Big Ben London: A Complete Guide to Visiting the Elizabeth Tower — Tours, Tickets and the Best Views

Key Highlights

• "Big Ben" is the Great Bell; the tower itself is the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
• You can go inside on an official Elizabeth Tower tour: 334 steps, no lift, around 90 minutes, age 11 and over.
• Public tour tickets from 1 August 2026 are £55 (about $73) for adults and £35 (about $47) for children — confirm prices when booking.
• UK residents can request a free tour through their local MP, subject to limited availability.
• The best views are free — from Westminster Bridge, the South Bank and Parliament Square.

To experience Big Ben London, you have two routes: admire it for free from Westminster Bridge, the South Bank or Parliament Square, or climb the Elizabeth Tower on an official 90-minute guided tour. Public tour tickets from 1 August 2026 are £55 (about $73) for adults and £35 (about $47) for children aged 11–17, released three months ahead on the second Wednesday of each month — and UK residents can request a free tour through their MP.

Stand at the midpoint of Westminster Bridge on a weekday morning and the clock face is right there, gleaming after its long restoration — but so are several hundred other people angling for the same shot. Big Ben is one of the most recognised buildings on earth, and most visitors come away with a crowded snapshot and a vague sense they missed something. There is far more to do here than file past.

Since the Elizabeth Tower reopened to the public, you can now climb to the belfry and stand beside the Great Bell as it strikes. This guide covers visiting Big Ben London properly — what is worth booking, what the tour actually involves, the current ticket prices, the free route UK residents can use, and the viewpoints that give you the photo without the scrum. Whether you have an hour or a full Westminster morning, you will leave knowing exactly how to spend it.

Big Ben or Elizabeth Tower — and is it worth going inside?

First, the name. Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell inside the tower — the 13.7-tonne bell first rung in 1859. The tower itself is the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, having previously been called simply the Clock Tower. When people talk about "going up Big Ben," they mean the official Elizabeth Tower tour.

The sound is part of the appeal. The Great Bell strikes the hour, while four quarter bells play the Westminster Quarters every 15 minutes — a sequence written for this clock and since copied by clocks and doorbells worldwide. The chimes have been broadcast by BBC radio since 1923, which is why they are familiar even to people who have never stood beneath the tower.

Is the tour worth it? For the right visitor, yes. It is one of the few behind-the-scenes experiences you can have at a working seat of government, and standing behind a 6.9-metre clock dial as the hands turn is something the street cannot offer.

Worth it if you

• Want a close look at the clock mechanism and bells, not just the facade
• Are comfortable climbing 334 steps with no lift
• Enjoy history, engineering or horology and want the detail a guide adds
• Are on a second or third London trip and have already seen the headline sights

Not ideal if you

• Are travelling with children under 11 — the minimum age is strictly enforced
• Have mobility, heart or respiratory concerns, or are uneasy with heights and confined spaces
• Only want the classic photo — the best views are outside, and free
• Cannot plan three months ahead, as tickets sell out within minutes

The ways to experience Big Ben, compared

There is no single "Big Ben ticket." Several options suit very different visitors — from a free riverside photo to the full climb. Here is how the main ways to see Big Ben London compare.

Option	Duration	Price (GBP / USD)	Best for
Free exterior view (Westminster Bridge, South Bank)	Anytime	Free	Anyone wanting the classic photo
Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) tour	~90 min	From £55 / ~$73 adult	History and engineering enthusiasts
Combined Westminster guided walk (with Westminster Abbey)	2–3 hrs	Varies by operator	First-trip visitors linking the area's highlights
Thames sightseeing cruise	40–60 min	From ~£15 / ~$20	River-level views and a rest for tired feet
London Eye	~30 min rotation	From ~£25–£35 / ~$33–47	An aerial view over the whole of Westminster

Prices are indicative and change with date and operator — confirm at the point of booking. The experiences featured on Travjoy are researched and approved by local experts, so you can match the right option to your group without second-guessing.

Inside the Elizabeth Tower: what the Big Ben tour involves

If you book the tour, here is what actually happens. After security at the Cromwell Green entrance, a guide leads you up a narrow 334-step spiral staircase — there is no lift on the standard tour — with planned pauses at exhibition spaces along the way.

