Know Before You Go: Visiting Buckingham Palace

You'll start your visit at the Quadrangle, where you can see the lavishly decorated Australian State Coach and the flagpole, which indicates whether or not King Charles is at home. Other highlights include the Ballroom, where musicians such as Strauss and Mendelssohn performed during the Victorian era, and the Throne Room, where portraits of His Majesty the King and Queen Camilla hang.

For art lovers, a highlight will be the Picture Gallery, which represents the changing artistic tastes of monarchs throughout the years. You can see masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian, Cuyp, and many more.

Insider tip: If you can't make it in person, you can see the entire royal collection—plus pictures of the priceless decorative art pieces inside the palace—online on the Royal Collection Trust website.

If you're coming from Green Park station on the Victoria and Jubilee lines, you'll need to walk via the lush St. James’s Park around the front of the palace to reach Gate C. You can also disembark at Victoria, which is served by National Rail lines, and the Victoria, District, and Circle tube lines; it's also the terminus for the Gatwick Express.

When you exit Buckingham Palace, you'll come out onto Grosvenor Place, which leads to Hyde Park Corner station on the Central and Picadilly lines. Make the most of your central location by embarking on a bike tour of the royal parks, a lovely way to escape the crowds and explore the capital’s green spaces, such as Hyde Park and Regent’s Park.

The best time to visit Buckingham Palace is during the summer when it’s open to visitors. You can access the State Rooms and the Gardens from early July through late September. From November to May, the palace opens on select dates for guided tours. Visiting in December means you’ll see the palace adorned with lavish Christmas decorations; this is also when Regent Street and many other London attractions unveil glittering holiday lights.

While you can visit the exterior of Buckingham Palace day or night, the opening hours of the State Rooms are 9:30am to 7:30pm in July and August (last entry is at 5:30pm) and 9:30am to 6:30pm (last entry is at 4:30pm) in September.

If you've booked standard admission within Buckingham Palace opening times, you'll have been assigned a 15-minute time slot. Note that you won't be offered early entry if you arrive before your scheduled time. When you reach Gate C, you'll see a staff member holding up a paddle with your time slot on it. If you do arrive early, St. James’s Park is a lovely place to grab a hot drink from a kiosk and sit on a bench.

There are several types of Buckingham Palace tickets to choose from. You can opt for a standard admission ticket that grants you access to the lavish State Rooms, designed by the renowned architect John Nash, or a combo ticket which adds a 45-minute Garden Highlights tour to the experience.

You can also upgrade to a guided Buckingham Palace tour) or an attraction-packed Royal Day Out ticket, which lets you enjoy the State Rooms, the Royal Mews, and The King's Gallery in one day.

Insider tip: You can buy tickets on the day for Buckingham Palace from Gate A. You're more likely to strike it lucky if you visit before the UK summer holidays; most schools break up in the final week of July. However, it’s best to book in advance to secure your preferred time slot.

It might come as a surprise, but there's no official dress code for Buckingham Palace. It often gets hot inside the rooms due to crowds and a lack of air conditioning though, so wear layers that are easily removable. Comfortable shoes are advisable as there's quite a lot of walking involved on the tour route, including a long gravel path through the garden to the exit.

Additionally, tours of the garden take place in rain or shine, so pack a light rain jacket if the forecast suggests showers—a common occurrence even during London’s summer.

Yes, Buckingham Palace is fully accessible for wheelchair users. If you have a disability, you'll get discounted access to the palace, and your companion can enter for free. You'll need to book onto the Access Route using the phone number and email provided on the palace's official website; accessible parking is also available nearby.

The palace also offers a multimedia guide in British Sign Language (BSL) with subtitles, and free descriptive audio guides for blind and partially sighted visitors.

Even if you haven’t managed to bag yourself a ticket to see inside the 775-room mansion, you can still witness the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace free of charge. The ceremonies typically take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am, but there’s also a special Sunday parade that departs from the Wellington Barracks for Buckingham Palace at 10:45am.

For the ultimate experience of the event, opt for a walking tour that follows the action from the 500-year-old St. James’s Palace down The Mall (the wide avenue leading up to Buckingham Palace).

Make the most of the palace’s proximity to other London sights by tagging on some essential experiences when you visit Buckingham Palace. Stick around to watch the age-old, and aforementioned, Changing of the Guard on a self-guided tour that’s conveniently timed to coincide with the ceremony or add on a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Westminster Abbey.

You can also continue the royal theme on an excursion that combines palace entry with a trip to Windsor Castle—you’re sure to walk off with a king in your step after that. Or head to Kensington Palace—another of London’s royal residences—which is the ideal place to indulge in the very British tradition of afternoon tea.

Related: 9 of the Top Royal Palaces in London and How To Visit

Buckingham Palace is within a short stroll of many other London royal attractions, including sight-saturated Westminster and the fabulous Spencer House, an 18th-century townhouse built by the ancestors of Princess Diana. See this and more on a royal walking tour that includes afternoon tea at Kensington Palace, where the loose-leaf tea and finger sandwiches are fit for a queen.

You can also follow The Mall down to nearby Trafalgar Square, towered over by Nelson’s Column and flanked by the neoclassical London National Gallery. This central spot is the perfect starting point for hop-on hop-off bus tours around the capital.

• Can you take photos inside Buckingham Palace? No, you can't take photographs or film videos inside Buckingham Palace. You're also asked not to make or answer phone calls while inside the palace. However, once you get outside into the gardens, you're encouraged to take as many photographs as you like. You can pose for a picture with a placard of the Royal Family at the exit.

• Is there a restaurant at Buckingham Palace? Yes, the Garden Café is located on the West Terrace of Buckingham Palace, at the end of the State Rooms tour and near the meeting point for the Garden Highlights tour. It serves British classics such as sandwiches filled with smoked salmon and coronation chicken, quiche, and sweet treats such as the Queen of Puddings.

• What other facilities are there at Buckingham Palace? Restrooms and baby-changing facilities are located at the end of the tour route, but not at the beginning. There’s also a gift shop on the way out where you can buy official merchandise ranging from fridge magnets and badges to ceramics and jewelry, plus an ice cream parlor overlooking the lake on the way out of the palace.

• How long should you expect to spend at Buckingham Palace? Most visitors find that self-paced tours of the State Rooms take around 1.5 hours. You’ll need to pass an airport-style security check to get inside, which can add up to 15 minutes to your journey during busy periods. Garden Highlight tours begin two hours and 15 minutes after your State Rooms admission, giving you ample time to explore the rooms and grab a bite at the café.