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Guided tours

Take a guided tour of our award-winning building, which is the home of Scottish democracy.

About the tour

Explore the Scottish Parliament and discover more about our history, work and procedures.

On a guided tour, you can see the inner workings of the Parliament and learn about the architecture of our award-winning building.

The tour is suitable for visitors of all ages and free to attend. Our guided tours are very popular so we recommend booking in advance.

Once you press the 'Book Tickets' button, you will complete your booking on the Eventbrite website. 

Group bookings

Are you a group of 10 or more? If so please see our group visit page.

More information

Plan your visit

For opening times, parking information and more, go to our plan your visit page.

Don't forget to stop at our shop and café during your visit!

Visitor behaviour policy

Please remember that this is a working parliamentary building and, as such, you are expected to behave as set out in this policy. We reserve the right to remove visitors who breach this policy and apply a period of exclusion from our public galleries and parliamentary business.

For all visits, please:

  • follow all instructions from parliament staff, including any requests to bring ID with you
  • do not leave your bags and personal belongings unattended
  • do not smoke in the building
  • do not eat or drink, except in the restaurants
  • if given one, wear your visitor lanyard and pass at all times. Return it when asked or when leaving
  • collect any items retained by security as you leave
  • note that protests are not allowed inside the building. Banners, flags and political slogans are forbidden

The Parliament’s Standing Orders cover public access to parliamentary business. They allow the Presiding Officer to set reasonable conditions, and exclusions if these are not met.

For visits to see parliamentary business, please:

  • enter, sit in and leave the galleries quietly and as requested by parliamentary staff
  • switch all electronic devices off, and secure them as instructed by parliamentary staff
  • do not cause a distraction or disruption to parliamentary business. If there is a disruption in the Chamber, the Presiding Officer can ask visitors to leave
  • note that people who wilfully disrupt may face a period of exclusion from future visits
  • do not applaud or shout out during meetings
  • do not take photos, videos or recordings during meetings
  • obtain prior permission to paint, sketch or draw
  • follow the instructions of parliamentary staff on when and where to sit and to leave. For First Minister’s Questions, this includes remaining seated for the entire session. If you need to leave before the session ends, please speak to the nearest member of Parliament staff

Accessibility info

The tour route is accessible by wheelchair, and we have wheelchairs available to borrow.

There is a portable hearing loop available for use during guided tours. This connects to hearing aids which have a 'T-Switch'.

More about accessibility

Location

Edinburgh, EH99 1SP

Days and times

Guided tours run on Monday, Friday and Saturday. Available timeslots can be viewed using the 'Book Tickets' button below.

Duration

45mins

Price

Free

Other tours

Monday to Saturday

(Find out more)

Don't have time to do a tour? Our 10 minute talks are a good alternative, and run throughout the day.

Monday to Saturday

(Find out more)

You can also explore the Parliament on your own and visit our permanent exhibition, any time the building is open.