Big Ben: What Most Visitors Miss
Big Ben the bell is off pitch on purpose, cracked two months after it first rang in 1858 and never re-cast, and since 1 August 2026 you can climb the 334 steps to stand next to it for GBP 55. The tour is not a walk-up. Tickets release in a single batch at 10:00 on the second Wednesday of every month, three months ahead, and the batch is gone within minutes. This is the actual bell and clock mechanism inside the Elizabeth Tower (the tower’s official name since the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee), not the Houses of Parliament tour at ground level, which is a separate ticket entirely.
Key facts
| Detail | Facts |
|---|---|
| Price | GBP 55 adult, GBP 35 child 11-17 (tours from 1 August 2026); under 11 not admitted |
| Hours | Tours run at scheduled daytime slots on release dates, 90 minutes each |
| Time needed | 90 minutes, 334 spiral steps, no lift |
| Booking lead | Released 10:00 the second Wednesday of each month, 3 months ahead; sells out in minutes |
| Getting there | Westminster station (Jubilee, District, Circle lines), 90 seconds on foot |
Is Big Ben really open to the public now?
Yes, and plenty of guides still get this wrong. Public tours were effectively closed to non-UK-residents unless arranged through a Member of Parliament, until the tower’s 2017-2022 restoration finished. Anyone can now buy a ticket directly through UK Parliament’s own booking site. UK residents can still request a free tour through their MP or a Lord, as a separate channel from the paid public batch.
Why does the bell sound slightly wrong?
The 13-tonne bell cracked within two months of its 1858 installation, and rather than recast it, engineers rotated it to strike with an undamaged section and fitted a lighter hammer. The result is the exact chime played on the hour today: technically imperfect, instantly recognisable, and a better outcome than a flawless replacement would have been.
What if you miss the ticket release?
The free exterior views cost nothing and need no booking: Westminster Bridge for the classic framed shot, Victoria Tower Gardens for a quieter angle from the south, and Parliament Square straight on. Go before 9am to get the bridge to yourself before the coach groups arrive.
Set a phone reminder for 09:55 on the second Wednesday of the month, three months before you want to visit, and have the booking page loaded and refreshed by 10:00 sharp. If the tower tour is already gone, a Westminster walking tour paired with a Thames boat ride still gets you underneath it from the water and the pavement both.