Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace: Skip-the-line tickets option

Sit down to tea overlooking the Sunken Garden, then walk straight into the royal residence

Afternoon tea at Kensington Palace Pavilion with a licensed guide fluent in your language, held in the palace gardens overlooking the 17th-century royal residence. The 2-hour option is tea and cakes only. The 2.5-hour option adds skip-the-line entry and an English audio guide to explore the state apartments and royal history exhibitions inside. Your guide meets you at Kensington High Street and escorts you through the gardens, sharing stories about the royal family as you taste a selection of cakes and tea.

Step-by-step itinerary

Kensington Palace Tea and Tour

• Meet guide at Hux Hotel
• Enjoy royal afternoon tea at Kensington Palace Pavilion
• Visit Kensington Palace with skip-the-line tickets
• Explore palace gardens with Local Guide

The experience

You meet your guide in front of the Hux Hotel on Kensington High Street, a five-minute walk from the palace grounds. From there, you head into the gardens and settle at the Kensington Palace Pavilion, an elegant café that overlooks the Sunken Garden and the palace itself: the 17th-century residence where Queen Victoria was born and where Prince William and Kate currently live with their children. This is where the afternoon tea happens: a full service of cakes and tea, chosen from the menu, served at a reserved table while your guide shares the stories behind the royal family and British tea culture.

If you book the 2.5-hour option, your guide walks you to the palace entrance after tea and hands you skip-the-line tickets and an English audio guide. You avoid the queue at the ticket office and enter immediately, though you'll pass through mandatory security. Your guide doesn't go inside with you. Instead, they brief you on what to look for in the state apartments and exhibitions on royal history before you explore on your own, audio guide in hand. The 2-hour option ends after tea in the gardens, with no palace entry.

A licensed guide fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French or one of five other languages leads the experience. All areas are wheelchair accessible, and infants can sit on an adult's lap or travel in a pram. Check your email the day before for any last-minute details, and let the operator know in advance if you have dietary requirements.

What’s included

• A 5-star licensed guide fluent in your chosen language.
• afternoon tea with a selection of cakes and tea from the menu.
• table reservation at the Kensington Palace Pavilion.
• skip-the-line tickets and English audio guide to Kensington Palace (2.5-hour option only).

Options for this experience

2 options

British High Tea, 2HGuide in 9 languages · 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00Book a two-hour tea party at an elegant cafe on the grounds of Kensington Palace. Includes one serving of afternoon tea (with cakes) per guest. Expert guide: an official 5-star guide who specialises in this kind of tour and speaks fluent English, the chosen language - UKLO060. Duration: 2 hours.

2,5H:BritishHighTea&KensingtonGuide in English · 10:00 and 11:00Pick this option to get skip-the-line tickets and an English audio guide for Kensington Palace, and enjoy afternoon tea at the palace's elegant cafe over a 2.5-hour visit. Expert guide: an official 5-star guide who specialises in this kind of tour and speaks fluent English, the chosen language - UKLO060. Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00

Book up to10h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by UK Tours & Activites

Is this one for you?Book the 2-hour option if you want tea and stories in the gardens without entering the palace. Choose 2.5 hours if you have time to explore the state apartments and royal history exhibitions inside, since the skip-the-line tickets let you move straight past the queue at the door.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Polish.

Can I visit Kensington Palace without booking the 2.5-hour option?

The 2-hour option is afternoon tea only, held in the café in the palace gardens. You don't enter the palace itself. Skip-the-line tickets and audio guide access are included only in the 2.5-hour option.

Will my guide go inside Kensington Palace with me?

Your guide escorts you to the entrance and provides information about what to see inside, but does not accompany you through the palace. You explore the state apartments and exhibitions on your own with the English audio guide.

What is the Kensington Palace Pavilion like?

The Pavilion is an elegant café located on the palace grounds that overlooks the Sunken Garden and the palace building itself. This is where you sit for afternoon tea, with views of the royal residence and the manicured gardens around it.

How long does it take to get from the meeting point to the tea?

You meet at the Hux Hotel on Kensington High Street and walk into the palace gardens to reach the Pavilion café: a short walk of a few minutes to the tea service.

What if I have dietary requirements or allergies?

Let the operator know in advance of any dietary needs, and they will arrange the afternoon tea menu accordingly. Notify them when you book or in your pre-tour email.