Can you go inside Big Ben?

Visitors will be able to book a maximum of eight tickets per person, depending on availability. The Big Ben tour is not suitable for everyone. Visitors must be aged 11 and over and be comfortable climbing 334 steps and experiencing high noise levels from the clock mechanism and bells - earplugs will be provided.



Yes, you can go inside the Elizabeth Tower (the official name for the tower that houses the Big Ben bell). Following an extensive multi-year restoration, the tower is open for public guided tours as of 2026. Visitors can climb the 334-step stone spiral staircase to reach the belfry, where they can see the Great Bell itself and the inner workings of the clock mechanism. Tickets are roughly £35 for adults and £20 for children (aged 11-17). It is important to note that you must book these tickets well in advance—often months ahead—via the official UK Parliament website. Due to safety and physical requirements, visitors must be at least 11 years old and capable of climbing the stairs unaided, as there is no lift access for the standard tour.

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Inside the Elizabeth Tower: A total of 399 winding steps connect eleven floors, a clock mechanism room, the clock itself, and the belfry containing the famous 'Big Ben' bell.

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But since 2010, the only visitors who have been permitted to tour the landmark have been British citizens. For security's sake, a regulation required Big Ben tour-seekers to write their representatives in Parliament?and of course international visitors don't have any.

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Big Ben Opening Hours and Tickets Big Ben has been undergoing restoration work since 2017, the biggest conservation project in its history. Currently, it remains temporarily closed to visitors and plans to reopen in 2023. The Great Bell (nicknamed Big Ben) has just been repaired.

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114 steps up inside the tower is the Prison Room, but you don't need to worry about being locked up there yourself. The prison room was used for MPs who breached codes of conduct, but it hasn't been used since 1880.

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But just how loud is Big Ben, and is the decision to protect hearing worth silencing the famous, historic landmark? At close proximity, the sound of Big Ben measures 118 decibels, which is loud enough to cause physical pain.

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The London clock tower, Big Ben was rotated by a quarter, causing the hammer to strike a different place of the bell. Meanwhile, the hammer was lightened to prevent further damage. The bell has sounded at a slightly different pitch ever since, and the crack has never been repaired.

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At close proximity, the sound of Big Ben measures 118 decibels, which is loud enough to cause physical pain. To make the bell chime, the copper and tin bell is struck by a hammer weighing 200kg. The bell, weighing 13.7 tonnes itself, makes the musical note “E” when struck.

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When does Big Ben chime? Big Ben chimes every hour, and smaller bells around it chime every 15 minutes to mark each quarter hour.

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Originally, the dials were backlit using gas lamps, at first only when Parliament was sitting, but they have routinely been illuminated from dusk until dawn since 1876. Electric bulbs were installed at the beginning of the 20th century. The ornate surrounds of the dials are gilded.

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1716: The bell from the clock tower is recast and later hung in the South West Tower of St Paul's Cathedral. If Big Ben is ever unable to strike, the bell in St Paul's is heard instead.

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The 13-tonne Big Ben bell was largely silenced for five years while a major restoration of the Elizabeth Tower took place, with the “bongs” finally resuming regular service in November 2022.

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