Changing of the Guard Guided Tour at Buckingham Palace
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London, England
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
No visit to London would be complete without experiencing quintessential traditions such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Your guide takes you to a prime vantage point—difficult to find on your own—to observe the King's iconic foot guards, clad in red uniforms and bearskin hats, and watch the Household Cavalry put on an impressive display.
- View one of London's most celebrated royal traditions
- Learn insider stories and facts you wouldn't uncover on your own
- Head to a prime vantage spot for top-notch views
- Headsets are included so you catch your guide's every word
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
A dynamic route ensures you get the best views—and photos—of this classic London ritual.
What's Included
- Changing of the Guard as it unfolds on a fully guided walking tour
- Learn how tradition, discipline, and pageantry come together in this historic royal event
- Expert, English-speaking tour guide providing live commentary throughout the experience
- If Option Selected: Entry to the Royal Mews (official horse stables of the Royal Family)
- If Option Selected: Tickets to the King’s Gallery (Exhibit: Queen Elizabeth II – Her Life in Style)
- Headsets when appropriate
- Gratuities
- Entrance to Buckingham Palace
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Duke of York ColumnLondon SW1Y 5AJ, UK
PLEASE NOTE! THE MEETING POINT IS NOT AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. By the Duke of York Column, Waterloo Place, 9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ. This is the tall column with a statue on top.
End point
- Buckingham PalaceLondon SW1A 1AA, UK
Outside Buckingham Palace
Itinerary
Start your walking tour by meeting your guide at the Duke of York Column at the end of Regent Street. Hear your guide better by putting on your included headset as you brush up on local history—including an overview of the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Instead of seeing the ceremony from outside of Buckingham Palace with crowds of tourists, visit lesser-known spots to get the best views while hearing commentary that unpacks each part of the tradition.
Your tour ends outside of Buckingham Palace, giving you free time to explore the area on your own.
Instead of seeing the ceremony from outside of Buckingham Palace with crowds of tourists, visit lesser-known spots to get the best views while hearing commentary that unpacks each part of the tradition.
Your tour ends outside of Buckingham Palace, giving you free time to explore the area on your own.
Duke Of York Column (Pass By)
The Mall (Pass By)
1
Changing of the Guard
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Memorial (Pass By)
Clarence House (Pass By)
St. James's Park (Pass By)
St. James's Palace (Pass By)
Buckingham Palace (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- The Changing of the Guard ceremony is subject to changes in date, time and cancellation at the discretion of British authorities. Cancellation due to bad weather is not announced before 11am. Even when cancelled, customers will still see a ‘wet change’ during which the guards march but without the usual music and parade.
- Please note weather is very changeable in London, please ensure you have rainproof clothing
- Please note that the changing of the guard schedule may change and on different dates we will see either footguards or horseguards
- On Sundays, a slightly different version of the ceremony takes place, known as the "Sunday Parade".
- Please note that access to the Royal Mews, the official stables of the British Royal Family, and The King’s Gallery for a unique viewing of Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is only available if the 'Upgrade Option' is selected
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 1,105 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Cecily was a wonderful tour guide. Not only was she informative but she had a wealth of interesting stories! We liked having the earpieces to hear her plus she spoke slowly and was easy to understand.
Our guide dud a nice job of keeping the group together abd waiting for the slower people. It would have been nice if the Changing of the Guard sequence was told to us up front. We had no clue why we were running g from St James Palace to Buckingham Palace to Wellington Barracks. Plus when we booked this tour it said we woukd have a great view at Buckingham. That was NOT true. We were far outside the gates and couldn't see anything. The entire thing was confusing.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Michele,
Thank you for your feedback.
We’re glad to hear our guide did a great job keeping the group together and looking after those who needed a little more time.
We’re sorry, however, that the Changing of the Guard experience felt confusing and that the viewing point at Buckingham Palace did not meet your expectations. Guides try their best to bring clients to the best viewpoints, however this is still a free event.
We appreciate your comments and will share them with our team to help improve the way the tour is explained and communicated.
Jay expertly navigated our group through a very busy area managing to park at great vantage points to take in the action.
Cecily was not a good guide. She seemed bored, did not get us into position to see the first part of the morning changing activities, and had no idea what to do and seemed to not care when a member of our group sustained a trip and fall injury on the tour. At the entrance to the Royal Mews, which we and the rest of the group had paid for as part of the tour, we all had to stand around waiting for about a half hour while somebody else from the tour company came down to exchange vouchers for tickets. I would not recommend this company/experience.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Dear Gia_S,
Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointing experience you and your group had on the tour. We are truly sorry for the lack of engagement and support from the guide.
We also recognize how frustrating it must have been to wait outside the Royal Mews for voucher exchanges, as this is certainly not the seamless experience we strive to provide.
We greatly appreciate your comments, as they bring important areas for improvement to light. Please rest assured that we will follow up directly with the guide and our operations team to address these issues.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope you will give us another opportunity in the future to provide you with the exceptional experience you deserve.
