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Private Tower of London Opening Ceremony with Changing of The Guard and Cruise
Badge of ExcellenceGreater London, United Kingdom
From US$85.32
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London Tours
Attractions
Recommendations
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Discover London’s royal history and sights on a London tour by foot and boat. Start with an early access visit to the Tower of London to see the opening ceremony and Crown Jewels without the usual daytime crowds. Then, take to the water on a half-hour River Thames sightseeing cruise. Stroll to Horse Guard’s Parade or Buckingham Palace to see the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony, and learn all about the British Royal Family from a knowledgeable local guide.
- Guided walking tour of London’s royal sights including the Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard
- Enjoy early access to the Tower of London and see the dazzling Crown Jewels
- See top attractions including Big Ben and the London Eye on a Thames River cruise
- Watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace or Horse Guards Parade
- See Buckingham Palace and learn about Queen Elizabeth II
- Listen to insightful commentary about London’s royal highlights from a guide
What's Included
- VIP early-access tickets to Tower of London
- Thames River Sightseeing Cruise
- Headsets, when needed
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Meeting And Pickup
Meeting point
- 1 Tower Hl Ter1 Tower Hl Ter, London EC3N 4EE, UK
Meeting Point Details: Directly in front of the Ticket Office at Tower of London, look for the City Wonders sign. Arriving by tube: Tower Hill Tube Station: Head west turn right towards Trinity Square, turn left onto Trinity Square, Tower of London - 3 min walk
End point
- Buckingham PalaceLondon SW1A 1AA, UK
This service ends at Buckingham Palace
What To Expect
Arrive at the Tower of London in the morning, and head inside with your early access ticket. Beating the crowds that appear later in the day, you’ll be one of the first inside the site. See the opening ceremony performed by the Beefeater guards, and then explore on your own. Highlights include the Jewel House — home to the Crown Jewels — along with the East Wall Walk, Medieval Palace, Traitors' Gate and the Tower Green: site of many an execution.
Late, at a prearranged time, meet your guide outside the tower and head to the pier. Hop aboard a Thames River cruise boat, and glide along the river into central London. Have your camera ready to capture snaps of some of London’s legendary landmarks as you go; Shakespeare’s Globe, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral are all on the route.
From the pier at Embankment, walk with your guide to Horse Guard’s Parade or Buckingham Palace. See the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony, carried out by the red-coated soldiers of the Household Cavalry or Queen’s Foot Guard.
Continue to a vantage spot outside Buckingham Palace to see the balcony where the British Royal Family stand at events, and then bid your guide goodbye.
Please note: If the weather is poor on the day, the timing of the Changing of the Guard may be changed. In the event of this happening, this element of the experience will be replaced with an extended walking tour.
Late, at a prearranged time, meet your guide outside the tower and head to the pier. Hop aboard a Thames River cruise boat, and glide along the river into central London. Have your camera ready to capture snaps of some of London’s legendary landmarks as you go; Shakespeare’s Globe, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral are all on the route.
From the pier at Embankment, walk with your guide to Horse Guard’s Parade or Buckingham Palace. See the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony, carried out by the red-coated soldiers of the Household Cavalry or Queen’s Foot Guard.
Continue to a vantage spot outside Buckingham Palace to see the balcony where the British Royal Family stand at events, and then bid your guide goodbye.
Please note: If the weather is poor on the day, the timing of the Changing of the Guard may be changed. In the event of this happening, this element of the experience will be replaced with an extended walking tour.
Tower of London
Visiting inside
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Buckingham Palace
Visiting from outside
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Please note: Seeing the Changing of the Guard is weather dependent and on occasional Sundays may be rescheduled to early morning, this will then be replaced with an extended walking tour
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Please note that if you book your tour on Tuesday and Thursday, you’ll experience the change of the Household Cavalry.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
about cancellations.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Private Tower of London Opening Ceremony with Changing of The Guard and Cruise?
A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
Q:What is the social distancing policy during Private Tower of London Opening Ceremony with Changing of The Guard and Cruise?
A:The policy on social distancing is:
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Traveler Photos
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Traveler Tips
Worth the money for the early entrance to the Tower and the Crown Jewels and to experience the opening of the Tower.
It is really a must for fans of English history and/or the monarchy.
This tour is worth the money for just that fact alone.
Reviews
4.5
245 reviews
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 245 reviews
Just do it
Steven_R, Aug 2022
Great job. Smaller group was the way to go. Great guide. Knew her stuff and was enthusiastic too. Brought it all alive
Lived up to your description
virginia_b, Aug 2022
Our guide was great. We also got in quickly and he timed the changing of the guard perfectly. He was very knowledgeable
Highly Recommend this Tour!
Michele_O, Aug 2022
What an amazing experience with Michael! The Tower of London was self guided and then the Thames river tour was a great way to get to see the changing of the guard and then to visit the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Michael was a wealth of knowledge and had us situated at the perfect spots to see the ceremonial changing of the guards!!
Must see Tower of London
Larry_A, Aug 2022
Great directions to meet up with the tour. Margaret, our tour guide had a great sense of humor as she told us the stories about the Tower of London. My wife and I were amazed and had a terrific time learning and seeing all about the place. The boat cruise and Buckingham palace were like an added bonus. We highly recommend this tour.
A great walking tour
Sandra_B, Aug 2022
Michael is an excellent guide - very knowledgeable, kind and funny. Wear comfortable shoes! Loads of walking and we’ll worth it.
Great tour with Natalie
Brooke_C, Jul 2022
Our guide Natalie was fantastic! Fun and super knowledgeable about everything we saw. Would highly recommended her and this tour.
Good tour
Jesper_L, Jul 2022
Informative tour. It was fun.
But prepare for a bit of walking.
Loved the tour of the tower.
The boat ride was a nice rest.
Very dissapointed by this tour
Angie_B, Jul 2022
The tour guide we met was very nice and gave us a few facts about the Tower of London before we entered.
However, we were asked to meet for 8.15am and didn't go into the Tower until 9.10am!
The tickets were purchased for the wrong day and luckily the lady checking the tickets let the group of 25 in. The poor tour guide was incredibly embarrassed.
There was no opening ceremony and we believed we would get a guided tour inside the Tower.
However, we didn't get into the venue until 9.10am and needed to meet the guide at the exit for 9.55am to catch the cruise.
We decided not to go on the cruise to the changing of the guide, as we wouldn't have been able to see much of the Tower.
This was a treat for my son who is doing a History degree.
I was very dissapointed and wouldn't recommend this tour.
We are from London and could go back if we wanted to, but people from other countries would be dissapointed with the time you get in the Tower.
Early tower access
Kristen_A, Jul 2022
First thing arrival and access to Tower was great. The time allotted for touring the Tower was a bit short. Tour guide was good.
Worth it for early access to the crown jewels
Kimberly_B, Jul 2022
The tour guide was great and very informative. This is worth it for the person may not want to stand in line for two hours to see the crown jewels. We were the first ones in and by the time we got out the line was huge. Not much time to visit the tower after but that was ok with our family. Took a Uber boat to Trafalgar square to see the changing of the guard.
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Product code: 6295LOBLGEAM
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