London: Changing of the Guard & Buckingham Palace Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.92 (150 reviews) 97% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/12

Duration2h

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Skip the Palace gates. Follow the guards where they actually go.

You get positioned where the guards actually march instead of stuck outside the Palace gates. The 2-hour walk covers Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, Clarence House, Green Park, and Westminster Abbey with an expert guide explaining the history as you move. Small group size means you're not lost in a crowd, and the tour ends near Big Ben and the Underground, so you're set for the rest of your day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Changing of the Guard and Royal Landmarks

Stroll through Green Park
Visit St. James's Park
Observe Changing of the Guard ceremony
Explore St. James's Palace history
Admire Clarence House
See Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
End at Parliament Square near Westminster Station

The Experience

The mistake most people make is obvious once you see it: they line up outside Buckingham Palace thinking that's where the Changing of the Guard happens, then spend an hour craning their necks while crowds press in from all sides. Your guide knows the actual route the King's foot guards take—the red tunics and bearskin hats moving with that stiff, deliberate pace—and positions the group where you're not fighting for sightlines. You follow the ceremony from start to finish, watching the guards march through St. James's Palace and down to the Horse Guard Parade, which is where the real pageantry unfolds, not where the tourists cluster.

The walking tour itself covers about two hours and threads through five landmarks without feeling rushed. After the ceremony, you move through Green Park toward Clarence House, then St. James's Park, where the guide fills in the layers—Henry VIII walked these grounds, the palace has housed royalty for centuries, the architecture tells a story if you know where to look. The pace is steady but not punishing; there's time to ask questions and actually absorb what you're seeing instead of just checking boxes. The group stays small, which means you're not herding with fifty other people trying to get the same photo.

One thing to know: the Changing of the Guard only happens Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, so you need to plan your London days around those dates. It's not a daily thing, which is partly why getting the timing and the location right matters so much. The tour wraps up in Parliament Square, right across from Big Ben and near Westminster Underground, so you can head straight into the next part of your day without backtracking across the city. If you're in London for a few days and one of those ceremony days falls during your stay, it's worth blocking out the morning for this rather than trying to wing it on your own.

What’s included

Your tour includes the full Changing of the Guard ceremony with expert positioning, a 2-hour guided walking route through five royal landmarks (Buckingham Palace, St.
James's Palace, Clarence House, Green Park, and St.
James's Park), views of the Horse Guard Parade and Westminster Abbey, and a knowledgeable guide who explains the history and stories behind each stop.
The group stays small, and you finish near Parliament Square and Big Ben.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Best Tours London

Is this one for you?Right for anyone in London on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday who wants to actually see the Changing of the Guard instead of standing in the wrong spot. The 2-hour pace and small group size mean you're learning as you walk, not just collecting photos in a crowd.