Updated - April 2026

If you have already seen the Changing of the Guard in London, or want to skip the crush at the Palace gates, there are other spots to catch the Household Guard in their finery.

The popular Guard Change actually involves three locations: Buckingham Palace, St. James' Palace, and Wellington Barracks. Different parts of the ceremony take place at certain times in each place.

Now, there’s no need to sprint your way across the Mall to try and catch it all. (We’ve tried! Not that fun!) You can enjoy seeing the Guards at all these locations.

In this post, we will talk about alternative locations to see parts of the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, share some insight from our own forays, and make suggestions for what we think is the best plan.

And for those who like technical details (me!), I’ve also taken a deep dive into what actually happens during the Changing of the Guard - timeline and all! - but feel free to skip all that if that’s not for you.

👑 Changing of the Guard: Quick Facts

When	Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11am. Daily in June and July. Sunday Parade at 10am.
Where	Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, Wellington Barracks
Cost	Free. No tickets required.
How Early to Arrive	At least 45 minutes before 11am for Buckingham Palace. Earlier in summer.
Ceremony Length	About 45 minutes
Can It Be Cancelled?	Yes, sometimes with very little notice. Check the official schedule before you go.
Official Schedule	householddivision.org.uk

Where is the best place to watch the Changing of the Guard?

The answer to that depends on what you want to see.

The actual ceremony of the Changing of the Guard takes place in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace. So if you aren’t there, you really aren’t seeing the guard change ceremony - meaning, you’re not seeing the guards on duty leave and the new ones take their place.

To get a good view of the action in the forecourt, you need to get there early. At least 45 minutes, perhaps even an hour before the ceremony starts. If you can get near the gates or around the Victoria Memorial, Buckingham Palace really is the best location.

But to tell you the truth, the ceremony itself is not all that exciting to see. What most people like to see is the close-up view of the Guardsman marching to and fro, in their dazzling uniforms, or riding their horses down the Mall. And of course, the Band - always a treat to see and hear!

You can see all that at other locations, just prior to or just after the Guard Change happens at the forecourt.

Since we have seen the changing at Buckingham Palace before, we wanted to try some of the alternative viewing spots.

📍 Where to Watch: At a Glance

Location	What You See	Arrive By	Crowds
Friary Court, St. James' Palace	Old Guard assembles, inspection, march-off. Very close views.	10:15am	Moderate
Wellington Barracks (return)	Old Guard marches back in, band plays. Great if you position early at Birdcage Walk / Spur Road.	By 11:30am	Moderate
The Mall	Guards and horses passing by. Classic view, easy to get a spot.	10:40am	Moderate
Buckingham Palace Forecourt	The actual ceremony. Best viewed from the Victoria Memorial steps or the north side railings.	10:15am	Very Busy
Horse Guards Parade	Mounted Cavalry ceremony at 11am. Much less crowded. Great for close-up views.	10:45am	Light

Other places besides Buckingham Palace to see the Guards in action:

St. James’ Palace (Friary Court) - you can see troops assemble for inspection and sometimes the band will play just prior to marching down the Mall to the Palace. This isn’t very crowded and you can get a very close view.
Wellington Barracks (on Birdcage Walk) - you can see the new troops assemble for inspection before going to the Palace for the Guard Change, sometimes the band will play. Even better, we think, you can watch the troops leaving their duties at the Palaces return to their barracks. Bands will be playing and they march right past you on Birdcage Walk.
Horse Guards Parade - At the corner of St James Park near Whitehall, the Household Cavalry has their parade grounds and stables. They do their own guard change every day. This is a great alternative, especially with kids, as you can get very close and it’s not as crowded as Buckingham Palace. We have a whole post on Horse Guards Parade London: Complete Visitor Guide 2026.
The Mall - Many people simply line up along the Mall just prior to the ceremony to watch the troops parade between St. James Palace and Buckingham Palace, and to see the Horse Guards in their shiny helmets riding to and from Horse Guards Parade for their own guard changing ceremony. It’s easy to do and is a classic view.
Grab your spot early enough so you can see the Old Guard coming down from St. James Palace, at about 10:45 am. You may get to see the King’s Life Guard on horseback and the foot guard from St. James’ crossing each other as they go in opposite directions along the Mall, and saluting each other, which is pretty cool.
You won’t see anything else until the New Guard comes back to St. James Palace after the changing ceremony at the Palace, but might I then suggest a stroll up the Mall and visit the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Memorial? It’s very beautifully done and it just happens to be one of my favorite spots in London!
Fun fact - The Mall is paved in red bricks to resemble a red carpet that rolls from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace.

