Big Ben

Big Ben, in London

Big Ben is the famous clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, one of the most well-known symbols of London. The London audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this emblematic monument, whose chime has marked the rhythm of the life of the British capital for more than a century and a half.

The emblematic clock tower

Big Ben is one of the most famous monuments in the world and the symbol par excellence of London. Originally, this name designates the great bell housed at the summit of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, but usage has extended it to the entire tower, officially called Elizabeth Tower since the jubilee of the queen. Built in the nineteenth century in the neo-Gothic style, at the same time as the new Parliament, the tower rises to nearly a hundred metres and bears a monumental clock with four dials, long the largest of the world, whose precision is legendary. The chime of Big Ben, which sounds the hours, has become an emblematic sound, broadcast by the radio and associated with the great moments of the British nation. The tower, magnificently restored in recent years, proudly raises its silhouette by the Thames. An emblematic monument and a symbol of London, Big Ben is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

You admire the symbol par excellence of London, the great bell and the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, officially Elizabeth Tower, built in the nineteenth century in neo-Gothic, rising to nearly a hundred metres with its monumental clock with four dials, whose emblematic chime marks the rhythm of the life of the nation, by the Thames. Big Ben is the symbol of London. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

Big Ben lies by the Thames, at the corner of the Palace of Westminster, in London, reachable on foot. You admire it freely from outside, and particularly from Westminster Bridge; the visits of the tower, when they are possible, follow their own conditions, which vary.

What is Big Ben in London?

Originally the great bell housed at the summit of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, the name Big Ben designates by extension the entire tower, officially Elizabeth Tower; built in the nineteenth century in neo-Gothic, it bears a monumental clock whose chime is one of the most emblematic sounds of London.

Where is Big Ben?

By the Thames, at the corner of the Palace of Westminster, in London, in the United Kingdom.