Buckingham Palace Entrance Ticket & Changing of the Guard Tour
London, England
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Catch the Changing of the Guard with a clear view and visit Buckingham Palace during its limited July to September opening. This tour includes a guided walk through St. James's Park to watch the ceremony, followed by entry to the State Rooms with a self-guided audio tour available in nine languages. One booking covers palace admission and timing for a seamless experience.
- Ensure your admission to Buckingham Palace during its July–September opening
- Learn about royal history as you stroll through St. James’s Park
- Explore the State Rooms at your own pace with an audio guide in nine languages
- Watch the Changing of the Guard from the best vantage points
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Unlike a standalone ceremony viewing, this tour includes palace entry.
What's Included
- Pre-reserved entry to Buckingham Palace State Rooms (open July – September only)
- Official Buckingham Palace self-guided audio guide available in 9 languages
- Expert English-speaking guide for the walking tour
- Changing of the Guard viewing: Foot Guards (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun) or Horse Guards (Tue/Thu/Sat)
- Insider commentary on royal history and traditions
- Audio headsets when required for clear commentary
- Free time to explore Buckingham Palace at your own pace
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Duke of York ColumnLondon SW1Y 5AJ, UK
By the Duke of York Column, Waterloo Place, 9 Carlton Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ. It is the tall column with a statue on top, located at the top of the steps leading down to The Mall.
End point
- Spur RoadSpur Rd, London SW1A 1AA, UK
Inside Buckingham Palace
Itinerary
This tour pairs the Changing of the Guard with a visit inside Buckingham Palace, open to the public only two months a year. You meet your guide at the Duke of York Column in central London and set out on foot through St. James's Park toward the palace.
Depending on the day, you can watch the Changing of the Guard, with your guide explaining the ceremony and its background. If the weather turns or the ceremony is rescheduled, the viewing is replaced with a walking tour.
At Buckingham Palace, you explore at your own pace using an audio guide, taking in the State Apartments and their collection of art and antiques.
Depending on the day, you can watch the Changing of the Guard, with your guide explaining the ceremony and its background. If the weather turns or the ceremony is rescheduled, the viewing is replaced with a walking tour.
At Buckingham Palace, you explore at your own pace using an audio guide, taking in the State Apartments and their collection of art and antiques.
Duke Of York Column (Pass By)
The Mall (Pass By)
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Memorial (Pass By)
1
St. James's Park
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
St. James's Palace (Pass By)
Clarence House (Pass By)
Lancaster House (Pass By)
2
Changing of the Guard
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Wellington Barracks (Pass By)
3
Buckingham Palace
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- 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
- There is no Changing of the Foot Guards on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday so you'll be provided with a Walking Tour of Westminster City. You may be able to see the Changing of the Horse Guards at Horse Guards parade but that's not guaranteed.
- On Sundays, a slightly different version of the ceremony takes place, known as the "Sunday Parade".
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.1
based on 2,164 reviews
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Great value, very well organised and impressive rooms. I would recommend this to anyone considering this trip. Unfortunately we could not see the changing of the guard (owing to them preparing the streets for a marathon that weekend) but our guide make up for it with a well informed talks about the houses along Pall Mall and the royal family.
Unfortunately the Changing of the Guards was cancelled due to a 10K race around the palace area, so we did a bit of a walking tour before entering the palace. Our guide Louise was very knowledgeable, answered all our questions and had a great sense of humor. Enjoyed by all.
The tour was too long and drawn out by a guide that just rambled on and on about unimportant things. The palace and gardens are worth the visit, just avoid this tour
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Dear John_S,
We sincerely apologize that the tour did not meet your expectations. We’re sorry that you found the commentary too lengthy and that the pacing affected your experience. We truly appreciate your feedback and will share it with our team.
