Still trying to get my head around visiting Parliament in July

Tours only run when Parliament is not in session i.e. Saturdays and during the summer recess (late July - August).

You can get into the Commons galleries Monday to Thursday and Sitting Fridays (not tours, just to see the debate/brawls going on) - the only access for this is to queue which can take 2 hours (usually less for the House of Lords) and best avoid Wednesday lunchtime (Prime Minister's Question Time - PMQs) when the queue will be at its longest. Many sessions are evening slots.

We have an election on the 7 May so it is unknown when this outcome will be on the Houses sitting. Dissolution of Parliament will occur today so there will be no further debates there until 8 May earliest - no problem for you if you are going early July. There are various sub-committees that can be attended rather than the Houses themselves - details on the parliament.uk website nearer your visit.

Thanks Jennifer. You confirmed what I thought. Thanks for the tip on the House of Lords having shorter lines.

Here is the website showing how and when you can visit. We took the guided tour during a recess several years ago and thought it was very well done. You can reserve ahead with a timed ticket. Allow enough time to go through a security line and to explore Westminster Hall (by far the most historic place) on your own.

Watching a session from the galleries may be less rewarding. Question time or other special occasions (like the state opening) will require long waiting, maybe not the best use of your limited time, if you can get in at all. Other times you may not have to wait so long but you're less likely to see something interesting. If you've sat in the gallery for either house of Congress, or your state legislature, at random times, you're not likely to find the proceedings very interesting unless you're a real policy junkie.

Prime Minister's Question Time is regularly shown on C-SPAN Sunday evenings. It's very entertaining, often interesting, and makes you wish we had something similar in our system.

Thanks for the comment, Dick. What was included in the the guided tour? What areas did you see? Our kids (Jr. High age) are just completing a 2 year curriculum in world history and are fascinated bye the Guy Fawkes gunpowder situation and are intrigued by Westminster and Parliament in general. Do you think the guided or audio tours would appeal to/be appropriate for a pair of bright 13 yo's?

We did this last year. We bought our tickets online and had a timed entry. I think when we booked the only option was the audio-guide. We really enjoyed it and you are right up close to everything-not behind velvet ropes. The guides are very well-educated and happy to chat and answer questions. For most (all?) they are there when Parliment is in session, so they are more than just security guards. You might consider having your kids think of some questions to ask before they get there.

We Google mapped the assigned entrance area before we went - in our experience, the British take those entry times seriously.

Thanks Patty. That's great info. Glad to know that the audio tour is worth it and that it really is an up-close visit. May have to do that.

DCF: Several years ago, we visited London and actually visited Parliament twice. Once was the guided tour on a weekend as I recall and the other was to observe the Parliamentary deliberations. Because of the length of the lines, we elected to view the House of Lords. We were shown to an interior waiting area in the center of the complex which was located directly across from the waiting area for the House of Commons. We spoke with one of the attendants and expressed our desire to visit the House of Commons as well but were surprised at the length of the line. She told us to come back after we had seen the House of Lords and she would place us in the interior line for the House of Commons without having to go back out and starting the process all over. So, we were able to visit the House of Lords (which was quite sedate) and then were placed into the next group going into the House of Commons--which was more lively (but not as lively as the Prime Minister's Q&A sessions.) I don't know how common our experience was but it is certainly worth a try. We are middle-aged, reasonably dressed (but still identifiable as tourists), and quite interested in British history; so, the guide may have responded favorably to our level of interest--it never hurts to acknowledge a desire to see the origins of our democratic heritage in action. I would heartily recommend the guide tour of Parliament--they provide a great wealth of behind-the-scenes history and interesting tidbits of information--well worth the time. Good luck in London,

dcfdaniel -- Our tour, during a parliamentary recess, took us from Westminster Hall through St. Stephens Hall, down to the Queen's Entrance, back to the Robing Room, House of Lords, Central Hall, House of Commons and one of its division lobbies, as I recall. The guide was very good, entertaining and informative. Whenever we had to wait somewhere along the way (I guess for another group to pass by) he'd tell us to "absorb the atmosphere!" There was plenty of that. We sat in members' seats in the two chambers while he talked about them.

If your 13-year-olds are anything like I was at that age, taking my first tour of the US Capitol, they'll be fascinated. The risk, though, is that they'll end up in public service as I did and spend most of their careers in big stone buildings with high ceilings and columns, and perhaps, in retirement, even become volunteer tour guides in their state capitol as I have. A chilling prospect! ;-)

Thanks Darrel and Dick! Sounds like a fantastic tour. I am a little leary of the connection visiting these places and the risk of our children ending up in public service! ;)

I'm more and more convinced this is the way to go. I'd love to hear from someone who took the Audio Tour: does the audio tour encompass the same areas as was mentioned about the Guided Tour? Patty mentioned that there were guides around to answer questions. Was this your experience too?

Thanks all. I think I'm finally figuring this all out. Can't wait to go! July seems a long way away right now. I know it will come faster than we anticipate!

OK, one more question about getting tickets for our visit. We'll be taking the Audio Tour and our kids meet the age range for the Adult and Child rate (they get the Audio for free as I understand it). When I'm booking the tickets, a pop-up states that each child will require a £8.20 entrance ticket. They don't seem to be available online. Where/how do we get those? We're linking this with some other activities in the day and want to be sure to have enough time to do what we have scheduled...including finding the entrance tickets for the kids.

Also, how busy is it on Saturdays? How long does it take to get through security? Estimates?

Thanks everyone!