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Taking a tour of Parliament

UK residents

Free guided tours are held throughout the year for UK residents. To arrange a tour, contact your local Member of Parliament (MP) or a Lord, and tell them your preferred dates.

When Parliament is in session, tours are available on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and on Fridays - all day if the Commons are not sitting, or just late afternoon if they are.

During recess, when Parliament is not in session, free tours can still be arranged through your MP (days and times vary), or you can buy tickets for the summer opening when tours run from Monday to Saturday.

Overseas visitors

Overseas visitors are only allowed to tour Parliament during the summer opening and not during the rest of the year. You can, however, still attend debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords throughout the year (more information below).

You can book summer opening tickets in advance, or buy tickets on the day from the ticket office next to the Jewel Tower. Foreign language tours are offered at set times, in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Schools visits

The Education Service offers a range of themed workshops for all year groups, throughout the year. For older students, 'Discover Parliament' visits take place in the autumn term, aimed at students aged 16 to 18 studying Politics, Citizenship and General Studies courses.

• Find your local MP (Member of Parliament)

• More about visiting Parliament Opens new window

• Parliament's Education Service Opens new window

Going to a debate - visiting the public gallery

The House of Commons public gallery is open when the House is sitting, which is usually:

• 2.30 pm to 10.30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays
• 11.30 am to 7.30 pm on Wednesdays
• 10.30 am to 6.30 pm on Thursdays
• 9.30 am to 3.00 pm on sitting Fridays

When the House of Commons returns after a recess on a day other than a Monday, the first day will have Monday sitting times. The public gallery is closed when the House is in recess.

The first hour of proceedings is devoted to Question Time, with Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesdays. To attend at this time, write to your local Member of Parliament to ask for tickets. MPs have only a small allocation of tickets, so requests should be made as far in advance as possible.

If you have not booked tickets for the gallery, you can join the public queue outside the St Stephen's entrance. A wait of one or two hours is common. To minimise the wait, try to arrive at about 1.00 pm or later, when the queue has gone down. As ticket holders leave the gallery, then places will become available. The House of Commons Information Office will advise you on what debates are taking place that day.

If you are planning a visit to Parliament, you may also find the links below useful.

• Visiting Parliament - disabled access Opens new window