London: Royal Walking Tour with Guard Change & Royal Mews

Highlights

• Pre-reserved entry to the Royal Mews (stables) (if option selected)
• Pre-reserved entry to the Palace State Rooms (if option selected)
• Gain an unrivaled glimpse into centuries of royalty in the United Kingdom
• Get insider knowledge from your guide, a Royal Family expert
• See royal sites in central London such as Clarence House and St. James’s Park

Description

Discover fascinating history and stories on a royal walking tour of London and explore the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace's working stables, to get up close to the iconic Gold State Coach and witness the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony (if option chosen at time of booking) or head into the inner sanctuary within the walls and gates of Buckingham Palace. The spectacular State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open for only a few short months each year and on these dates, you have full access (if option chosen at time of booking)

With the option of the Royal Mews see the instantly recognizable Gold State Coach, used by Queen Elizabeth II to travel to Westminster Abbey on her Coronation Day in 1953. It was also featured in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant celebrating her seventy-year reign. More recently it took pride of place at the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023. Along the way there, you’ll witness the centuries-old Changing of the Guard Ceremony and make your way from parks to palaces. You’ll have plenty of time to explore the Royal Mews at your own pace with the informative audio guide.

With the option of the Palace State Rooms venture inside the exquisite Royal State Rooms with an audio guide and explore a collection of ornate 19th-century salons and galleries. See the lavishly decorated White Drawing Room, where the King and Royal Family gather before official events. The regal Throne Room holds the Chairs of the Estate, recently used for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Even more magnificent spaces await on your tour of Buckingham Palace that are still used by the Royal Family to entertain guests.

The introduction to the Royal Mews is of course your royal walking tour of London beginning outside Buckingham Palace. Your guide will give you and your small group a crash course in regal life.

Continue through Green Park and stop outside Clarence House, a 19th-century estate that the most recent royals have called home. Then, head further back in time to St. James’s Palace, used as a royal residence for over 300 years up until the reign of Queen Victoria and a working palace to this day.

Next, follow the path of many a royal procession as you stroll down The Mall, the instantly recognizable route running alongside St. James’s Park. Listen to stories of events commemorated in history books that used this very route, from royal weddings to coronations and Jubilee celebrations.

Pop into St. James’s Park, the city’s oldest Royal Park, whose history has been shaped by monarchs since the 16th century. Then pass by Wellington Barracks, home to the royal Foot Guards on duty in the area. Your tour of the Royal Mews or of the Palace’s Royal State Rooms (optional at time of booking) follows your guided walking tour.

London: Royal Walking Tour with Guard Change & Royal Mews

London: Royal Walking Tour & Buckingham Palace State Rooms