Visiting Buckingham Palace in 2024

Update: This post has been updated to include recently released dates and pricing for 2024.

Every first-time visitor to London takes photos outside Buckingham Palace. Whether it’s the Changing of the Guard ceremony or just selfies outside the gates, the draw of the Palace is irresistible. But there is so much more to see inside! Luckily for us, tours of the palace are available.

You don’t have to be a fan of The Crown, or an expert on British history to appreciate the grandeur and the story of this fascinating landmark. And if you are a royal fan or history buff, it is really a not-to-be-missed experience. We highly recommend it. Even our “royally skeptical” son had a great time on the tour and later said it was his favorite part of the trip.

How to tour Buckingham Palace

What makes the Palace so intriguing to me is the continuity it represents through Royal Family history, and by extension, history of Europe and the rest of the world. Since Queen Victoria, every British monarch has worked and lived there (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 choose an available self-guided tour or a more exclusive guided tour. In winter and spring, only Exclusive Guided tours are offered for selected dates.

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.

We opted for the guided tour and we felt t was well worth it, as it limits the tour group to about 30 people. At £95.00 a person, it’s admittedly pricey; the self-guided version (with an audio headset) is less expensive at £32.00 a person, but you will be “in with the masses” on that one so expect a crowd.

Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside the Palace, which is disappointing but not unusual in these type of settings.

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 recommended, 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 is announced.

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 fee, you can tack on a guided highlight tour of the royal garden.

  Summer Dates for 2024 are Thursday, 11 July - Sunday, 29 September.

  The 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.

• Exclusive Guided State Rooms Tour of Buckingham Palace: 

  With an expert guide, you can explore the magnificent State Rooms which are open to visitors on selected dates during winter and spring, and for certain dates in summer. Groups are limited to a maximum of 30 people, which makes the experience wonderfully intimate. The State Room tour takes about 2 hours.

Exclusive Guided Tours are currently available to book for selected dates from 10 November 2023 - 25 February 2024

These tours are quite limited and tend to book up, so check date availability.

This tour is for adults only and cost £95.00 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 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.

What will I see on the State Rooms Tour of Buckingham Palace?

Through some careful advance planning, we snagged a spot on a guided State Room tour on our last visit to London. 

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Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.

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 the three of 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.

Here’s a video from the BBC that will give you an advance peek at the rooms you’ll see on the tour, but it’s much more fun in person.

If you are interested in castles and palaces we have blog posts on visiting Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle.

Visiting Kensington Palace: All you need to know

Windsor Castle: a complete guide to planning your day trip from London

Our Royal encounter

While enjoying our tour, we did actually have a real - if brief - royal encounter.

Though the Queen, of course, was not at the Palace at the time, we heard that Prince Harry was there for the Rugby League World Cup draw. This was at the height of the controversy over his desire to step away from official royal duties. We saw the chairs still set up in the Throne Room from when he had just done the draw the previous day.

While our main tour guide was telling us about the art in The Picture Gallery we heard a knock at the door leading to the Ante Room. The assistant guide opened the door and the group was shocked to see Prince Harry standing there alone. As every head turned toward Harry he waved over, smiled and said hello without breaking stride. The very reserved and professional tour guide was dumbfounded and in an understated tone said  “that doesn’t happen every day”.

Well, they did constantly remind us that it was a “working palace”  ;)

Is touring Buckingham Palace worth it?

Yes! Even without our 5-second audience with Prince Harry, it was a memorable afternoon.

We do recommend though, if the the price isn’t too restrictive for you, that you go all out and book the guided tour. It’s a more relaxed and full experience. In winter and spring, it’s also the only thing available.

With new pricing at £95.00 per person, it’s not cheap but it is an extremely well-done experience. I felt treated as an honored guest 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. It was nice to feel so welcomed.

Honestly, it was the highlight of my trip to London.

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.

Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity or a hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched. 

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