What you see and do

• Climb past audio-visual exhibits tracing the tower's construction and its multi-year conservation, completed in 2022
• Reach the belfry and stand beside the Great Bell as it strikes the hour, with ear defenders provided
• Step behind the clock dials, each 6.9 metres across, and watch the hands turn from the inside
• See the Victorian clock mechanism that still keeps it running

This is a physical experience, not a stroll. If anyone in your group has concerns about the climb, the noise or the height, weigh it carefully before booking — tickets are non-refundable.

There is an accessible tour for visitors who would find the standard climb difficult, arranged separately through the bookings team; assistance dogs cannot currently be accommodated in the tower. If accessibility is a factor, contact the team before booking so they can advise on what is possible.

Tickets, costs and how to book (including the free UK-resident route)

Public tickets for visiting Big Ben London are sold online through the official UK Parliament booking system — and they move fast. Pricing has risen for 2026, so check the date you want before you plan around it.

Ticket prices (2026 — confirm at booking)

• Tours from 1 August 2026: £55 (about $73) adult, £35 (about $47) child aged 11–17
• Some earlier-2026 dates: £35 (about $47) adult, £20 (about $27) child
• UK residents: a free tour by request through your local MP, with a small annual allocation per MP

How booking works

• Tickets are released three months in advance, on the second Wednesday of each month at 10am London time
• They frequently sell out within minutes, so be online and ready the moment they go live
• Maximum eight tickets per person, subject to availability; tickets are non-refundable

What is included and what is extra

• Included: the guided 90-minute climb, the exhibition spaces, the belfry and ear defenders
• Extra: nothing is required, though the on-site Parliament shop and café are there if you want them

Getting there

Big Ben is in the heart of Westminster and easy to reach.

• Underground: Westminster station (Jubilee, District and Circle lines) sits at the foot of the tower — you see it the moment you exit
• By river: Uber Boat by Thames Clippers stops at Westminster Pier, so you can arrive with the clock face in view from the water
• By bus: several routes, including the 11, 24, 148 and 211, stop at Parliament Square
• National rail: Waterloo and Victoria are each about a 15-minute walk away

Where to see and photograph Big Ben for free

You do not need a ticket to get the definitive shot. The best views of Big Ben London are free and from outside — and several of them beat anything you will get from within the tower, where photography is not allowed.

Best free viewpoints

• Westminster Bridge (midpoint and south side): the classic head-on composition with the full Palace of Westminster behind. It is the busiest spot, so come before 9am
• The South Bank walkway and the tunnel under the bridge: an open, uncluttered view across the Thames, and noticeably quieter than the bridge itself
• Parliament Square, near the Churchill statue: a closer, ground-level angle; the red phone box on Great George Street frames the tower with a second British icon
• From the London Eye: a straight-on aerial view over Westminster, best at blue hour
• From the river: a Thames sightseeing cruise passes the tower at water level for a different perspective entirely

Which option suits you, and what to pair it with

Still deciding? Match the option to how you travel.

• Choose the Elizabeth Tower tour if you want the inside story and can plan three months ahead
• Choose the free viewpoints if you mainly want the photo, have under an hour, or are travelling with under-11s
• Choose the London Eye or a Thames cruise if you would rather take in the whole Westminster skyline than climb
• Choose a combined Westminster walk if it is a first London trip and you want the area's highlights linked together

Big Ben sits in the densest cluster of landmarks in London, so it is worth building a half-day around it. Westminster Abbey is directly across Parliament Square; St James's Park is a short walk west and leads to Buckingham Palace; the Churchill War Rooms are about five minutes north.

A simple Westminster circuit

• Start at Big Ben for photos on Westminster Bridge
• Cross to Westminster Abbey
• Walk through St James's Park to Buckingham Palace
• Loop back via the Churchill War Rooms

Plan your Westminster day

Big Ben rewards a little planning. If you want the inside of the Elizabeth Tower, set a reminder for the second-Wednesday ticket release and be ready at 10am — it is the only way to climb to the belfry and stand behind the dials. If you would rather keep it free and easy, the views from Westminster Bridge, the South Bank and Parliament Square are the ones that end up on the postcards anyway, and they cost nothing. Either way, pair it with the Abbey, the park and the palace to turn a single photo stop into a full Westminster morning. Start planning your London trip on Travjoy, where the experiences are researched and approved by local experts.