Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament Interior Tour**UNESCO World Heritage**

This two-part morning tour gives participants a crash course in British royal and democratic history by visiting two of the most iconic institutions in London. An expert guide will take you inside Westminster Abbey, the monarch-owned church where British royals are both crowned and laid to rest. Next, your guide will lead you to the entrance to the equally impressive Houses of Parliament, where you can explore the hallowed halls with the official audio guide. The tour gets underway with a visit to Westminster Abbey. For 1,000 years now, the abbey has been the site of royal coronations, with every British monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066 having been crowned here, including, most recently, Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. And the 700-year-old Royal Peculiar – a designation that acknowledges the abbey's special role as a monarch-owned church – has not only played host to coronations, but also to royal weddings and funerals. Also of note are the roster of noteworthy figures interred here, among them 17 British monarchs, an unknown soldier who perished in France during World War I, and some of the country's literary greats, grouped together in the south transept in a section now known as Poets' Corner. After touring Westminster Abbey, your guide will accompany you to the nearby Houses of Parliament. Having been escorted right to the entrance, you will be provided with tickets to enter the revered establishment, where both houses of the British government convene. You'll be given an audio guide with which to explore key parts of the building at your leisure, taking as much or as little time as you want to soak it all up. See the 11th-century Westminster Hall, the oldest standing section of the building; the Queen's Robing Room, where the Queen dons her ceremonial robes and crown in preparation for the official State Opening of Parliament; the Royal Gallery, the site of parliamentary ceremonies; and the lavish House of Lords, perhaps the most dazzling room in the entire complex. For anyone who wants to see two key London landmarks and learn about the institutions that have helped shape modern-day Britain, this two-part tour is a must-do.