Accessible Visits to the Houses of Parliament
The building is more accessible than its Victorian exterior suggests, and the trips sold around it vary a great deal. Here is what Parliament provides, and what each listed trip says about itself.
Getting in: the Cromwell Green ramp
The visitor entrance on St Margaret Street is step-free. It is a downward ramp with a handrail on both sides, wide enough for a large motorised wheelchair, and it takes you to the same security screening everyone passes through. Westminster Underground station opposite has step-free access to street level, which makes this one of the easier major London attractions to reach.
The route inside, and the one place with steps
Most of the tour route is step-free. The exception is St Stephen's Hall, which has steps at either end, and a lift bypasses them. Wheelchairs can be borrowed on the day. An accessible Changing Places toilet with a bench and a hoist is located off Central Lobby, which is roughly halfway round. If you need a shorter visit, the tour can be split or trimmed on request.
If you have hearing loss
Thirty induction loops are available on any given day, across all tours. Twelve self-guided audio devices carry British Sign Language interpretation with subtitles. For a guided tour, a British Sign Language interpreter can be arranged, but interpreters are in heavy demand and Parliament asks for advance notice — contact the visitor team as soon as you have a date rather than in the week of your visit.
If you have sight loss
Book the multimedia tour and ask for the audio-described version, which adds detailed verbal description of the key spaces and features rather than simply naming them. Tactile tours are arranged separately through the visitor team, and are worth asking about: this is a building of carved stone, encaustic tile and metalwork, and touching it tells you more than looking does.
Assistance dogs, and the one place they cannot go
Assistance dogs are welcome throughout, including registered and trained therapy dogs, and water bowls and toilet facilities are provided. The single exception is the Elizabeth Tower climb: 334 steps and the noise of the bells at close range make it unsuitable, and that is the one part of the estate where you will be asked to make other arrangements.
What each listed trip says about access
Operators state their own accessibility, and the differences are real. Several say plainly that they can take a wheelchair user; several exclude pushchairs; the fully guided combination excludes both. Use this table to shortlist, then confirm with the operator when you book, because vehicles and staffing change.
| Trip | Wheelchair | Pushchair | At the Palace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skip-the-Line Parliament and Westminster Abbey Guided Tour | Not accessible | No | Goes inside |
| Houses of Parliament Ticket and Political Audio Tour | Stated accessible | Not stated | Goes inside |
| Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey Guided Tour | Not accessible | No | Goes inside |
| Westminster Abbey Guided Tour with Optional Parliament Entry | Stated accessible | Yes | Goes inside |
| Westminster Abbey and Parliament Tour with Audio Guide | Not stated | Not stated | Goes inside |
| Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament Walking Tour | Not accessible | Not stated | Exterior only |
| Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Walking Tour | Not accessible | Yes | Exterior only |
| Private Black Cab Sightseeing Tour with Hotel Pickup | Stated accessible | Yes | Exterior only |
| Westminster Walking Tour with Westminster Abbey Entry | Stated accessible | Yes | Exterior only |
| Westminster WW2 Walking Tour and Churchill War Rooms Ticket | Not accessible | No | Exterior only |
| Westminster Abbey Skip-the-Line Entry and Guided Tour | Not accessible | Not stated | Exterior only |
| Westminster Abbey Tour with a Royal Heritage Guide | Stated accessible | Not stated | Not visited |
| Churchill War Rooms Entry and Political Audio Tour | Stated accessible | Not stated | Not visited |
Taken from each operator's own listing in August 2026. “Not stated” means nothing is published either way, so ask before booking rather than assuming.
Need a step-free way inside?
The timed entry ticket is the one that states wheelchair access and gets you into both chambers, with a handset in nine languages including British Sign Language.
For the entrance, the security queue and what you can bring, see visitor information; for the rooms themselves, the tour route sets out what is on each stop. Every bookable option is compared by London Parliament Tours.
Trips that state they are accessible
The listings whose own pages say they can take a wheelchair user, including the step-free entry ticket and a private cab that collects from your hotel door.
