12 Westminster and Big Ben Tours in London to Build a Day Around

1.Westminster Abbey Entrance Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 11,254 reviews · 2 hours · from $41Our pick

Enter Westminster Abbey with a $41 ticket and explore its Gothic interior at your own pace. Your multimedia guide offers commentary in 12 languages, while the route includes the Coronation Chair, Poets’ Corner, royal tombs, and memorials to writers, scientists, musicians, and politicians. Allow about two hours, and expect possible entry queues because this is not a skip-the-line ticket.

“An Amazing place to visit, which I would highly recommend. So much to see, full of history and beautiful architecture, and could have spend double the amount of time in there looking around. I bought the basic entry ticket which was fine, but I wish I had paid extra for the guided tour as much of the writing on the tombs was in Latin. Would definitely visit again as there was so much to see.”

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2.Westminster to Tower Bridge River Thames Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6,127 reviews · 30 minutes - 1 hour · from $18Best value

Cruise from Westminster Pier to Butler’s Wharf near Tower Bridge in 25 to 30 minutes, passing Parliament, St. Paul’s, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, and The Shard. Sit on the open deck, listen to lively English commentary, or use the six-language app. Choose one way or return, changing boats at Butler’s Wharf.

“great! we had just visited the London eye, and used this to travel closer to our apartment in the Tower Bridge area. highly recommend it, bar on board to have a couple of drinks and plenty of sights to see along the way. all the staff were very helpful.”

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3.Westminster to Greenwich Sightseeing Thames Cruise in London

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,969 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $22

Sail east from Westminster Pier to Greenwich in about an hour, passing Big Ben, the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. Choose an indoor or open-air deck, listen to live commentary or multilingual audio, then explore Greenwich on foot. A return option lets you make it a relaxed half-day outing.

“Captain provided interesting commentary on way to Greenwich. Greenwich a fun town to visit if you have an extra day in London.”

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4.Westminster and Changing of the Guard Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,171 reviews · from $24

Walk from Green Park to Trafalgar Square with an English-speaking guide, seeing Buckingham Palace, the Guard change or Horse Guards, St James’s Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, and Downing Street. Guides such as Harry, John, Alan, and Peter are praised for finding prime viewing spots and adding sharp royal and political detail.

“Our guide found every perfect spot from which to watch the guards. It was like a dream come true to see all of this. He knew so much about the history of the people, the buildings, the guard. Today was amazing.”

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5.Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,170 reviews · from $101

Spend four hours with a licensed Blue Badge guide exploring Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament Square, St James’s Park, and Buckingham Palace. The Abbey receives the most time, with priority group entry and guided sightseeing. Choose English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish, and expect a group of up to 20 people.

“Lucy was great! Lots of info was shared and my 12 year old son was intrigued. I also luke that there was a break and a lot of different venues (like the park) were included. My only criticism is the tour name is deceiving. J thought we would see more of Big Ben!”

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6.Westminster Guided Walking Tour with Abbey Entry

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,282 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $122Top rated

Start at The Ritz London and walk through Green Park, past Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Big Ben, and Parliament. Guides such as Ash, Ashley, Will, and Mark bring royal and political history to life. The final two hours are self-guided inside Westminster Abbey with an audio guide.

“Our guide Chris was very knowledgeable and funny. He got us to the right spots on time to see the activities around the palaces including the royal military horse parade.”

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7.Walking Tour of London Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,213 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $95

Walk about 3.2 km through Westminster with a Blue Badge Guide, seeing Big Ben, Parliament, St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace, and St James’s Palace. Choose a 4-hour guided Westminster Abbey visit or a 3-hour exterior tour with self-entry for an organ recital, evensong, or mass when scheduled.

“Natasha was enthusiastic, personable and knowledgeable. She added additional spots on Oxford Street at The end and picked out great spots for pictures.”

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8.Westminster 3 Hour Walking Tour and Visit of Churchill War Rooms

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 967 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $135

Start at The Ritz London and walk through Green Park, past Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. Your English-speaking guide handles the route and stories, then you continue alone through Churchill’s War Rooms with an audio guide. Expect about 2.5 miles on foot and a group of up to 40 people.

“Very cool to see the operational headquarters and living quarters they had during the war. Educational for sure if you like history”

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9.Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey & Big Ben Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 949 reviews · 5 hours · from $91

Walk from the Ritz through Green Park, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, and Parliament Square with an English-speaking guide. See Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Downing Street, and the Changing of the Guard on selected morning tours, then enter Westminster Abbey with a pre-booked ticket. Guides such as Chris, Will, Ash, and Ari add humor and useful local tips.

“The tour was awesome. Our guide Will was the best! He was very knowledgeable, funny & he had really great tips on how to explore the city. Fun Facts were amazing!”

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10.Westminster WW2 Tour & Churchill’s War Rooms Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 925 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $59

Walk through Westminster with an English-speaking guide, stopping at Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Churchill’s statue, and the Cenotaph. Then explore Churchill’s War Rooms at your own pace with an audio guide. Guides such as Paul, Michael, Maggie, and Lee have led especially lively, informative walks.

“We had a great tour with a walk starting at the London Bridge covering some of the monuments around the bridge landing then to the parliament building and around to the Churchill Museum. The museum is contained in the basement. It’s a bit cramped as there were many visiting the day of our arrival. We did a guided tour but you can also just purchase a ticket to the exhibit if you don’t want a guided tour. Note the guided tour part was not for the museum but that was via an audio guide given out by the museum at the door. This was incredibly well preserved and includes a…”

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11.Speedboat Cruise Tour: Embankment OR Westminster Pier -70 minutes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 777 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $102

Set out from Embankment or Westminster Pier for a 70-minute Thames RIB ride with a guide, safety briefing, life jacket, and poncho if needed. You’ll see Parliament, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, Greenwich, the O2, and the Thames Barrier, with slower sightseeing near central London followed by fast, bumpy runs east. Guides may include George, Kane, Scott, or Julian.

“Perfect way to get orientated in London. Water MUCH better than any hip on in the London traffic. Quick but great orientation.”

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12.Skip the Line Tower of London & Westminster Tour and River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 730 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $165

Spend 6 to 8 hours walking through royal, political, and military London with an English-speaking guide such as Geoff, Matthew, or Alison. The 9 AM departure includes Westminster Abbey entry, a Thames cruise, and Tower of London access. The 10 AM option visits the Abbey exterior only.

“Matthew is an excellent tour guide. So well done and very informative and fun. Very organized and group size was not too big.”

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