Delve into London’s rich royal heritage during a visit to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard Ceremony. Marvel at the traditional Changing of the Guard performance, which involves meticulously dressed soldiers marching to the rhythm of military drums. Then, enjoy an exclusive experience as you enter the opulent State Rooms of Buckingham Palace for an independent audio tour. See lavish chambers during a tour only available for two months of the year, and gain fascinating insight into the history of the British monarchy.

Buckingham Palace tour including the Changing of the Guard ceremony, led by a tour host
Wander through St James’s Park and watch the famous Changing of the Guard
Explore the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, an experience only open to the public for two months of the year
Plug into an audio guide and learn about Queen Elizabeth II and the British Royal Family

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

On this efficient tour, see the Changing of the Guard and nab hard-to-get tickets to Buckingham Palace.

What's Included

Professional host
Audio guide for Buckingham Palace
Changing of the Guard ceremony
Entrance ticket for Buckingham Palace
Headsets when appropriate

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities
Food and drinks

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Duke of York Monument
St. James's, London SW1Y 5AJ, UK
By the Duke of York Column, Waterloo Place, 9 Carlton Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ. This is the tall column with a statue on top.

Return Details

Spur Road
Spur Rd, London SW1A 1AA, UK
Inside Buckingham Palace

What To Expect

Greet your courteous guide at a central London location and stroll through the verdant splendor of St. James’ Park to Buckingham Palace, the majestic official residence of Her Majesty the Queen. Stop at a prime position before the gates to behold the impressive Changing of the Guards Ceremony, a colorful and traditional performance that combines vibrantly dressed soldiers with rhythmic drum beats.

See immaculately groomed horses and the beautifully dressed Household Cavalry canter across Horse Guards Parade, and then prepare to enter one of Britain’s most iconic cultural institutions. Listen to illuminating commentary from your guide as you stroll to the entrance of the regal residence, only open for two months of the year.

Pop in your audio guide and embark on independent exploration of Queen Elizabeth II’s luxurious State Apartments. Delight in opulent ornaments like sparkling chandeliers, classic artworks and elegantly upholstered furniture as you discover the historical rooms.

Return to the outside of Buckingham Palace and bid your guide farewell at this central location.

Please note: If there is heavy rain — or if the Changing of the Guard is rescheduled to early morning (as on some Sundays) — the ceremony will be replaced with a walking tour.

St. James's Park

Greet your courteous guide at a central London location and stroll through the verdant splendor of St. James’ Park to Buckingham Palace, the majestic official residence of Her Majesty the Queen.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Changing of the Guard

Stop at a prime position before the gates to behold the impressive Changing of the Guards Ceremony, a colorful and traditional performance that combines vibrantly dressed soldiers with rhythmic drum beats. Please note: If there is heavy rain — or if the Changing of the Guard is rescheduled to early morning (as on some Sundays) — the ceremony will be replaced with a walking tour.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Depending on the day you will see either the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace or Horse Guards Parade. The Changing of the Guard is subject to changes in date, time and cancellation at the discretion of British authorities.
On occasional Sundays may be rescheduled to early morning, this will then be replaced with an extended walking tour.
Near public transportation

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Cancellation due to bad weather is not announced before 11AM. When this occurs, customers will still see a ‘wet change’ during which the guards march but without the usual music or parade.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Please note that if you book your tour on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, you’ll experience the change of the Household Cavalry.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

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.

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 Buckingham Palace Tour Including Changing of the Guard Ceremony?

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 Buckingham Palace Tour Including Changing of the Guard Ceremony?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

It should be noted that people with disabilities need consider signing up.

Make sure you locate the meeting point ahead of time.

This is necessary because there is so much to see.

Reviews

4.5

475 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 475 reviews

Overall good tour.

Renee_P, Aug 2022

This tour started off rough, the guide was in such a hurry that some people got separated from the group, one person was separated for quite a while. It was hard to understand him, difficult to find him in a crowd, and we basically spent the first 30-45 minutes running around. We finally got a really great vantage point to see the final segment of the changing of the guard. The self-guided tour in the palace was fantastic.

Check the day for changing of the Guard

Cheryl_W, Aug 2022

The tour guide was very knowledgeable. I was disappointed that we did not see the changing of the guard as apparently that doesn’t happen on Saturdays? The inside of Buckingham Palace was amazing!

Marnie was AWESOME!!!

Karen_G, Aug 2022

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this, but it turned out to be my favorite tour. Marnie was fun, knowledgeable and just the best. Loved the audio receivers so we could hear her without having to strain above the noise. This was a fun tour.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Take this tour!

Christine_M, Aug 2022

Our guide was so nice and informative. He moved the tour along and made sure everyone got in the shade when we viewing the beautiful landmarks and listening to the stories of history. Excellent!

Tour guide Jo was amazing!!!! She made it fun

Misty_B, Aug 2022

Jo from City Wonders was absolutely amazing. She was knowledgeable and added to the experience. She was fun but also is the OG on the circuit so she will do her best to get you the best views. We loved it so much was a great choice.

I booked 4 tours through...

