Buckingham Palace & Changing of the Guard Experience
London, England
Buckingham Palace & Changing of the Guard Experience
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
London, England
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
See Buckingham Palace, accompanied by the Changing of the Guard ceremony (on select days), on this guided walking tour in London. This hassle-free group tour shows you both of these, plus takes you on a walking tour past some of the other noteworthy royal and other buildings and landmarks in London, such as St. James’s Palace, Whitehall, and Westminster Abbey.
- See Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and other top landmarks
- Choose to visit on days when the Changing of the Guard happens
- Learn all about London’s history from your expert local guide
- Short morning tour leaves the rest of your day free to sightsee
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 234 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Sussan_C, Feb 2025
The walking tour was great I don’t think a bathroom stop was necessary on such a short trip the lines are long and we al
Oat missed the changing of the guards because of waiting for people who left the toilet break to the last minute.
Robyn_T, Feb 2025
Becky was a great tour guide! We loved all the sights and getting to see the changing of the guard. It was a wonderful 2 hour walking tour.
Ian_H, Jan 2025
This was an easy and illuminating way to enjoy the changing of the guard at St James Palace and a tour of various royal palaces and political buildings. Our tour guide Yasmin was engaging, informative and considerate.
deborah_a, Jan 2025
Be ready to walk briskly with group
And bring your questions - guide Yassir answered them all!
Fun tour!
Thornton_K, Jan 2025
This was our first activity after landing in London. Because of heavy London traffic, we arrived 5 minutes late and missed the tour entirely. That is our fault, not the guide’s. I tried in advance to let the guide know we were close, but the contact number for the tour operator was a recording that suggested I go to their website. Next time I will use a tour service that allows for contact with a human being in case we have last-minute problems.
Nancy_S, Jan 2025
Our guide made sure we met him in the correct place. He reached out to help us meet him. He knew where we should stand to get the best views of procession. He welcomed questions and knew all of the answers!
Sarah_F, Jan 2025
Yasin was excellent very friendly and knowledgeable. Good walking tour around St James and Buckingham palace to see changing of the gaurd and then through park to big ben etc
Abhijit_S, Jan 2025
This tour should have been cancelled on the days when there is no Changing of guards. I was very disappointed with this tour.
FADI_E, Dec 2024
The tour was very pleasant and informative. Yassine did a great job explaining everything and answering all questions. The experience overall was great and totally worth it!
Michael_V, Nov 2024
The tour itself (points of interest) was great. The issue was the guide. Seems like "Becky" didn't have too much information about the 'Changing of the Guards' We learned more from listening in on a group next to us. Becky was very soft spoken and didn't understand how her microphone/ amplifier worked. And with our group (25 or so) only 1/2 of the group could hear her describing items of interest.
Mario_R, Nov 2024
Eyhtian (I hope I got the name right) our tour guide was great. He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear and understand clearly and he also was very informative while keeping the tour fun. Thank you for a great tour. Cheers
David_J, Nov 2024
Yasin was fantastic, very helpful and made our time so much fun would recommend this to friends and family.
Sarah_N, Oct 2024
Becky was a wonderful tour guide navigating a large group through such a massive crowd. Her narrative was well informed, gracious and well crafted.
ilanzed, Oct 2024
To attend the change of Guards which was a primary interest while in London. The excursion was at least disappointing. We saw little or nothing. We “lost” the guide or the guide lost us and we were completely lost what to do and where among a large crowd
Laurie_H, Oct 2024
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the tour. I was ill and needed to go to Windsor Hospital. I have bronchitis. I was very disappointed I was unable to go. I leave for US tomorrow. Yassine helped me to receive a refund. I am very grateful. Excellent customer service!!
James_S, Oct 2024
Ollie was a great tour guide. Getting us in the right place at the right time. He really made it enjoyable.
Megan_S, Oct 2024
Becky was great! We were able to see a lot of royal buildings and get pictures with the horses. Recommend!
Jeremy_J, Oct 2024
Good tour however title is misleading. Read the fine print. The Changing of the Guard does not happen daily and is FREE to view from Buckingham Palace or St. James Place. We had to come back a second day to view the ceremony.
Wayne_V, Sep 2024
The first thing our tour guide told us”we will not be seeing the changing of the guard today because it was raining this morning.” The second thing was “I don’t work for this company so give me a moment to orient myself.” When we proceeded- we were blocked everywhere because there was a 10k race and the roads were blocked by barricades- there were thousands of people running! The tour company had to have known that this would be the case because there were signs everywhere that notified the public that the streets would be closed. Finally the tour guide gave up-he notified the tour company owner and they said they would give us a free tour the next day-however, since we paid $400 for round trip transportation from our ship in Southampton to London- that would not be possible. I booked this tour through Viator and extremely disappointed!!
David_F, Sep 2024
Sadly due to the London Marathon there was not a changing of the guard . One would think you would know that. Rebecca was a nice person but she had a big group and walked entirely to fast for many. We decided to all get close to Buckingham palace. It was a crowed mad house. She left many people way behind and we never caught up to her again. Many were left to get their own way back. She should have stopped often to let the group catch up with her. I guess on another day it would be fine if the guards were changing. So we paid our fees but did NOT see the main event and then missed the whole ending and place where we were to end. Personally I would like some kind of refund. The part of the tour we did was fine!!
Sandra_D, Sep 2024
Our guide was very knowledgeable about every aspect of our tour and had a great personality. Which made it very enjoyable. We had a wonderful experience.
Dara_S, Sep 2024
We had a wonderful tour which really packed a punch. Our guide was punctual and very friendly . He really knew his subject and made the 2 hour Changing of the Gaurd so memorable, knowledgeable and enjoyable. Thank you so much.
Nivine_S, Aug 2024
This was a scam. All people who booked thought we will enter backingham palace but we just saw change of guard infront of buckingham palace
ernestovdeleon, Aug 2024
Great tour, explanation very clear and interesting the tourist guide was very nice and very knowledgeable
Joshua_R, Jul 2024
I went to the meeting place of where I was informed to go at 10am and nobody was there. I callled the cell phone of the tour operator 4 times and nobody answered the phone. This place is a scam and not responsive at all! Do not use them!!! They did not even refund me yet!
Kate_L, Jul 2024
Our guide J was great. However we never went into any of the buildings, didn’t really get anything different than if I went on my own.
Michele_E, Jul 2024
We really enjoyed the tour. The guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable. We had great spot for the changing of the guard portion of the tour. He was careful to keep the group together and adjusted the pace to the groups needs.
Karen_K, Jul 2024
Yason was so knowledgeable. The best tour guide ever! He is a great photographer also! Thank you for an amazing tour of London.
Geri_S, Jun 2024
Lovely tour. Have been to London a few times, but never tried to coordinate see the guard change. The guide knew where to go so we did not have to spend too much time waiting around. He was very knowledgeable with a sense of humor. Also a great photographer, happy to take pictures of the whole group.
klhilbun, Jun 2024
We enjoyed all the stories, trivia, and information our tour guide shared with us. We had a wonderful time not only seeing The Changing of the Guards, but also walking through portions of London. We were shown interesting places and sites and were shown the best places to see and photograph these sites. It was a highlight of our trip.
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