or experienced something different. This year, I decided to visit the House Of Parliament. I was booked to go on the one hour audio tour; it offers a unique combination of one thousand years of history, modern day politics, and stunning art and architecture. You go through Westminster Hall first and take the same route that the Queen does when she visits for the State Opening Of Parliament.

You head to where everyday business takes places. The Central Lobby  is the centre piece between the House of Lords and the House Of Commons. Its also somewhere where you see the politicians are interviewed for the news and where the public can ‘lobby’ their local MP if they have a problem.

You then walk through the Princes’s Chamber before you arrive at the House Of Lords. This was beautiful, so rich in colour and I was amazed how elegant the ornate throne for where the Queen sits.

You then enter the Members Lobby, before you enter the House of Commons, which compared to the House of Lords felt smaller, less granduer and somewhere where the Queen is not allowed to visit. The benches during busy debates do not have enough seats for all the MPs hence why it always seems busy. The Speaker’s chair is at the end of the room, with the Government to their right and the Opposition to their left.

You then exit and finish the tour at Westminster Hall. I am so pleased I booked this tour. I learned so much.  Photography is not allowed on the tour, so most of the  images on this post used are Parliamentary copyright and reproduced with the permission of Parliament under Creative Commons.

To do the same tour –

Tours are available to visitors from the UK and overseas on Saturdays throughout the year and on most weekdays during Parliamentary recesses including Christmas, Easter and the summer.

Tickets can now be booked for the following dates:

• All Saturdays until 25 April 2015
• Monday to Friday between 19 December 2014 and 2 January 2015 (except 24 to 26 December 2014 and 1 January 2015)
• Tuesday to Friday between 13 and 20 February 2015
• Monday to Friday between 31 March and 29 April 2015 (except 3 and 6 April 2015)

Individual Prices

• Adults: £17.50 (£18.00*)
• Concessions (over 60s, students, members of the UK Armed Forces): £15 (£15.50*)
• Children (5-15 years): One child free with each paying adult, but will require a ticket for admission, £7 (£7.20*) for each additional child
• Children (under 5): Free, but will require a ticket for admission
• Disabled visitors: Standard prices as listed above (escorts have free entry but will require a ticket for admission)

*Denotes prices for audio tours from 1 April 2015 onwards

You can also book a guided tour. An expert ‘Blue Badge’ guide accompanies you throughout this 90 minute tour through the House of Lords and House of Commons.

Individual Prices

• Adults: £25
• Concessions (over 60s, students, members of the UK Armed Forces): £20
• Children (5-15 years): £10
• Children (under 5): Free, but will require a ticket for admission
• Disabled visitors: Standard prices as listed above (escorts have free entry but will require a ticket for admission)

UK residents can also arrange a tour of the Houses of Parliament through their local MP or member of the House of Lords. These tours are not available to overseas visitors. And you can only book to visit Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower this way.