DEEPIKAVINOD_J, Aug 2022

I booked 4 tours through Viator and 3 were great. The Buckingham Palace one was useless, it is touted as palace changing ceremony tour, the guide made us stand far away from the palace, showed us the guards marching past on the "Mall road", then took us to one side and told us to take a toilet/food break for 20 min and come back. He then took us to palace entrance line, took the walkie-takie set back and told us to enjoy the palace at leisure and left us. All of this could have been done by oneself without paying them. Compare this to the walking tour in Edinburgh which was absolutely amazing, the "goat mountain" tour in Lake district which was great, and it is so very disappointing......

Exceptional tour guide Jo

Lorna_B, Aug 2022

Great tour experience Jo was excellent. So much knowledge made the tour exceptional. She had to deal with some awkward customers and she was so professional. We had a fantastic day x

Disappointing experience - not worth £66

Graciela_A, Aug 2022

The most memorable part of the experience was the tour inside of Buckingham Palace. Our group of seven bought £66 tickets tickets that included a tour of Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards and a walking tour. But the changing of the guards does not happen in August, according to the tour guide.. It was a disappointment. Also, trying to find the location where the walking tour would begin was unclear, so we ran around until we found the group, and then joined them. We thought this would be a good experience, but it was not. The good part of the experience was the indoor tour of Buckingham Palace, which we didn’t realize could be purchased for £30. But we had to wait for 1 hour until a tour guide could bring us into the Palace as a group.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Do not book - false advertising

Kristina_S, Aug 2022

The directions to the meeting place were insufficient and we did not catch up to our tour group until 20 past the start time. There was false advertising as there was no changing of the guard on a Saturday in August which (being from a different country) we did not know prior. Also, we had to wait 45 min. outside the palace before we could get in, and thought we would have a tour guide inside as well. We did not, and were given headphones just like everyone else who entered the castle for only $30(pounds). We paid $66/pounds for our tour which didn’t really even happen. We paid too much for this tour! I would not refer this to anyone.

1 traveler found this review helpful

London 2022

Roger_G, Aug 2022

Buckingham palace is amazing. The tour guide was very good and knowledgeable about everything on the tour.

tour guide Jo was very...

Mark_C, Aug 2022

tour guide Jo was very interesting and informative. changing of the guard was not what i expected. a lot of standing around. loved inside of the palace

Poor experience

roberta_s, Aug 2022

Tour totally mid-named. We did not see changing of guards but rather little bits and pieces of guards getting ready to match or guards returning to barracks. Repeatedly told if we listened we could hear the band! Complete waste of money. Better to have done on our own

1 traveler found this review helpful

Royal memories

Annemie_V, Aug 2022

Our last day in London before going back home, we had the chance to see the changing of the guards and Buckingham Palace. Although the changing of the guards was a bit disappointing, since we only saw a small part of it. But we learned more about it and understand why it is not easy to see the full picture all at once. The tour of Buckingham Palace made up for this and so happy to have done this. Nice ending of our vacation in London.

Disappointed, Not Worth the Expense

Judy_H, Aug 2022

We purchased this experience so we could get the best view of the changing of the guard; however, we only witnessed the horse guard ceremony (which we could have done without a tour). The tour guide was very informative, but the overall experience was a disappointment given the price.

Don't Miss the Buckingham Palace Tour!

Kathy_S, Aug 2022

I sent a message indicating that we were running a little late because of the unexpected congestion due to the celebration of the UK women's soccer team. I was disappointed to receive a completely unhelpful response that basically said too bad. I would have expected a little more understanding regarding circumstances beyond our control. But ... we made it to the tour in the nick of time and we were so glad., because this tour turned out to be the highlight of our entire UK trip! Our guide was great and visiting Buckingham Palace was absolutely awesome!

Guided Buckingham Palace tour

Amy_M, Aug 2022

Louise was a great tour guide! Very knowledgeable and fun! Definitely recommend a small group guide to give you lots of interesting info you wouldn’t learn if self guided!

Had a great time

Ellyn_L, Aug 2022

Louise was an amazing guide. She made the experience so fun. It is definitely a tour worth taking. So glad we decided to see Buckingham Palace using this tour.

Fun(ny) time!

Liliya_G, Aug 2022

Nathan was fantastic! His sense of humor, his pacing, and his energy were all easy to keep up with. Highly recommend booking and requesting Nathan!

Great trip

Kellie_P, Aug 2022

Awesome day, Great guide, Whole experience was amazin, plenty of knowledge and history shown by the guide

Outstanding tour with much to see

Matthew_C, Aug 2022

Fantastic tour had a wonderful time. Our guide Marilyn had an excellent working knowledge of where to get to the best vantage points for the changing of the guards at multiple locations. She had the patience of a saint with a large group and couldn’t be more happier that we had her as our guide. The self guided Buckingham Palace tour that followed was also excellent. Highly recommended!’

...

Questions?

Product code: 6295LOBPCGEAM

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Buckingham Palace Tour Including Changing of the Guard Ceremony

From US$81.61

Select Date and Travelers

Overview

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

What's Included

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Return Details

What To Expect

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Questions?

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