Also known as the Palace of Westminster, the two Houses of Parliament, are housed in a magnificent Victorian Gothic building alongside the Thames. Tours of the Palace are available year round and when the two Houses are in session you can view debates from the public gallery.

There are over 1200 rooms in the Palace, and the whole place is under heightened security, so you have to take an organised tour. When the Houses are in session, you must arrange for a free ticket from your MP. However in the summer when the people who run the country take a massive six week break, you can queue up for tours on the day.

When it comes to viewing debates, there are off peak and busy times. To pop in on a slow day takes almost no time at all, you can get a ticket and queue up for free in a few minutes. Access is always free – but on busy days, especially Prime Ministers Question Time or when we are about to launch another war, tickets are strictly limited and only available to UK residents who write to their MP. With Blair replaced by Brown, there will be more chance of seeing the PM actually turn up for Questions, but even less chance of a straight answer.