Westminster: Tickets, Prices and Free Days
Westminster on a Budget
The Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church is the official name of the single UNESCO World Heritage Site covering all three buildings on this patch of ground, inscribed in 1987. The budget verdict splits three ways: the Palace’s public galleries are free whenever Parliament sits, Westminster Abbey charges GBP 31 for adults, and St Margaret’s Church, the plainest of the three and easiest to miss, is free to enter every day it is open. A visitor working to a budget can see two-thirds of this UNESCO site for nothing.
Key facts
| Building | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|
| Palace of Westminster (public galleries) | Free when sitting | Queue same day on Parliament Street |
| Palace of Westminster (guided tour) | GBP 40 adult | Book via parliament.uk, Saturdays sell out weeks ahead |
| Westminster Abbey | GBP 31 adult | Book online ahead for summer/holidays |
| St Margaret’s Church | Free | No booking needed |
How to visit: free galleries, a paid tour, or both?
Start with the free public galleries if Parliament is sitting; queue on Parliament Street or St Margaret Street and you are inside the actual chambers for nothing. Add the GBP 40 guided tour only if Westminster Hall’s 1097 hammerbeam roof and the Robing Room specifically interest you, since the free gallery route does not reach either.
What does the UNESCO inscription actually cover, and why does it matter for planning?
The 1987 inscription covers the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret’s Church together under criteria (i), (ii), and (iv), recognising the ensemble’s Gothic and Gothic Revival architecture and its unbroken role in British political and religious life. Practically, that means one World Heritage listing spans a free government building, a paid coronation church, and a free parish church, each priced on its own separate system.
Is St Margaret’s Church worth visiting if you are only budgeting for the free option?
Yes. It sits directly beside the Abbey’s west front, is free to enter, and has served as the parish church of the House of Commons since 1614, with its own stained glass and monuments that most itineraries skip entirely because the Abbey next door absorbs all the attention.
For the two paid components individually, see the Big Ben tower for the Elizabeth Tower climb specifically, the UK Parliament page for the guided Palace tour, and Westminster Abbey for its GBP 31 ticket and free-Evensong workaround.
Read the full inscription record on the official UNESCO World Heritage Centre listing before you go, and book the Palace’s paid tour through parliament.uk directly rather than a reseller. If you want a single guided introduction to the whole site’s history, GetYourGuide lists Westminster walking tours that cover all three buildings from outside in under two hours.
Concrete tip: budget one visit for the free galleries and St Margaret’s together, since both cost nothing and sit within a two-minute walk of each other, then decide separately whether the Abbey’s GBP 31 is worth it for your trip.