Useful things to know before your visit
Address: Buckingham Palace, The Mall SW1A 1AA. Telephone: 0303 123 7300. Website: rct.uk
How much do the tickets cost?
You can book adult tickets online in advance from £33, young adults (aged 18-24) from £21, and children (5-17 years) from £16. Infants under-5 are free. If you pay on the day then it’s more expensive: adults are from £37, young adults (aged 18-24) are from £24, and children are from £18.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 9.30am to 7.30pm (Mon-Sun, early Jul to Aug); 9.30am to 6.30pm (Mon and Thu-Sun, Sep). Last entry is 2 hours before closing time.
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to Buckingham Palace takes 2 to 2½ hours.
Which buses go to Buckingham Palace?
Bus routes 11, 211, C1 and C10 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is St. James’s Park, which connects with the Circle and District lines. You can walk the ⅖ mile to Buckingham Palace in about 7 minutes.
Which other attractions are nearby?
These attractions are all within 15 minutes walk of Buckingham Palace: King’s Gallery, Wellington Barracks, Guards’ Museum, Royal Mews, Green Park, St. James’s Palace, Westminster Cathedral, St. James’s Park, Wellington Arch and Apsley House.
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Email My review of Buckingham Palace
The King and Queen must dread the Summer Opening – it’s a bit like having a million in-laws come round your house at Christmas. But they’ve got a big advantage over the hoi polloi because when we takeover their home they’re already halfway up the M1 for two months in Balmoral. If you’re hoping to surprise them then forget it – they’re 400 miles away in Scotland. They’ve gone. They’re outta here!
Photo: londondrum.comIf you buy your ticket in advance then you can choose an arrival time and bypass the first gate (I definitely recommend doing that). If you take your chances on the day then you’ll have to join the back of a lengthy line that wraps around the railings and listen to the smartly-dressed staff all doing their best to direct the guests into the correct paddock. “Entry gate A B C, pre-booked tickets over there ma’am, timed entry pay on the day, this one’s just for groups, sir!”
Once you make it into the tented waiting zone you’ll start to feel like a lemonade bottle on one of those factory labelling machines, being bumped down a conveyor belt past all the robotic hands and scanners. They make you take your belt off, put your phone and coat and keys through an airport x-ray machine, then wave a 22nd century tri-corder over your bones while you hold your arms out like a tree. If you’ve got any outstanding parking tickets or overdue library books then you may as well forget it because security is super tight – they probably even frisk the King.
Photo: londondrum.comTour of the State Rooms - Grand Hall & Throne Room
Eventually you’ll make it into the Quadrangle and head up the steps to the Grand Hall. When you step through the Throne Room’s double-doors Handel’s Coronation Anthem will pipe up on your headphones and immediately give you goosebumps. Changing the Guard was happening across the forecourt this morning so all of their military music was drifting in through the open window and I had bombastic anthems coming at me from two different directions – if the King had paraded in at that exact moment then I would have bowed down and pledged my allegiance, no doubt about it.
They always have a little exhibition in here which this year included the official family photo taken straight after the King’s Coronation. In previous years I’ve seen a few tables laid out with the country’s top gongs and military medals. After having a good look around I decided I wanted a CBE or an Order of Merit, but if they’d run out of those then I would have settled for a knighthood or fifty quid’s worth of book vouchers (I’m not fussy).
You need to prepare yourself for the crowd because all of these rooms will be absolutely packed full of people – maybe fifty to a hundred people per room – all busy swiping the screens on their audioguide to bring up a few photos and listen to the commentary. Unfortunately they only provide about two minutes talking for each location because they need to keep the flow going, so it can start to feel like you’re being herded through the rooms on a conveyor belt of carpet.
Picture Gallery, with paintings from the Royal Collection
The Picture Gallery is where they keep the cream of the Royal Collection with a wall full of Canaletto’s and Old Masters by Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck and Vermeer. It’s like the best of the National Gallery condensed down into a single room.
After that comes the East Gallery with its paintings of Queen Victoria on her coronation day.
Ballroom & State Dining Room
The main exhibition always begins in the big Ballroom where they hold the State dinners and investitures. It’s always something pretty spectacular and this year they had the King and Queen’s Coronation gowns on display. In previous years I’ve seen everything from Faberge eggs and diamond tiaras to Meghan and Kate’s wedding gowns.
There’s usually another little exhibition in the State Dining Room straight after. The best one I’ve seen was a display case of gifts donated by visiting Heads of State. They seem to receive a lot of porcelain plates so don’t buy them any crockery for Christmas for chrissakes, because they’ve got cupboards of the stuff.
Music Room & White Drawing Room
Then it’s through the Music Room where they traditionally christen the babies and the spectacular White Drawing Room with its famous Table of the Great Commanders, once owned by Napoleon.
They really should hand out some sunglasses as you enter here because it looks like the centre of the sun with its garish gold and crystal chandelier hanging ten feet off the ceiling. It reminds me of one of those nuclear fusion chambers where scientists are trying to create a star.
