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Buckingham Palace: Changing of the Guard
4.1
1,246 Ratings
Greater London
Explore Buckingham Palace and witness the Changing of the Guard. Book now for a limited-time, 2.5-hour royal experience in London.
Explore Buckingham Palace and witness the Changing of the Guard. Book now for a limited-time, 2.5-hour royal experience in London.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- St. James’s Park - Meet your friendly guide at a central London spot and enjoy a walk through the lush beauty of St. James’ Park towards Buckingham Palace, the grand official residence of many monarchs, including the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
- Changing of the Guard - Secure a great viewing spot in front of the gates to…
- St. James’s Park - Meet your friendly guide at a central London spot and enjoy a walk through the lush beauty of St. James’ Park towards Buckingham Palace, the grand official residence of many monarchs, including the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
- Changing of the Guard - Secure a great viewing spot in front of the gates to witness the impressive Changing of the Guards Ceremony, a vibrant and traditional display featuring soldiers in colorful attire and rhythmic drum beats.
Depending on the Household Cavalry’s schedule, you might see either the Changing of the Foot Guards or the Changing of the Horse Guards in London. These events are famous for highlighting British tradition and military precision, enhancing London’s reputation.
Please note: In case of heavy rain—or if the Changing of the Guard is moved to early morning (as on some Sundays)—the ceremony will be replaced with a walking tour.
- Buckingham Palace - Enjoy insightful commentary from your guide as you walk to the entrance of the royal residence, open only for two months each year. Use your audio guide to independently explore the luxurious State Apartments of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Marvel at opulent decorations like sparkling chandeliers, classic artworks, and elegantly upholstered furniture as you explore the historic rooms.
Return to the exterior of Buckingham Palace and say goodbye to your guide at this central location.
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Buckingham Palace - New for 2025: The King’s Tour Artists Exhibition -
Enter the magnificent Ballroom of Buckingham Palace and discover The King’s Tour Artists—a brand-new exhibition launching in 2025. Personally selected by His Majesty The King, this remarkable collection showcases over 70 carefully chosen masterpieces from the Royal Collection, providing a rare and intimate glimpse into the monarch’s artistic tastes.
What's Included
- Audio guided Buckingham Palace Tour
- New for 2025: The King’s Tour Artists Exhibition
- Changing of the Guard ceremony
- English Speaking Expert Guide for Changing of the Guard
- Entrance ticket for Buckingham Palace
- Headsets when appropriate
- Audio guided Buckingham Palace Tour
- New for 2025: The King’s Tour Artists Exhibition
- Changing of the Guard ceremony
- English Speaking Expert Guide for Changing of the Guard
- Entrance ticket for Buckingham Palace
- Headsets when appropriate
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Experience London’s royal heritage and pageantry on a 2.5-hour experience that combines a visit to Buckingham Palace with the Changing of the Guard. Enjoy the colorful spectacle of the Changing of the Guard ceremony, and then enter the magnificent palace with a tour host for an independent audio tour of the State Rooms, an experience only available for…
Experience London’s royal heritage and pageantry on a 2.5-hour experience that combines a visit to Buckingham Palace with the Changing of the Guard. Enjoy the colorful spectacle of the Changing of the Guard ceremony, and then enter the magnificent palace with a tour host for an independent audio tour of the State Rooms, an experience only available for two months of the year. Admire the lavish rooms that are used by the royals for State and ceremonial events, as you discover the palace’s history from the audio guide.
Please note: Buckingham Palace is only open to the public for approx. eight weeks each year. Tickets sell out fast, so book now to avoid disappointment
- Depending on the day you will see either the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace or Horse Guards Parade.
- Changing of the Foot Guards run Mondays, Fridays, Sundays
- Changing of the Horse Guards run Thursdays, Saturdays
- On occasional Sundays may be rescheduled to early morning, this will then be replaced with an extended walking tour.
- The Changing of the Guards is subject to changes in date, time and cancellation at the discretion of British authorities. Cancellation due to bad weather or other circumstances is not announced before the morning of the ceremony. When this occurs, you will be provided with a walking tour of Westminster city instead
- Please note that the changing of the guard schedule may change and on different dates we will see either Foot Guards or Horse Guards.