When we tried to race from Saint James to Wellington Barracks a huge crowd had already assembled. A better approach is to take your time walking to the Barracks and get a good position (see map below) to get them returning.

What we’ve learned from experience

There is no single place to watch the guard ceremony in its entirety, and there is no secret scheme to hit them all at the right time. We’ve tried going from Friary Court to Buckingham Palace to St James, trying to catch it all, sprinting down the Mall and tripping over baby strollers. It doesn’t really work.

It started off promising - we did well at Friary Court, St. James’ Palace as you can see from our great view in the photo at the top of this post. But as you can see from the second photo above, crowds were already formed at Wellington Barracks by the time we got there. And just forget about getting near Buckingham Palace for any good views by the time the ceremony starts.

But the next time we came to town, we had a better plan.

We absolutely wanted to make use of the St. James’ Palace and Wellington Barracks locations, but in a realistic and comfortable way.
We started at Friary Court, then leisurely walked to Wellington Barracks to see the troops return after the ceremony. This way, we got close to the action before and after the ceremony, and you can still hear the music coming from the Buckingham Palace while waiting at Wellington Barracks.
This route is laid out in the map below.

Map of where to watch the Changing of the Guard

Start by the dark green (Saint James’ Palace) then follow the purple line to Wellington Barracks. The yellow line is the front of Buckingham Palace. The red is where we stood and got great photos of the troops returning. Then move over to the blue line to watch them in the courtyard.

Details of our recommended route for watching the Changing of the Guard

As mentioned above, if you’ve never seen the Changing of the Guard and want to see the whole ceremony, then I really think you should invest the time in going early and getting as close as you can at Buckingham Palace.

But if you’ve seen it before or just want a new angle on the Changing of the Guard, there are good views available at St. James’ Palace and Wellington Barracks. Though we’ve read lots of takes on this, we think the best way to utilize these locations is to see the beginning of the ceremony at Friary Court, St. James’ Palace, then take a leisurely walk down the Mall and set yourself up at Wellington Barracks for the return of the Old Guard.

🕐 Our Recommended Route: St. James' to Wellington Barracks

10:15am	Arrive at Marlborough Road, across from Friary Court at St. James' Palace. Take a spot at the barrier and watch the Old Guard assemble.
10:43am	The Old Guard marches out of Friary Court, right past you, and heads down the Mall. This is a great close-up moment.
10:45 - 11:30am	Take a leisurely walk down the Mall toward Wellington Barracks. No need to rush. Grab a spot at the corner of Birdcage Walk and Spur Road.
~11:40am	The Old Guard marches back toward you from Buckingham Palace, band playing, and turns into Wellington Barracks right in front of you.
After	Move to the fence, further left of the entrance gates, for a clear view of the inspection and band performance inside the Barracks.

Changing of the Guard Wellington Barracks — Troops return to **Wellington Barracks** at the conclusion of the **Changing of the Guard** ceremony in London.

