How To Visit Buckingham Palace In 2023: Tickets, Hours, Tours, And More

Buckingham Palace is the British Royal Family’s official residence and also a popular visitor attraction. Planning your visit and researching its history can be a bit of a task. To help you out, I’ve put together this guide with information on tickets, tours, time budgeting, and the palace’s history. Here’s what you need to know to visit Buckingham Palace.

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Visiting Buckingham Palace: What We’ll Cover

Witnessing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic things you can do in London—after visiting the palace itself, of course.

As the official London residence of the British monarch since 1837, it is replete with all the opulence you would expect of kings and queens. If it’s on your bucket list, you’ll find out what you need to know about how to visit Buckingham Palace in this guide. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Opening hours and tickets
• How much time to budget for your visit
• What to see in Buckingham Palace
• Guided tour options
• Facts and history of Buckingham Palace
• Places to eat nearby

Buckingham Palace Opening Hours and Tickets

Opening Hours:

Visitors have access to the Buckingham Palace State Rooms and the Palace Garden. But for obvious security reasons, these can only be guided tours. If you want to book a visit in the near future, the Garden Guided Tours are available from March 5 to May 1 and the Guided Tours of The State Rooms from March 25 to April 24. But only selected dates are available in the winter and spring seasons. 

More importantly, there’s the summer season, 22 July to 2 October 2022, which is the main period for palace visits. This is the Queen’s official summer break during which the palace is open for paid visitors.

From July to August the opening time is 9:30 am and the closing time is 7:30 pm.

And from September to October the opening time is 9:30 am and the closing time is 6:30 pm.

Note: the State Rooms are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

Furthermore, a ceremony known as the Changing of the Guard takes place outside the palace building but within its gates. The public can view this ceremony without a ticket at 10.45 am every day.

Tickets:

For State Room visits adults pay a standard price of £30 or £50 for the combined Royal Day Out offer. This offer gives admission to the Queen’s Gallery and the Royal Mews, as well as the State Rooms.

Young people aged 18-24 pay £19.50 (£36 with Royal Day Out offer).

Children’s admission is £16.50 (£30.00 with Royal Day Out offer) while under5 years old are free.

There are also Family Offers with savings of £25 for up to 2 adults and 4 children.    

Note: You can only book tickets online, as the palace needs to manage the number of visitors carefully. It’s a top-rated attraction.

Address: Buckingham Palace

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our article on the best London tours to take and why.

How Long To Spend at Buckingham Palace

Short Answer: 2.5 hours for the State Rooms. 4.5 hours for the Royal Day Out

There are 19 State Rooms (the palace has a total of 775 rooms) so a meaningful visit will take a few hours. Interestingly, these are the palace’s official public rooms used for visits and state occasions. They are ornately decorated with treasures from the Royal Collection, paintings by Old Masters, expensive sculptures, and elegant English and French furniture. So you might want to take your time admiring these items.

Also, you get to see the opulent and historic Throne Room. Interestingly, The White Drawing Room is regarded as even grander than the Throne Room. So, checking out these rooms for yourself and forming your own opinion will also be best achieved at a comfortable pace.

What To See In Buckingham Palace

On your visit to the royal residence, make sure you see these incredible rooms and sights. There’s a lot of history and opulence to take in as you see Buckingham Palace.

1. The Changing Of The Guard
2. The Throne Room
3. The Queen’s Gallery
4. The White Drawing Room 
5. The Palace Garden
6. Treasures Of The Palace
7. The Ballroom
8. The Gold State Coach
9. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach
10. The Grand Staircase

Buckingham Palace Tour Options

You can book tours of Buckingham Palace directly through their website. However, tours of the inside are only available for 10 weeks of the summer, and on occasional dates in winter.

The Changing of the Guard is a centuries-old military ceremony. You get to see the Queen’s official guards hand over to the next guards on duty. So, you need to be at the right place at the right time to escape the crowds and get the best view. However, our Changing of the Guard Tours are led by expert guides who can get you in the best position to enjoy this daily morning ceremony.

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our article on the best London tours to take and why.

Facts and History Buckingham Palace 

• The palace has a total of 775 rooms, 19 of which are state rooms open to the public. 
• There have been many properties on the site. From 1698, however, it was known as Buckingham House and was the home of the Duke of Buckingham, where it gets its name.
• In 1761, it became known as the Queen’s House after George III bought it for his wife Queen Charlotte.
• It became a palace for the first time in the 1820s when George IV had it lavishly restructured fit for a king.
• The royal family made it their official residence in 1837, and Queen Victoria was the first royal to officially live there as head of state.
• The palace entertains 50,000 invited guests a year. Also, it averages 578,000 paid visitors a year.
• The Changing of the Guard ceremony happens daily at 10.45 am. King Henry VII made them the official Royal Body Guard 500 years ago. 
• During World War II, the palace was repeatedly targeted but survived nine bombing raids. The Royal Family refused to move out despite concerns for their safety.
• The palace is heavily protected but in 1982 an intruder called Michael Fagan broke into the Queen’s bedroom while she was sleeping. When she awoke, they had a brief chat before she fled the room and raised the alarm.

Places To Eat Nearby

The good news is your dining options are plentiful, but you’ll need to choose wisely. You can dine like royalty on Buckingham Palace Road, very close to the palace. Or, on the same stretch of road, there are sandwich bars with a more laid-back atmosphere and casual dining.

Take your pick of traditional British fare or more exotic cuisines. Here are a few suggestions, but if you’d like more options, also check out our guide to the best restaurants near Buckingham Palace. 

The Laughing Halibut: £ | Takeaway—Grab some old-school fish and chips to take away or take a seat inside. It’s a great place for a quick lunch with good reviews.

Bon Gusto: ££ | Italian Cuisine—Fancy a change from British grub? Try this Italian restaurant with a selection of meat, seafood, and pasta dishes. There are also soups and Mediterranean salads.  

The English Grill: ££££ | Traditional British Fare—This restaurant promises you’ll dine like royalty. Indeed, it is ornately decorated with regal furniture and furnishings. You can enjoy traditional afternoon tea in a garden overlooking the Royal Mews. Also, the range of steak, salad, and dessert dishes (to name a few) are product-sourced from the same Royal suppliers as Buckingham Palace.