How to visit Buckingham Palace in 2025
Visiting Buckingham Palace is always a memorable experience in London, and we would highly recommend taking a tour inside. The type of tour you can take depends mostly on what time of year you are visiting. We’ve done both the summer public opening and a winter small group tour, and have found both to be great experiences in their own special way.
Whether it’s to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony or just to take selfies outside the iconic golden gates, the draw of the Palace is irresistible. But there is so much more to see inside!
King Charles III is making a concerted effort to make the royal residences more accessible to the public (he recently allowed public tours of Balmoral Castle in Scotland, for example, a home which has long been considered too private for public opening.) I think his effort shows.
Everything about your visit to Buckingham Palace is a little nicer than it needs to be. The professional and helpful staff, the welcoming way you are treated as a guest, even the level of delicious treats in the garden cafe, and the selection of high-end items & souvenirs available in the gift shops, all make it feel - well, royal! That easy-breezy, please-make-yourself-at-home kind of perfect hospitality.
The ornate front gate at Buckingham Palace
How to tour Buckingham Palace
Since Queen Victoria, every British monarch has worked and lived at Buckingham Palace (at least for some portion of the year.) For that very reason, it is very much still a working palace and not a museum, so you can’t just mosey in whenever you want. If you want to see what’s inside the Palace, you need to book a tour.
For a ten week period in the summer, you can take an available self-guided tour with the option to add a guided East Wing Highlights Tour.
In winter and spring, Exclusive Guided small-group tours are available for selected dates.
An exciting recent addition for 2025 is a new guided East Wing Highlights Tour. The East Wing is the front facade of the Palace facing the Mall, and the location of the famous balcony. The rooms of this section are particularly sumptuous with Victorian era art and furnishings. It has been under construction for several years, as the entire palace has been undergoing necessary service updates. But now these exclusive rooms are restored and ready!
Tours are run by Royal Collection Trust, the charity that manages the public openings of the official royal residences and is also responsible for the Royal Collection, one of the most important art collections in the world.
Booking a tour is easily done through their website. Several different types of tours are available and they all fill up quickly so it’s best to book early, as soon as you know your travel plans.
Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside the Palace, which is disappointing but not unusual in this type of setting, as you can’t have people tripping over each other taking photos. And we saw this strictly enforced - they mean it, so don’t try. But photos in the Garden are allowed, just not on the “private garden” walk, which is an add-on.
Types of tours and available dates do change, due to events and workings of the Palace, so check their website for updates or you can subscribe to the RCT’s email newsletter to see “what’s on”.
Booking in advance is necessary, but the RCT doesn’t always make dates available that far ahead; usually, they announce one season at a time. So if you have your eye on specific dates in the future, I think subscribing to the newsletter - at least until your trip - is the best way to be informed of when the dates for each season are announced.
Taking the Exclusive Guided Tour of Buckingham Palace
We had taken the Exclusive Guided Tour of the State Rooms when we first visited the palace during winter a few years ago, and we felt it was well worth it. The group is limited to about 30 people. At £100.00 a person, it’s admittedly pricey; but you do get a very personalized experience, with lots of interesting details and stories. Even our “royally skeptical” son really enjoyed it.
We were charmed by the warm welcome we received at the Palace; the staff truly made you feel like a special guest. We started the tour seated with the other visitors chatting with the tour guide.
Then she led us on a fascinating trip through the Grand Entrance, Grand Staircase, Green Drawing Room, Picture Gallery, Ballroom, Throne Room, White Drawing Room, Music Room, Blue Drawing Room East Gallery, and State Dining Room.
In each room, fascinating stories were told as art objects were pointed out and I really felt the connection to the royals as people, not just paintings of historic figures.
The tour concluded with champagne at our final stop, which was a lovely royal touch. And of course, there was the obligatory romp through the gift shop where I bought tea and cuddled a few toy corgis.
When we were ready to go, another guide walked us to the iconic front gate, graciously answering our last few questions along the way.
After exiting through the majestic gate, numerous people asked if we had just been inside like we were celebrities. This is why we look so giddy in the photo above.
Taking the Summer self-guided State Rooms tour of Buckingham Palace
Most recently, we found ourselves in London this summer, so we decided to see what the summer opening of Buckingham Palace was like. This self-guided version (with an audio headset) is less expensive at £32.00 a person, but you are “in with the masses, so to speak.
I have to say, the crowd management was excellent - they have tented areas set up for the summer season where you can even have a seat while you wait for your scheduled time to go in.