Here’s the breakdown of what to expect:

Arrive on Marlborough Road at 10:15 am, across from Friary Court at St. James’ Palace, and watch the Old Guard assemble, possibly play some music, then march off to the Mall at around 10:45 am.
After the guards have passed, walk up Marlborough Road toward the Mall. You should be able to cross the street by this time and take a leisurely stroll down to Wellington Barracks.
You may be able to catch some of the marching action on the Mall, depending on your timing and how crowded it is. It is particularly fun to catch the horse guards heading up the Mall as they head toward Horse Guards Parade for their own guard change. (We talk about this at length in our post Horse Guards Parade London: Complete Visitor Guide 2026.)
You can also cut through St. James Park along the way to the Barracks.
At Wellington Barracks, position yourself at the intersection of Birdcage Walk and Spur Road and await the return of the Old Guard at about 11:45 am. (This for us turned out to be a really excellent spot to view the returning Old Guard to the Barracks. They marched right toward us, instruments blaring and made a left turn right in front of us on their way into the Barracks. We also saw the Clarence House contingent leaving as well as some of the King’s LifeGuard on horseback, though they did not come toward us, but it was still a very clear view at the top of the circle. .)
After they return in all their splendor, move to the fence and watch the Old Guard finish their ceremonial duties. We saw the Old Guard do an inspection and the Band play inside the gates of Wellington Barracks before they went inside. Most people instinctively want to crowd around the entrance gates, thinking it's the clearest view, but don’t get stuck there with everyone bunched up. If you move further to your left, you can see very well through the iron fence without anyone in your way.

The nitty-gritty: What actually happens during the Changing of the Guard?

This section is for the deep divers. I really felt that I got more out of the seeing the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace once I took the time to learn what is actually happening during the ceremony. Not only did it help me appreciate it, I learned a lot about royal and military protocol in general.

With all the talk of “Old Guard’ and “New Guard”, and the many ceremonial names of troops, it can be a bit mystifying, especially for those of us from countries without royal traditions. I’ll give you the nutshell version of what’s going on here before we talk about the best way to view it.

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is the traditional ceremony that represents the handoff of the responsibilities of guarding the Palace. Similar ceremonies also take place at other Palaces and Royal Residences, such as at Windsor Castle. This duty is carried out by the King’s Household Division, who are responsible for State Ceremonial and Public Duties.

The Guard is on duty not only at Buckingham Palace but also at St. James’ Palace. This is because St. James’ is the original seat of the monarchy, which is still referred to as the Court of St. James.

The foot soldiers of the Household Division reside at Wellington Barracks, only a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace on Birdcage Walk, traditionally so they could be there very quickly when needed in an emergency.

Foot soldiers of the Household Division march from **Saint James’** to **Buckingham Palace**.

So the idea is, the soldiers on duty at St. James’ Palace march down to Buckingham Palace to assemble with the soldiers on duty there in the forecourt in front of the Palace. The unit on duty is referred to as the Old Guard. There they are relieved officially by a fresh set of troops that arrive from Wellington Barracks. This new set of troops is referred to as the New Guard.

The exchange of duties involves some ceremonial inspections, reporting and musical interludes. Then the New Guard in charge of St. James’ marches along the Mall to take up their positions there, while the New Guard for Buckingham Palace takes up their duties where they are. The assembled Old Guard goes off duty and back to Wellington Barracks. Simple when you know what’s going on, right?

There is also a shorter, scaled-down guard change at Clarence House, where King Charles III currently still resides, as he did while still Prince of Wales. It also takes place at 11am and is a kind of “just the facts, ma’am” version of the whole affair, involving just a few soldiers. There is less area for viewing the ceremony but also fewer people viewing it. No bands or horses but you still can see those snazzy red uniforms, fuzzy bearskins and precision movements.

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace viewed from the intersection of Spur Road and Birdcage Walk.

Timeline for the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace:

Before the Ceremony

10:30 am - The Old Guard on duty at St. James’ Palace forms up at Friary Court and there is a uniform inspection and maybe a quick band recital.
10:40 am - The New Guard is inspected at Wellington Barracks and plays music while awaiting the arrival of the Regimental Colour. (“Colours” refer to the regimental flags that traditionally served as regimental emblems and provided rallying points in battle. Today, they carry regimental distinctions or battle honors emblazoned on them.)
10:43 am - Old Guard leaves St. James’ Palace (a contingent remains until it is replaced by a part of the New Guard; hence the Palace is not left “unprotected”) and marches down the Mall preceded by a military band.
10:57 am - New Guard leaves Wellington Barracks and marches towards Buckingham Palace for the ceremony.

