I went on a tour of the Palace of Westminster and learned about the UK’s rich political history

On a summer’s day in August, I immersed myself in the UK’s rich political history by taking an audio tour of the iconic attraction.

Home to the UK Parliament, the Palace houses Westminster Hall, the House of Commons Chamber where PMQs take place, and the House of Lords.

The security guard laughed as I gasped entering Westminster Hall, but reassured me that “everyone has that reaction.”

The magnificent building dates back to the 11th century and is the oldest on the Parliamentary estate.

The building has had various functions over the years, most recently being used for the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II and for addresses from foreign leaders including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The audio tour is a great option for exploring the building as you’re able to do so in your own time.

After exploring the medieval Westminster Hall, I then made my way into St Stephen’s Hall, which houses a collection of marble statues of prominent parliamentarians, and then to the Central Lobby.

Visitors are only allowed to take photographs in Westminster Hall and St Stephen’s Hall, the rest of the tour is off-limits which is nice as you can fully immerse yourself.

It was very exciting to enter the House of Lords Chamber for the first time and to see the iconic red leather seating and of course the King’s Throne.

The tour also takes you into the Robing room, where the King puts on the Imperial State Crown and ceremonial robes before making his way to the House of Lords.

The highlight and biggest surprise of the tour for me was seeing inside the Chamber of the House of Commons, which is surprisingly much smaller in real life.

You can take as much or as little time as you want to explore each of the rooms and the audio guide gives you an overview of each area from its history to modern day.

It was fun to discover that amongst all of the grandeur of the Central Lobby, there is a working post office in the building for House of Commons members and their staff.

The tours run every Saturday and when Parliament is in recess, they run from Monday through to Saturday.

The audio tours are also available in 10 different languages including a version for children.

This is a great activity for solo tourists, families, or even Londoners who want to learn more about the history of their city.

You can book either an audio tour (£26 for adults) or a 90-minute guided tour (£33 for adults) on the UK Parliament website.