You do not get what you paid for with this tour. When we went on this tour every other group got headsets so they could hear their guide while walking the busy Mall up to Buckingham Palace. Our guide informed us the company ran out so we did not get any. As such, we could barely hear our guide most of the time and missed out on the information the other groups from the same company got to hear for the same price we paid. We also did not get to see the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace. The spot our guide found us was so far away that it was not visible. Not only that, but we were let into Buckingham Palace by our guide before the band stopped playing during the changing of the guard so we missed the full performance. Sadly, I asked the Viator customer service twice if I could have a partial refund since I missed out on the info from the guide and the changing of the guard and they twice denied me. If you want to tour Buckingham Palace, do not book through Viator or the local company they use called City Wonders. Instead, save money by finding your own spot in front of Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard and pay for the tickets to enter the palace directly. It will be much cheaper that way and you will get more out of it.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Dear Alyssa_A,
We sincerely apologize for the disappointment you experienced, particularly regarding the headsets and your ability to hear the guide.
The Changing of the Guard is a public event that attracts very large crowds, and our guide does their best to find the best possible viewing spot for the group. We’re sorry that the location did not allow you to see the ceremony as well as expected.
Regarding the headsets, we will review this internally with our team to understand what happened and ensure the equipment is available as expected.
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
Of course,,stunning and beautiful. Getting through very organized. Audio system worked very well. Highly recommend.
We saw the changing of the guards and visited the palace; wonderful experience. Aaron was wonderful guide. Got us very close to the guards.
Extremely interesting and informative. The only downside was the amount of walking outside of the palace.
I was NOT impressed with this tour. It was about 7 rooms to see like dining room, seating room, a room with portraits, room with piano and vases and that’s it. It was not impressing at all for me. I paid $250 for this tour and changing of the guards and they cancelled the changing of the guard because of a. Race. Well I’m sure this race was planned for days so why would you charge for it. Instead it was substituted for a walking tour. Not impressed at all and not worth the money. It’s better just taking pictures from outside the castle and calling it a day. I wanted to see more of William and Kate too but there wasn’t any pictures except in a book I bought. Anyway I was just disappointed. I was so looking forward to this tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Dear Marisol_R,
We sincerely apologize that the tour did not meet your expectations. The rooms and areas accessible to visitors are determined by the palace, and unfortunately, we cannot control which rooms are open to the public. We also regret the disappointment caused by the cancellation of the Changing of the Guard and appreciate your feedback.
Buckingham palace was great, the changing of the guard not so much. Also the company that gave the tour was unorganized, ear piece would not connect which they spent about 15 minute fixing, which result in the tour being rush and my earpiece battery died within the first hour of the tour so I could not hear anything about what we were seeing so this part of the tour was a waste of my money. The changing of the guard is free, so what I believe I paid for (the tour guide was a waste since I could hear nothing he was talking about).
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Dear misty_m,
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced with the audio equipment and for the impact this had on your tour. We understand how frustrating it must have been to miss the guide’s commentary, and we regret that the experience did not meet your expectations. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Overall it was a good tour. Unfortunately the Changing of the Guards was cancelled due to no fault of the tour company.
That said our tour guide Rob was amazing! He was able to entertain us with history about the areas we visited and a keen Brit sense of humour 😁.
Guides were not allowed in the palace so we had to tour it ourselves which was fine. However it was too crowded and frankly over-hyped. Not something I would rush back to see.
We did love the pre-packed afternoon tea which was in a lovely keepsake tin.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Dear Patrick_C,
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed Rob’s guidance and the afternoon tea. We’re sorry that the Changing of the Guards was cancelled, as this is an event outside of our control. Unfortunately, we also cannot control the crowds at the palace. We appreciate your understanding and are pleased that you still enjoyed aspects of the tour.
We were very pleased. The changing of the guard was cancelled due to a road race, but Mary our tour guide gave a very interesting and informative tour of St. James Park and Palace. We did get to see the changing of the mounted guards, which was very nice. The buckingham palace tour was also very worthwhile
You can’t take pictures inside the palace. You can have yes and good right after the tour, which was great.
There is no air in the palace , extremely hot and crowded. Robert the guide before the palace was excellent.