I’ve read some negative things about these summer visits, that they are a crowded mess - and I was worried it was going to be just a snaking line like visiting inside Pena Palace in Sintra, and I was going to be disappointed after having such a great time on a small group tour in the past. Well, let me tell you, that’s not true at all!
The summer opening is not uncomfortable at all! In fact, it’s great! They allow the right amount of people per time slot and I never felt like I was in a crush of people. And I felt in no way rushed through the rooms. There are places to take a seat in various rooms and listen to your headset awhile or just admire the surroundings.
An added nicety of visiting in summer is access to the Palace Garden with the option to add a Guided Garden Walk - worth it! (more below) Also, there is usually a special exhibit in the ballroom to explore.
This year’s exhibit features works of art by painters and artists who have accompanied King Charles on his official travels ever since the 1980s, while he was still Prince of Wales. I really enjoyed this exhibit, as it is such a different take on the usual coverage of royal tours. The assignment for the artists was to capture the atmosphere of the places being visited, and what each artist captured is unique and personal. I think His Majesty’s taste leans toward the impressionistic!
We sat in this lovely pink ballroom quite a while, looking at everything, and just taking it in. This is the room where investitures take place, and where State Dinners take held, with elaborate table settings that sparkle and shine. John sat for a time right in front of the dias, and said he was waiting for his Knighthood. ;-)
I would definitely recommend taking the earliest tour that you can. The queue does get long outside, even with the timed ticket, and generally the area gets busier as the afternoon rolls in. We booked ours for 9:30 and it was great. But that queue was three times longer when we came out than when we went in.
My only disappointment was that the East Wing Highlights tour was sold out, so we didn’t get to see that. But that wasn’t unexpected owing to it being a brand new addition to the public opening, so visitors jumped on those tickets almost immediately when they became available earlier this year. Oh well, maybe next year!!
Bottom line, don’t be scared off by the summer opening! It’s extremely enjoyable!
Should I add on The Garden Highlights Tour at Buckingham Palace?
A delightful bonus of visiting the Palace in summer, is getting deposited in the Gardens at the end of your visit. The famous terrace - where you’ve seen members of the royal family make their entrance for the famous Garden Parties - is set up as The Garden Cafe for guests to grab a bite to eat and sit awhile.
For sale are a number of offerings, the highlight item being a boxed “afternoon tea” featuring sandwiches, scones and cakes. There are a variety of unique beverages (canned gin & tonic made with Palace label gin!) that are only available at the Palace, as well as a variety of separate lunch items like nice fresh salads and sandwiches. We easily found a spot right by the rail, looking out on the famous lawn where the garden parties are stage while enjoying a delicious lunch before our scheduled walking tour. A glorious day!
Anyone with a State Rooms tour ticket can enjoy this part of the garden, but to really get a better perspective on it, I would recommend adding on the Garden Highlights Tour. This is a guided 45-minute guided walk through the private part of the royal gardens. The walking tour costs an extra £15.
I know it costs extra, but I do think the Garden Walk is worth it, otherwise you just have access to the lawn and one path across the back of the lawn. You get a nice view of palace from there, but not much of the garden is seen.
You get lots of good info and close up stuff during the walking tour; insider scoop about how royals past and present have added to the gardens for their personal use, plus a look at whatever beauties are flowering. Having recently picked up a vintage copy of The Royal Gardeners (published in 1952, about King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum, as gardeners) I was very excited to see some of these features in person. Surprisingly, more than 70 years later, so many of the things talked about in the book are still there, as well as more recent additions. Not surprisingly, King Charles has focused on local plantings, natural settings and sustainability.
Described as ‘a walled oasis in the middle of London’, the Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London. Along with the carefully tended flower beds, it is also the home of 325 wild plant species, over 1,000 trees, and varied wildlife including 20-25 species of breeding birds. We saw a number of ducks, coots, and a Great Blue Heron on the lake, living their best life. Yes, this garden has its own lake!
If you don’t take the extra walking tour, what you will have access to is more or less a nice park path around the lawn and part of the lake. It is very pretty of course - you are still within the walled oasis afterall - and you can get nice photos of the Palace across the lake. Much like all the famous Royal Parks, it’s very well done and inviting. But the really interesting stuff is in the “private garden” area.
Like anything else, it depends on your level of interest. My interest in the gardens was high, so I think it was worth the extra £15.
No photos are allowed on the guided walk (shucks!), but you can take as many photos as you like in the “included in your State Rooms Tour” area.
You can hang out in the garden as long as you like. Again, nobody rushes you. But once you exit the gates, your visit to Buckingham Palace is, sadly, over.
