Climbing the Elizabeth Tower
The official tour takes you up all 334 steps, behind a clock dial and into the belfry as Big Ben strikes.
Check before you go. Tour details, prices and ticket rules change. These are from UK Parliament’s tour page as we read it on 10 November 2026; book only through Parliament’s own site.
The tour
The official tour climbs the 334-step spiral stair to the belfry. You see the clock mechanism, stand beside Big Ben as it strikes the hour, and step behind a dial. UK Parliament tours
The tour lasts up to 90 minutes, with planned pauses on the way up. UK Parliament tours
Visitors must be 11 or over and comfortable climbing 334 steps with loud bells and machinery; ear defenders are provided. UK Parliament tours
Accessible tours are available for visitors who would find parts of the standard tour difficult. UK Parliament tours
After the tour, visitors can explore medieval Westminster Hall. UK Parliament tours
Tickets
Tickets are released three months ahead, on the second Wednesday of each month at 10 am. UK Parliament tours
For tours from 1 August 2026, tickets are £55 for adults and £35 for children aged 11 to 17, with up to eight tickets per booking. UK Parliament tours
What you will see
A glass box at the top of the stairs now gives visitors a much better view of Big Ben and the quarter bells. UK Parliament
None of the bells swings. They hang fixed and are struck from outside by hammers, not by clappers inside. UK Parliament, facts and figures
The restored dials and hands are Prussian blue and gold, as in Barry’s design, with the red, white and blue of the Union flag around them. UK Parliament
From outside
From outside, look up: the Ayrton Light shines whenever either House is sitting. UK Parliament, 2022
Big Ben is, strictly, the nickname of the Great Bell. The tower’s official name was simply the Clock Tower, but people all over the world call the whole thing Big Ben after the bell. UK Parliament
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