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Buckingham Palace Skip-the-Line Tour with Changing of the Guard

5/5
1 reviews

Experience two of London’s most iconic royal highlights in one unforgettable visit, combining the Changing of the Guard with expert commentary and rare seasonal access inside Buckingham Palace.

Meet your guide at the Duke of York Column and head through London’s royal district towards the best available viewing point for the Changing of the Guard. Watch this world-famous tradition unfold while your guide brings the ceremony to life with stories about its history, uniforms, music and military pageantry.

After the ceremony, continue through St James’s Park towards Buckingham Palace, discovering more about the monarchy, palace life and the royal landmarks surrounding the area.

At Buckingham Palace, your guide will provide background information and practical instructions before your pre-booked entrance to the State Rooms. As live guiding is not permitted inside, you’ll continue independently using the official multimedia guide, available in multiple languages.

Explore the magnificent State Rooms at your own pace and admire grand ceremonial interiors, historic furnishings, fine porcelain, paintings, chandeliers and treasures from the Royal Collection during the Palace’s limited seasonal opening.

Main features

Free cancellation
Place: London
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Language:English
Mobile voucher accepted

Additional features

Instant confirmation
Skip the line
Entrance Fees Included
Guided Tour
e-Voucher
Group tour
With audioguide

Why you’ll love this…

  • You'll experience the iconic Changing of the Guard from the best available viewing point
  • There's an expert English-speaking guide to share royal traditions, pageantry and palace history
  • The tour includes a walk through St James's Park and London's historic royal district before your palace visit
  • You can explore Buckingham Palace at your own pace with the official multimedia guide, available in multiple languages

Important to know

Accessibility:

  • Not suitable for wheelchair users or guests with any impairments requiring special assistance
  • It is not possible to bring strollers or baby carriages

Not allowed:

  • Photography is not permitted within Buckingham Palace but is allowed within the gardens

Know in advance:

  • The Changing of the Guard is controlled by the British authorities and is subject to changes in schedule, cancellation, weather and security conditions
  • Do not schedule a tightly timed activity immediately after the experience, as palace entry, security procedures, ceremony changes, and the self-paced multimedia visit may affect the finish time
  • The Changing of the Foot Guards normally takes place on selected days. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, there is no Changing of the Foot Guards and an extended royal or Westminster walking tour will be provided instead
  • On days without the Changing of the Foot Guards, you may be able to see the Changing of the Horse Guards at Horse Guards Parade, but this cannot be guaranteed
  • On occasional Sundays, the ceremony may be rescheduled to early morning and may not be seen during the tour
  • The guided portion has a set duration; the Buckingham Palace visit afterwards is self-guided and can be enjoyed at your own pace
  • The Buckingham Palace multimedia guide is available for adults in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Mandarin. A family multimedia tour is available in English
  • 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
  • The tour operator will do everything within their power to ensure timings and itineraries are respected. However, due to issues beyond their control, timings and sites are subject to last-minute changes on rare occasions. Please be aware that some locations may be unavoidably busy during standard hours due to the popularity of London's sites

Cancellation policy

Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 24 hours before the experience begins.


What’s included

  • Entrance fees
  • Guided walking tour
  • Headsets (to hear the guide)
  • Multilingual audio commentary

Booking fee

Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.


Location

9 Carlton House Terrace, St. James's, London SW1Y 5AG, UK

Meeting point:

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. Arriving by tube: Take the tube to Piccadilly Circus and take exit No. 3 onto Regent Street/St James. Walk south down Regent Street towards St James Park (do not walk north towards Oxford Street). Waterloo Place is at the end of Regent Street. You will see the tall column with a statue on top. You can also arrive via Charing Cross Station. Walk down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace, you will see the statue on your right at the top of some steps.

Provider

City Wonders


What people say about this experience

5/5

All reviews are verified

Based on 1 reviews


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  • M

    Maloi

    Traveled as a couple


    July 20, 2025
    5

    Germany

    Die Tour war sehr informativ und der Guide hat ein sehr verständliches und einfaches Englisch gesprochen. Leider konnten wir aufgrund des schlechten Wetters den Wachwechsel nicht miterleben. Dennoch war es ein unvergessliches Erlebnis und ist auf jedenfall weiter zu empfehlen.