During and after the Ceremony

11:00 am - Ceremony begins at Buckingham Palace. (I’ll explain it in some detail below)
11:10 am - St James’ Palace relief leaves Buckingham Palace (replacing the contingent that was left there earlier)
11:25 am - St James’ Palace (Old Guard) contingent leaves St James’ Palace
11:40 pm - The entire Old Guard leaves Buckingham Palace toward Wellington Barracks
11:45 pm - St James’ Palace Guard (New Guard - the rest of it) leaves Buckingham Palace

A crowd assembles at the intersection of **Spur Road** and **Birdcage Walk** waiting for troops to march to **Wellington Barracks,** concluding the Changing of the Guard.

Details of the Guard Change Ceremony in the Forecourt at Buckingham Palace

So what actually happens in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard? Well, of course, there is much traditional pomp and circumstance, but it is a very interesting ceremony. Here’s the consolidated version:

When the New Guard enters the forecourt at 11 am, it marches in front of the band and then halts and faces the Old Guard. The band then plays the New Guard’s Regimental Slow March and the Old and New Guards “present arms’ to each other, which is basically a salute with their rifles.
The Captain of the Old Guard then hands over the key to the Palace to the New Guard, a symbolic changeover of responsibility. The new sentries (the dudes in the little black huts) are posted, one at a time, as a Lance Corporal gives them any special orders from the previous guard. While this is happening, the Regimental Band forms a semi-circle in the center of the forecourt and entertains the crowd with some music.
The old sentries join up with the rest of the Old Guard. Both Guards then reassemble, and it’s now time for the Old Guards Regimental Slow March. The two Guards give each other some official compliments, and then the Old Guard exits toward Wellington Barracks, marching along to the Band.
The New Guard remaining at the Palace divides in two. The group that will guard St. James’ Palace marches off down the Mall with the remaining Band and places the Regimental Colour (flag) in the Guard Room there, while the Buckingham Palace detachment retires to the Guard Room at B. Palace to begin its official duties of being on watch.

Even if you can’t quite see every movement, there’s enough going on at this ceremony where you will be able to hear and see something. We think it is worth it for your first time experiencing the ceremony to go to Buckingham Palace.

Saint James Changing of the Guard — Troops leave **Saint James** and march to **Buckingham Palace**.

Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards Parade

As an alternative to the changing of the foot guards at the Palace, you may want to check out the changing of the guard for the Household Cavalry Regiment that takes place at Horse Guards Parade, also at 11 am. This ceremony gets less attention than the one at the Palace, so you can generally get up close without too much of a head start (we got there only 15 minutes early and got right in front.)

Tip for viewing with kids: For a highlight version of the Changing of the Guard so the kiddies don’t get too bored or restless, consider first going to Friary Court to see the beginning of the ceremony, then take a leisurely walk over to Horse Guards and wait for a close-up view of the mounted calvary when they come in for their own changing ceremony. Kids will get to see the soldiers and then get a close-up view of the horses in a much less crowded environment.

The guard change at Horse Guards features the fabulously gold-armored and helmeted King’s Life Guards and their horses. What could be better than that? The Horse Guards building also houses the surprisingly delightful Household Cavalry Museum which is enjoyable for young and old alike. Read all about visiting Horse Guards Parade in our post Horse Guards Parade London: Complete Visitor Guide 2026.)

Take care not to stand in the way of the Guards on their foot patrol in the courtyard as they will not stop or go around people who are impeding their progress (I learned this the hard way).

If someone gets in the way of the mounted sentries on duty, you will hear a very loud shout of "Make way for The King's Guard!".

