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Buckingham Palace
See the outside for free, then pay for the State Rooms only if palace interiors really matter to you. Changing of the Guard is famous, but turn up too late and it's more crowd management than magic, with half a view at best.
Buckingham Palace is The King's official London home, the balcony you've seen in every royal wedding photo, and the building most people picture when they think monarchy. The outside and the Changing of the Guard cost nothing. The paid State Rooms tour runs only in summer, gets busy, and is worth the money only if you genuinely want to see the rooms, the art, and the ceremonial side of things.
Worth it for
- First-time London visitors who want the classic royal stop
- Travelers who care about the monarchy, ceremonial interiors, or Royal Collection art
You can skip if
- Crowds, queuing at railings, and timed tourist routes wear you down
- You'd rather spend your attraction money on Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, or Windsor Castle
Our pick for Buckingham Palace
Go inside when the State Rooms are open: you get the ceremonial rooms, Royal Collection art, and the palace interiors most people only see from the railings. If you mainly want the spectacle outside, book a guided guard-change walk so you are moved to better viewpoints instead of guessing from the back of the crowd.
If our pick doesn't fit
The Royal Collection Trust sells the timed State Rooms tickets itself, with the multimedia guide included and no reseller markup, and the summer slots sell out so booking early on the official site is the safe move.
Official ticketsCheaper way to catch the ceremony with a guide who moves you to the best viewpoints, without paying for the palace interior.
Pairs palace interior entry with a guided Royal London walk if you want the historical context around it.
See all options for Buckingham Palace
What travelers flag about Buckingham Palace
We weighed recent London traveler opinion on Buckingham Palace against the provider reviews. These are the themes that came up again and again.
- Inside is summer-onlyReported by many
The State Rooms open to visitors for only about ten weeks in late summer, roughly July to September, plus a few select dates, and they are pricey. If your trip falls outside that window the inside is simply not an option, and even in season opinions on whether it is worth the ticket are mixed.
- Changing of the Guard is freeReported by many
The ceremony outside costs nothing. It does not run every day, so check the official schedule, and get to the railings or the Victoria Memorial a good 45 minutes to an hour early for any kind of view, because it draws big crowds.
- Locals say do a different palaceReported by several
A steady refrain from Londoners: the interior is the least interesting of the royal palaces, and Hampton Court Palace or Windsor Castle give you far more for a history visit. Many suggest seeing Buckingham from the gates for free and spending your paid palace time elsewhere.
Sourced from recent traveler discussions, not provider reviews. We only flag what several visitors independently reported, and the bars show how widely each point came up.
Which ticket should you buy?
What You Actually See
From the street you get the famous east front, the gates, the Victoria Memorial, the forecourt, and on a good day the guards. That's the postcard shot, and nobody charges you for it.
Getting inside is a separate matter. The State Rooms open to the public in summer, and Royal Collection Trust lists the 2026 dates as 9 July to 27 September. You walk through the ceremonial rooms used for official entertaining and then exit past the garden. You don't roam the whole palace, and you don't get anywhere near the private royal quarters.
Changing The Guard
Changing of the Guard is free, and the catch is no secret. You're dealing with crowds, a wait, railings in the way, blocked sightlines, and the odd weather cancellation. The Household Division normally schedules the King's Guard change at Buckingham Palace on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am, but that calendar shifts for weather, security, state events, road closures, or military duties. Check the official schedule the day before.
People call it a 45-minute ceremony, though the troops start moving earlier from Wellington Barracks and St James's Palace. Roll up at 10:55 and you'll mostly hear the band and see bearskin hats bobbing above a forest of raised phones. Better to be there around 10:00, or catch part of the march near Wellington Barracks, where the crush tends to ease off.
Paid Tour Value
If you're curious about the inside, the standard State Rooms ticket is the one I'd buy. Royal Collection Trust lists 2026 advance adult admission at £33 and on-the-day adult admission at £37, with cheaper rates for young people and children. Read those as the official 2026 figures, not prices set in stone.
So is it worth it? Yes, with strings attached. The rooms are genuinely grand and the window to see them is short. But the visit is timed, busy, security-screened, and you can't take photos inside, so on a packed day it shuffles along like a slow summer queue. If all you really want is the balcony photo and a stroll through royal London, do the outside for free and put your attraction budget somewhere else.
How It Compares
Next to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace gives the average visitor less to chew on, simply because so much of it stays private or ceremonial. Next to the Tower of London, there's less grit and a lot more protocol. Next to Windsor Castle, it slots more easily into a central London day, though Windsor tends to feel like the more complete royal site.
The best free option is a walk from Trafalgar Square down The Mall and through St James's Park to the Palace, then on to Westminster Abbey or Green Park. If you'd rather pay, the Royal Mews is the pick for anyone who loves coaches and working stables, The King's Gallery handles the art exhibitions, and Westminster Abbey gives you a richer historic interior.
Buckingham Palace: FAQs
Yes, with a few caveats. The exterior is worth a look for free if you're passing. The paid State Rooms earn their keep in summer if you want royal interiors and can put up with crowds, timed entry, airport-style security, and no photos inside.
Only during visitor openings. The main State Rooms summer opening for 2026 runs 9 July to 27 September. The rest of the year the palace usually opens only on selected guided-tour dates, so check the official Royal Collection Trust site before you build a plan around it.
Yes. You can watch from outside Buckingham Palace for nothing. The snag is that the view can be poor unless you turn up early, and the schedule can change or get cancelled for weather, security, or ceremonial reasons.
The official Household Division schedule usually puts the King's Guard change at Buckingham Palace at 11am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but the dates do move around. Check the official calendar before you go, especially during heat warnings, state events, or winter weather.
Royal Collection Trust suggests allowing about 2 to 2.5 hours for the summer State Rooms visit. Changing of the Guard runs around 45 minutes, but plan on an hour or more of waiting if you want a decent spot.
No formal dress code for public palace entry. Wear comfortable shoes, because the summer route ends with a long garden exit on gravel, and expect airport-style security checks.
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