Buckingham Palace skip-the-line tour with Changing of the Guard

Buckingham Palace is one of London’s most famous landmarks and a strong symbol of the British monarchy. Its impressive architecture, beautiful gardens, and rich traditions make it a memorable place to visit. The Changing of the Guard ceremony is a major highlight, known for its color and ceremony. Originally built in 1703 as Buckingham House for the Duke of Buckingham, it became the official royal residence in 1837 during the reign of Queen Victoria. Today, visitors can access parts of the palace, including the elegant State Rooms displaying royal art, furniture, and historic treasures. It is advisable to book tickets in advance. The best time to visit is in the morning, between 10 and 12 to watch the Changing of the Guard.

Seeing Buckingham Palace in person is one of those classic London moments that really delivers. Grand, elegant, and steeped in history, it feels instantly familiar yet still impressive when you’re standing there. The atmosphere around the palace is lively, the setting is beautiful, and it’s an easy highlight to combine with a walk through St James’s Park. Even without going inside, it’s well worth the visit and a must-see for anyone in London.

Buckingham Palace is one of London’s most iconic landmarks. I’ve visited many times, but this was my first time seeing the Changing of the Guard. We arrived around 10:50 and it was extremely crowded, earlier arrival seems wiser if you wish to approach, police and mounted guards blocked all crossings on both sides, which felt poorly managed and unnecessarily aggressive toward visitors just to pass one pavement to the other people are there to appreciate the culture not to be yelled at I understand precaution measures and safety that is a necessity, but at the sideways there should be more organised for the people to make sure they can move around rather than feeling captured, felt strange in comparison to everything else experienced. Despite that, we managed to get close to the gates, saw part of the ceremony, and caught the band as it was leaving. We accessed the area via Green Park and left through St James’s Park, which was absolutely beautiful.

We didn’t go inside but, just looking at it from the outside was pretty extravagant. I’m sure experience would’ve been better if we got to visit inside. You could see the guards from the outside which was pretty cool. Till then, let’s explore.

This was a must see for me when we visited London, so I was looking to reserve tickets for the tour inside back in January when our trip wasn't until August. I'm glad I did because even that far ahead I saw time slots already selling out. And since I did plan so far in advance, I was also able to get us tickets for the special East Wing tour that included the room behind the big balcony the royal family steps out onto to wave to the crowds. However, there was some confusion as to where to line up. There's a line for the regular tour that's on the left side of the palace if you're facing it. There's another lesser known line on the right side of the palace if you also bought tickets for the special tour. There were 2 women ahead of me who were as confused as I was so we wandered around together. Someone told them to go to the general line, but that didn't sound right to me, so I kept asking and was told by an actual docent, not a security guard, to go to the special line, but at that point I noticed that the 2 women had taken off and abandoned me, which I'm sure they regret now. While standing in the correct line, they did a head count and those 2 women were missing, so the tour went on without them. They did the special East Wing tour first and we got to see the ornate Oriental rooms behind the famous balcony and the mirrored and gold laden hallways along the way. Afterwards, we were allowed to join the rest of the crowds doing a self guided tour through the rest of the palace. On that first floor there's public restrooms and I highly suggest going there first because if you're on the upper floors, it's going to be more work for you and the docents since the self guided tour is roped off and one way only. Plus, how often do you get to say you went to the bathroom, or used the loo, in Buckingham Palace? It's unfortunate that photos aren't allowed inside because everything truly is gorgeous, but I could see how it would cause a traffic jam because everyone would be stopping to take hundreds of photos. Once you're outside, you're free to take all the photos you want and they also did a photo op where you can take your picture in front of a poster that makes it looks like you're on the balcony with the royal family. There's also a cafe, a souvenir store, and gardens in the backyard that you can enjoy. On a separate day we came to watch the captain's inspection which is like the changing of the guards, but without the parade and the guards stayed behind the gates. What you get really depends on the day's schedule, so I highly recommend checking it out online ahead of time. That way you know if it's even happening based on the weather and if so, what days and times. If you don't mind being far away, I recommend finding a spot on the stairs of the marble statue in front of the palace. That way you get a view above the gates and you're not squished between the crowds of other spectators. The closest public restrooms, though, were at the nearby park, but even then that was troublesome because the closest one was for children only and the adults one required payment. Plus, the janitors there were extremely ill tempered and rude, like they just had had it with tourists. This is such a quintessential London tourist spot unless you could care less about such things or the royal family. However, if this is what you're into like I am, do your homework online and make sure to reserve tickets as far in advance as you can. You can't avoid the crowds unless I suppose you come in the dead of winter, but once you're back home it'll be all worth it in the end.