Location
Duke of York Monument
By the Duke of York Column, Waterloo Place, 9 Carlton Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ. This is the tall column with a statue on top.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(1246 Ratings)
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Guy_m
Jan 9, 2025
The most extraordinary look into an exquisite building and gob-smacking collection of art and furniture. - It gets very busy and once you have passed through a room it is hard to go back. Not many seats. No photography permitted inside.
Review provided by Viator
William_f
Dec 18, 2024
A great tour - This was a magnificent tour, it started several blocks from Buckingham Palace and everyone was given headsets so we could hear the guide. She took us on an external tour of all the buildings the Royals lived in and gave a great historical background on the buildings and Royals. We got priority entrance to the Buckingham Palace which was a self guided tour. One disappointment was that the Palace did not allow pictures to be taken inside the Palace which had nothing to do with the guide.
Review provided by Viator
Global710978
Nov 26, 2024
Dazzling Buckingham Palace - Enjoyed the tour of Buckingham palace. The staff provided informative information throughout, highlighting interesting stories in each room.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D3039gmtomr
Nov 3, 2024
Fascinating - It was amazing there was so many fascinating things happening and so much more than that it made my heart so warm to see the whole thing go into action it was amazing
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_c
Oct 15, 2024
Palace Tour was Great, and so Many Extras Toured Before the Palace - There was much included before we even entered Buckingham Palace. The tour guide was full of information covering these extras. Once we entered the Palace it was a self guided tour. Very disappointing that no pictures are allowed inside the Palace but it was a very interesting tour.
Review provided by Viator
Trek25823131012
Oct 13, 2024
Buckingham palace - Disappointed with the distance from the guard changing when that was the name of the excursion.
The palace part was great.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dieseldean
Nov 1, 2024
Kinda found it to be a waste of time - This was a bit of a disappointment, to be perfectly honest. The changing of the guard was impossible to see. It was overly crowded, and what I did see was way less than spectacular. It is absolutely in my top 10 of overrated things to see around the globe. It's no comparison to Blenheim Palace near Oxfordshire and Woodstock, England. The place is beautiful. I suppose it's a must-see if you are in London, but for me, a huge letdown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
126elishav
Jan 16, 2025
Complete scam - they do not give you what you pay for. - This tour, booked via Viator Tours, was an absolute joke. The tour and tour guide never materialized at the appointed meeting place and time. Then, they were unreachable by either phone, text, or email. Despite not getting my tour due to no fault of my own, Viator refused to give me a refund. Stay away from this tour AND Viator in general. They are a horrible company that will not give you the services that you paid for. They are a complete scam!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
592tresas
Oct 14, 2024
Worst Experinence Ever!!!!! - Worst trip ever; first trip booked with TripAdvisor. If I had do overs go on my own with no guide. Guide was not organized, could not get head phones to work, we missed all important events that we paid $100 to see. We could have walked to the gate ourselves and saw much more than staying in her group, but she had tickets to get in Buckingham Palace so she held us hostage.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa_b
Oct 10, 2024
Not worth the ticket price - The worst experience on Viator. The experience was to be changing of the guard and palace entrance. When we arrived it was pure confusion, about 40 people standing in the rain trying to figure out what was going on. When we finally were shown our group we were told there was no changing of the guard on the day we booked. Instead we walked around the palace about 5 times in the pouring rain!!! At one point our tour guide had us standing on the corner of a busy street with traffic because he was sure the King was going to drive by and stop and chat with us???? When I looked up online the next day the maintenance of the horses the readon for the cancelled changing of the guards that day was pre scheduled. Which means when I purchased these tickets it was already cancelled. Someone should have know that and gave me the option to continue or not. After walked around in circles for over an hour, we asked to just go over to the palace for the next portion of the ticket. We were told NO, the guide must escort all of us in. Which when we got over to the massive line was not true. Super disappointing. I have scheduled several excursions with Viator and they were great, this one was very overpriced and disappointing.
Review provided by Viator