Believe me, it will wake you up! So don’t get too close with those selfies. ;)

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Other Changing of the Guard Ceremonies

While Buckingham Palace has the most famous Changing of the Guard ceremony there is also a ceremony at Windsor Castle, where you may even get closer than you can at the palace, without too much trouble. You can read about it in our Windsor blog post: Windsor Castle: a complete guide to planning your day trip from London.
There is also a delightful short guard changing ceremony at the Tower of London, where you can get very close to the action - though it does not include a band and just a small contingent of soldiers. You can read about it in our post, Complete guide to visiting the Tower of London.
To see the Changing of the Guard at these attractions, however, you will need to buy a ticket to get in, whereas the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace can be viewed for free.

FAQs about the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Does Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace take place every day?

The ceremony currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am. During June and July, it runs daily.

On other days, there is a Captain's Inspection at 3 pm, which is a much shorter and less crowded alternative that John and I actually think is worth knowing about.

On Sunday, the Colour (flag) is incorporated into the inspection of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The ceremony, known as the Sunday Parade, takes place at 10am. Following the inspection the colour is ‘trooped’ through the guard while the national anthem is played. It is then marched back to St James’s Palace, escorted by the Guard, and lodged (marched off parade) in Friary Court.

The schedule can also change at short notice due to State Visits, Trooping the Colour, or bad weather. Always check the confirmed dates on the official Household Division calendar before you go.

What time does the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace take place?

The ceremony begins at 11 am in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

Troop movements start earlier, with the Old Guard assembling at St. James's Palace around 10:30 am and leaving at 10:43 am. The New Guard departs Wellington Barracks at 10:57 am. Plan to be at your chosen viewing spot no later than 10:15 am.

Do I need tickets to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace?

No, tickets are not required to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace or at Horse Guards Parade.

However, to see the guard change at Windsor Castle, tickets are required as the change takes place within the castle grounds. Tickets are also required at the Tower of London, as the guard change takes place inside the ticketed area.

Can I see the Changing of the Guard while visiting the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace?

No, it is not possible to see the Changing of the Guard while visiting the State Rooms or Gardens at Buckingham Palace, because the changing takes place in the forecourt of the East Wing of the Palace, and the State Rooms are situated in the West Wing of the Palace.

To try to see both on the same day, it is better to see the Changing first and schedule your State Room tour afterward. The State Room/Garden tour takes about 2 hours so even if you take the earliest one, you will miss the changing of the guard.

(For information on seeing Buckingham Palace from the inside, see our blog post on Visiting Buckingham Palace .)

Are the guards at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace real soldiers?

Yes! All the foot soldiers and cavalry you see are members of the King’s Household Division and are real fighting soldiers. These regiments proudly carry out the dual role as the Sovereign’s personal troops and a real military unit that can be dispatched as needed.

There are five Regiments of Foot Guards: the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, and the Welsh Guards. You can tell the difference between the regiments by the color of the plume on their bearskins and which side it is worn on, as well as by the arrangement of the buttons on their jackets. It’s a fun game to figure out what regiment you are looking at based on these clues! Here’s a link that will help you identify them: Household Division Foot Guards

Where can I learn more about the Changing of the Guard?

Check out the official website of The Household Division for lots of great information on the history and doings of this ceremonial regiment. You can also visit The Guards Museum at Wellington Barracks and The Household Cavalry Museum at Horse Guards Headquarters. (Personally, I enjoyed the Household Cavalry Museum more than the Guards Museum, which seemed a bit stodgy. )

This post was researched and written by Debbie O'Boyle of The Empty Nest Explorers.

Debbie is a professional photographer with over 30 years of experience and a former staff member at the Star-Ledger/NJ.com, where she managed the digital photography technical team. She and her husband, John, travel extensively and write from firsthand experience at every destination they cover. You can learn more about Debbie and the Empty Nest Explorers here.

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