Sooo worth it! tour guide was great, so knowledgeable and helped us find the perfect spot for the best views. so much fun!
Great tour Gide, very clear and forming commentary, truly enjoyable tour and you will get many chances to take great pictures.
This is a great way to see main parts of multiple charging of guards (different locations that go on simultaneously)! Our guide was very knowledgeable, told great stories and was personable! Highly recommend.
This was an amazing way to experience Changing of the Guard. Our commentator Michael knew exactly what was going to happen and where so we were able to move around and get multiple angles/views!
This was a must-do experience in London. The guide, Paul, offered a wealth of knowledge and did a great job keeping the group together and staking out good viewing points at a very crowded and chaotic event. Highly recommended!
Check in is a bit disorganized but our tour guide Flora was terrific. She was knowledgeable and friendly. Good value for $$.
Our guide Katrina was super fun! She seemed to know the perfect spots! I have never seen something so amazing!
It was good experience to watch the guards but I feell it would be more better if we could watch the full show infront of the Buckingham gates . It was almost 15 to 20 min performance inside the Palace which we didn’t see it .
Excellent historical facts—not too much, not too little (made a long story short). Excellent spots to see the different parts of the Changing of the Guard. Guide (Louise) had a great sense of humor and was very knowledgeable. Easy to book. Easy to find. Easy to communicate.
The guide was very knowledgeable, and he pointed out things we would not have seen if we were to do this on our own.
An incredible experience. Our guide, Natalie, was amazing! She knew all the best places to stand and was very knowledgeable. And due to her knowledge, she set us up to see and wave to King Charles as he commuted from St. James to Buckingham Palace! Would definitely recommend!
Our guide (Aaron) provided us with a little history, a little gossip, and a prime location for the viewing of the changing of the guard. Definitely glad we didn't try to take our chances with finding a spot.
Our tour guide (forgot his name ) was great. He captivated our attention with great stories of the royals from the start and expertly guided us through the large crowds to a front row seat at the barracks at the end of the tour for the guards coming in at the end of their shifts.
Royal family tour for the area of London that houses them and the changing of the gaurd at Buckingham Palace.
Natalie with City Wonders was amazing. We got a great spot for each part of the changing of the guards. She even got us in front for the king moving to the palace.
Your guide was rude to start with and then acted as if he were trying to be more a comedian than an informative tour guide. He needs to also understand that guests from other countries do not appreciate having their home country insulated by his attempts at humor. I’ve booked many tours through Viator over the years and five total on this trip alone. I will be considering other operators in the future.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Tom,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are very sorry to hear about your experience on the tour.
The behavior you describe does not align with the standards we expect from our guides. Our guides are trained to be respectful, professional, and considerate of guests from all backgrounds and nationalities.
As we would need to investigate this matter further, we kindly ask that you contact City Wonders directly with additional details about your tour experience. This will allow our team to review the situation thoroughly and address any concerns appropriately.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and hope to have the opportunity to look into this further.
I would’ve given it 5 stars but the weather didn’t cooperate. The changing of the guard did not happen due to constant rain. Our guide was great despite everything!
Rainy day trying to see Changing of the Guard. Guide was quite knowledgeable and friendly. Made best of wet weather.
The tour was really good and very insightful. However, with this tour we did not get up close to Buckingham Palace to see the ceremony there. But we did get to see several other Changing of The Guards ceremonies and our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the different types of guard changes and history.
Amazing and awesome. The lady who did our tour was wonderful and informative.
Great tour. We saw every little detail.
Phillip was great. We enjoyed the tour. He was helpful and very knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour to others.
Our guide, Louise, was wonderful! She was informative and entertaining. She got us to the right spots at the right times in spite of the rain! We got to see the King travel to Buckingham Palace!
The beefeaters were wonderful. But Our tour guide Louisa/Louise was on her phone a lot, basically scrolling on Instagram. Swearing inappropriately when we had children., Didn’t like that at all.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Stef_D,
Thank you for your feedback. We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed the Beefeaters, but we're sorry to learn that your experience with the tour guide did not meet expectations.
The behavior you describe is concerning and does not reflect the level of professionalism we expect from our guides. We would appreciate the opportunity to investigate this matter further. If you could please send us your booking reference and tour date, we will be happy to review your comments with the appropriate team.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We had a great experience. The meeting location was easy to find & our guide was fantastic! She guided us to the perfect viewing locations & did a wonderful job of explaining the details of what we were watching.
Seeing the changing of the royal guard during the.preparations for King Charles' birthday was the icing on the cake Jo our guide was exceptional, deserves all my respect, she knows EVERYTHING about the monarchy and the way she explained it to us with patience, clarity and humo...
Our guide Kevin was phenomenal. He was very personable knowledgeable. He explained what we were going to see, the history behind it, and then took us to prime viewing spots including for a location where the band and guards going off duty literally marched right up to us before turning into the gate to the palace.
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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