The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace.
What kind of tours are available at Buckingham Palace?
Self-Guided State Rooms Tour of Buckingham Palace:
The Standard Admission tour of Buckingham Palace allows the public to tour the magnificent State Rooms of the Palace in a self-guided way with a provided headset. This availability is for a 10-week period in the summer.
It will take you about 90 minutes to tour the rooms.
Adult Standard admission is £32.00 in advance.
Garden Highlights Tour - for an additional £15.00 fee, you can tack on a guided highlight tour of the royal garden. Highly recommended!
Summer Dates for 2025 are 10 July - 28 September 2025The State Rooms are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Try not to bring a backpack - they will make you carry it in from of you instead of on your back, lest you break some priceless porcelain or other treasure.
The State Rooms and East Wing Highlights Tour
For an additional fee, you can add an expertly guided East Wing Highlights Tour to your self-guided State Room tour.
You will begin by walking across the forecourt and into the East Wing, where an RCT expert guide will take you through several exclusive rooms, including the Principal Corridor which is full of priceless art and paintings, the aptly named Yellow Drawing Room, where Queen Mary had magnificent antique wallpaper installed in the 1920s, and the breathtaking Center Room, which is where the Royal Family waits to go out on the balcony. This room is particularly beautifully decorated with many treasures collected by George IV.
No, you can’t go out on the balcony, but you will be able to see it!
Summer Dates for 2025 are Friday 11 Jul 2025 thru Sunday 31 Aug 2025
Adult admission for the State Rooms plus East Wing Highlights is £90.00 in advance.
Exclusive Guided State Rooms Tour of Buckingham Palace:
During the rest of the year (non-summer) the Palace opens on selected dates for small-group guided tours..
With an expert guide, you can explore the magnificent State Rooms in small groups that are limited to a maximum of 30 people. This makes the experience wonderfully intimate. The State Room tour takes about 2 hours.
This tour is for adults only and cost £100.00 per person.
Family Tours:
For families with children, special guided tours are offered at certain times of the year. These tours focus on stories of the palace that will interest little ones and generally are a little bit shorter in length.
Visiting the Royal Mews:
The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace is responsible for all road travel arrangements for The King and members of the Royal Family, from horses and carriages to cars.
These are real working stables in the heart of London, steeped in royal history. You can see the iconic 260-year-old Gold State Coach, used at State occasions such as King Charles III’s Coronation in 2023, Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953 and her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
We loved the Royal Mews and did a whole post about it! Read it here - Visit the Royal Mews for a fun day in Central London
Royal Day Out:
This tour is offered from July to October and is probably the best value. The tour starts at the Queens Gallery art exhibit, then stops at the Royal Mews, where you will see historical carriages. Then it’s off to the main event, a walk through the amazing State Rooms in Buckingham Palace. The day ends with a walk through the royal garden. An added bonus is the option to grab a bite to eat at the Garden Cafe overlooking the lawn and lake. This tour takes about 4 hours and it involves a substantial amount of walking.
After touring touring Buckingham Palace you can take a walk down the Mall and visit the King George statue, my favorite statue in London.
Is touring Buckingham Palace worth it?
Yes! We’ve visited a number of European palaces and castles, and there is just nothing quite like Buckingham Palace. The unique combination of an actual residence as well as a functioning office of state, along with beautiful decorative art, historic gilded rooms, and inviting royal hospitality, makes Buckingham Palace truly majestic and a memorable experience.
If the the price isn’t too restrictive, and you are there in winter or spring, going all out for the small group guided tour is truly special.
We felt treated as an honored guests due to the small-sized group, which is so refreshing really. Oftentimes as a tourist, you feel a little herded like cattle or treated with disdain, and sometimes the “general admission” type of experience can leave you disappointed.
But even the more casual “summer opening” self-guided experience at Buckingham Palace is very good. I’m not sure how they do it, but they keep it elegant, and don’t rush you, and make you feel very welcomed. Plus, you get to see the garden and can enjoy lunch or tea there.
We ended our day with a delightful treat of “strawberries & cream” at the Ice Cream Shack in the Garden. Soooooo delicious!!! Summer definitely has its bennies!
Honestly, both visits were a highlight of my London vacations. I’d do either one again in a minute.
The Changing of the Guard is associated with Buckingham Palace but you can also watch from St. James Palace and Wellington Barracks.
Read our post about Experiencing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, St. James’ Palace and Wellington Barracks.
If you are visiting in the winter you might be interested in our blog post Visiting London in the Winter.
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