The Westminster Bridge shot
From mid-bridge you get the tower and the palace in one frame; from the South Bank by the London Eye it stands at the end of the river at dusk.
Christian David — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ввласенко — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CAPTAIN RAJU — CC0 · CAPTAIN RAJU — CC0
Big Ben is not the tower. The name belongs to the Great Bell, roughly 13.7 tonnes of it, that strikes the hour at the top of the clock tower; the 96-metre tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster has officially been the Elizabeth Tower since the 2012 Diamond Jubilee. Nobody calls it that, and nobody will correct you. Finished in 1859 to Augustus Pugin's design, it carries four dials of almost seven metres across, and the quarter bells play the famous tune every fifteen minutes before the big one counts the hour. For almost everyone, the visit is outside and free. Step out of Westminster station (Jubilee, Circle and District lines) and the tower is directly above you; walk to the middle of Westminster Bridge for the classic frame, or cross to the South Bank by the London Eye to see it down the length of the river at dusk, which is the better picture. The restoration that cost around GBP 80 million between 2017 and 2022 returned the dials to their original Prussian blue rather than the black of the old postcards, so the tower looks cleaner and brighter than anyone who saw it a decade ago expects. Going inside is possible but a project in itself. The official tour climbs 334 narrow spiral steps past the clock mechanism and behind the dials to the belfry, where you stand next to Big Ben as it strikes (ear defenders are handed out). It lasts up to 90 minutes, the minimum age is 11 with no exceptions, and it costs GBP 55 per adult and GBP 35 per child aged 11 to 17. Tickets go on sale three months ahead on the second Wednesday of each month at 10am and are gone within hours. Since the reopening the tours are open to all nationalities, no longer just UK residents, but treat one as a reward for planning early rather than the plan itself. For families: the pavements by the tower and the bridge are fine with a pushchair, and the whole quarter, with Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square, is an hour on foot. Summer crowds are dense, street sellers are everywhere, and the square is periodically fenced for a protest or an event. In winter it is dark before 16:00, which for once works in your favour: the lit dials are yours from five o'clock instead of waiting for ten at night in July.
From mid-bridge you get the tower and the palace in one frame; from the South Bank by the London Eye it stands at the end of the river at dusk.
The 2017–2022 restoration returned all four dials to their original Prussian blue, so the tower looks brighter than the old black-dialled postcards.
The official tour climbs behind the dials to the belfry to stand beside Big Ben as it strikes; ages 11 and up, and booked months out.
Palace of Westminster, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA
Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)The building you know from a thousand photographs is not a medieval palace at al2 minutes walk4.6
Westminster AbbeyNo monarch of England or Britain has been crowned anywhere else since 1066. The 3 minutes walk4.5
SEA LIFE London AquariumBeneath the old headquarters of London's county government, in basement corridor5 minutes walk4.2
London EyeThe wheel never stops for you to board. The London Eye turns at about 26 centime6 minutes walk4.6
Trafalgar SquareFour bronze lions guard a column some 52 metres tall, and on top of it a one-arm11 minutes walk4.5Yes, tours have been open to all nationalities since the reopening, but they sell out within hours of the release three months ahead, involve 334 steps with no lift, and nobody under 11 is admitted. If London is a short trip or you have young children, the answer is no: see it from the bridge for free and put the money towards the London Eye or Westminster Abbey. If you did book early and like machinery and bells, standing beside the Great Bell as it strikes is a genuinely rare moment.
Both, but dusk from the South Bank wins. In winter it is dark before 16:00, so you get the lit dials by five and an early dinner; in July and August the sky does not darken until about 22:00, so go early morning instead to have the bridge before the crowds.