A very interesting and informative tour. Katarina, our tour guide, is excellent. She is very lively, humorous, engaging, focused, informative with interesting information, and thoughtful of all members’ needs. There is not a dull moment throughout the tour. Buckingham Palace is amazing with so much to see. We really enjoyed the tour, just wished that we had scheduled more time for the palace tour and to enjoy the view of the palace gardens.
Louise was an awesome tour guide. She had great historical knowledge and was incredibly personable and funny. She made the tour educational and enjoyable.
We had a great tour of the changing of the horse guards right up close. Our tour guide Katarina was excellent. A great sense of humor and lots of interesting facts on our way down towards the Palace. Buckingham Palace was a good tour.
Ellen was very knowledgeable about British History and of the Royal family. Very friendly and enjoyable experience
Long lines and lots of people and renovations so some of the areas were not available or furnished. Still very interesting.
Marilyn our Guide was very knowledgeable and conducted an excellent tour of the surrounding area of Buckingham Palace! Once inside the Palace we used an Audio Guide going from room to room
Lots of walking but mostly level ground. Early tour time means less people. Limited bathroom facilities.
Our guide was amazing, funny, and engaging. We loved every minute of it! He knew the history and the anecdotes that made our tour worth it.
The tour inside of Buckingham Palace was truly enchanting. The absolute best part of the day. So many amazing things to see.
Umal did his best to accommodate us. Our tour started at 10am and around 1115 I realized we hadn't even gotten to the palace part. He moved us up to start at 1130 which would have given us enough time to finish by 1230 and make our windsor castle tour. Alas the palace staff directed us into another security line and at after waiting 45 minutes and still not through security, we realized we would not be seeing the palace and left by 1230. So we did see the changing of the guard from afar. Maybe we will see the palace on another trip when we cross the "pond" again.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi,
Thank you for sharing your experience.
We’re sorry you weren’t able to visit Buckingham Palace as planned. We’re glad Umal did his best to accommodate you and adjust the schedule, but we understand how frustrating it must have been to spend so much time waiting in the security line and ultimately miss the palace.
We appreciate your understanding and hope you’ll have the opportunity to visit the palace properly on your next trip!
Excellent experience and Ian was great! We had a lot of fun and got to see the castle. Would recommend for sure.
The tour was very good. We were disappointed because my wife showed up to London very sick. We tried to cancel her ticket so she would not get others sick and because it was within the 24 hour period she was not aloud to. We did not arrive or know she was sick until within the 24 hour period. She remained in bed our entire stay in London. I’m sure the other people in our group and the many people inside BP appreciate she stayed away. Exceptions should be made on a case by case basis.
Quite a bit of walking. Be prepared. Sunday parade a bonus. Have a spot of tea to conclude your visit
I learned so much about the tradition of the changing of the guards. And there is not just one area to view this. Our guide took us to at least 7 areas of different guard duties. We were up close to the cadets that serve this duty! So interesting and Michael was so knowledgeable and made it fun! We also loved Buckingham Palace but that was on our own pace and time.
This was a fantastic tour with lots great information and viewing. But be prepared because it is a bit of walking and standing with no where to take a break. I think the older crowd wood have more trouble with this. But we absolutely loved it. We got to see the changing of the guard and the place up close and personal. Then the tour was on our through the place. It was so beautiful and cool to see inside.
This is the way to do the Royal Mall and the Changing of the Guard. You don't get trapped against the fence of Buckingham Palace, you get to wander along the mall catching the parades and other parts of the ceremonies from excellent viewing points with a guide who understands where to go, when and how to avoid the crush. Highly recommend late September when the crowds are thinner and the Buckingham Palace State Apartments tour is fabulous, self-paced and not too crowded. Being in the group allowed us to skip the lines to get in. Worth every penny for a fabulous three hours. Having an afternoon tea including a collectible tin and a stroll through the palace gardens made for a perfect time. It is a LOT of walking so be prepared and wear comfy shoes!
The tour guide Ellen was very knowledgeable and provided interesting detailed information. Unfortunately, the audio equipment that she had kept going in and out, so she couldn’t be heard.
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per personWas $96.87(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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