This room is also where you’ll discover a secret door in the corner… a mirrored table which swings open to reveal the King emerging from his private apartments – surprise!
Marble Hall, Bow Room & Cafe overlooking the gardens
The last part of the tour takes you past the statues and sculptures in the Marble Hall and then you walk through the Bow Room onto the veranda out the back, where the large garden party lawn is laid out before you.
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comThe veranda might be my favourite part of the day because you can buy yourself a cup of Earl Grey tea in the restaurant (I know it tastes like perfume but it’s what the King drinks so you’re having some – no arguing!). Treat yourself to a cucumber sandwich as well. They cut the crusts off and slice them up into triangles here. All of the food seems to come with half a strawberry on top and a sprig of greenery that nobody knows if they can eat.
Guided tour of the ornamental gardens
You always get to see a small part of the garden as you walk towards the exit, but they send you round the back of the lake down a pathway full of pine cones and pine needles. If you want to see the beautiful flowerbeds then you have to stump up a supplement for the Garden Highlights Tour.
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comMy garden guide today was was a very friendly fella with a posh persona and a side sauce of camp – exactly the right kind of colourful character you’d want leading you round a palace residence. Most of his talk was about the shrubs and plants, telling us what genus they were, which country they originated from, which monarch planted which tree, etc., and he pointed out the King and Queen’s private apartments round the side of the building as well (you can’t actually see much, you just get a glimpse of the big windows from afar). But if you’re hoping for some British history then I would skip it because it was more about the flowers than anything else.
I’ve ranked Buckingham Palace as ★1 in the best photo spots in London, ★3 in my top 25 London bucket list and ★6 in London’s most famous landmarks
It also appears in my how to spend one day in London itineraries, two days in London itinerary, two-day London itinerary for families and one week in London itinerary
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What do you think? (16)
Average rating ★★★★★★★★★★Ask a question, or share your experience of Buckingham Palace
Sue This was such a wonderful experience. I have always been a Royalist since the days of Charles and Diana’s romance and to see so many masterpieces, lavish furnishings and the beautiful gardens, and stand in the rooms where Royalty dines and entertains, really made my holiday. I would definitely recommend it to everyone! (reply)
Diane If we come during the autumn when the State Rooms are closed, what will we be able to do at Buckingham Palace? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Diane. Just look at it really – you won’t be able to go inside. But you can visit the King’s Gallery round the corner which contains some of the Royal Art Collection. The Royal Mews is just down the road as well, which contains the State coaches and limos. (reply)
SH I would like to inquire how we get from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle? (reply)
↳Craig Hi SH. You have to catch a train from Waterloo which takes just under an hour. The best way to get from Buckingham Palace to Waterloo is to just walk it, past Trafalgar Square and across Hungerford Bridge. It’s not worth getting the tube from St. James’s Park because you’ll have to change at Westminster after just one stop. (reply)
Emily Would we be able to take photos inside, and if so are there any restricted areas for cameras? Thank you. (reply)
↳Craig Hi Emily. You’re not allowed to take any photos inside the palace, or on the garden tour. The only place you can take photos is on the veranda out the back, overlooking the lawn, and along the path down the side of the lawn that leads to the exit – but that does at least give you a good view of the back of the palace. (reply)
Joanna Can anybody recommend which is the best train station to arrive at London from Loughborough please? Thankyou. (reply)
↳Craig Hi Joanna. Trains from Loughborough arrive into St. Pancras. You can get the Victoria line from King’s Cross next-door straight to Green Park. The Palace is a short walk across the park. (reply)
Norm Can you just have tea at Buckingham Palace. (reply)
↳Craig Hi Norm. No, not without going on the tour. The cafe is on the veranda out the back, so you have to walk through the palace to get there. (reply)
MsP Having already been to Windsor Castle and loved it immensely I was already knowing the kind of splendour to expect, but to say that Buckingham Palace took my breath away is an understatement! What an amazing palace. And it is even more impressive inside given that the outside is rather less than impressive. You walk in not really expecting to see the kind of riches that you do. Everything, from the furniture, ceilings and even the wallpaper is sumptuous. You really do appreciate the kind of impression that visiting foreign heads of state must get when they meet the King. Everything is designed to impress. (reply)
Bernard Hi Craig, Greetings from America! Is Buckingham Palace open all year round to visitors or is it just during the summer? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Bernard. It’s only open during the summer, usually from the last week of July to the first week of September. If you don’t mind splashing out a bit more money then they usually put on some ‘exclusive evening tours’ from the last week of December to early February – events/?p=38894 (reply)
Harris What time does Changing the Guard start? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Harris. The ceremony itself is from 10:45 to 11:30, but you’ll have to get there early if you want a good viewing spot. If you want the very best spot up against the railings then you’ll have to get there as early as 9:30. Check out my review for the full details – events/?p=18995 (reply)
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