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Royal Westminster and Changing of the Guard: Get Intimate with London’s Majestic Royal Sights
4.6
176 Ratings
Greater London
Experience the majesty of London’s royal sights on a walking tour. Get up close to Buckingham Palace, witness the Changing of the Guard, and explore Westminster Abbey’s rich history.
Experience the majesty of London’s royal sights on a walking tour. Get up close to Buckingham Palace, witness the Changing of the Guard, and explore Westminster Abbey’s rich history.
Duration:
2 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Changing of the Guard - Begin your tour with a journey through Royal London, witnessing some of the most famous Royal Houses and Palaces such as St. James’ Palace, Clarence House and Buckingham Palace. Enjoy the iconic Changing of the Guard Ceremony as you march down the Mall with the Queen’s footguards or marvel at the impressive horses of the…
- Changing of the Guard - Begin your tour with a journey through Royal London, witnessing some of the most famous Royal Houses and Palaces such as St. James’ Palace, Clarence House and Buckingham Palace. Enjoy the iconic Changing of the Guard Ceremony as you march down the Mall with the Queen’s footguards or marvel at the impressive horses of the Household Cavalry (daily itinerary is dependent upon the schedule of the British Army). Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the beautiful St James’ Royal Park to finish the first half of the tour.
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Westminster - Our journey continues through historic Royal Westminster.
We pass Churchill’s War Rooms and onto Westminster Abbey - the site of every Royal Coronation since 1066, it is the most important church in England.
Explore Parliament Square with its array of impressive statues immortalizing such historical figures as Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. Overlooking Parliament Square is the most famous sight in London - Big Ben. Admire the stunning gothic architecture of the Houses of Parliament before heading down to 10 Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister.
Capture the perfect photograph with the horses of the Queen’s Guard before exploring Horse Guards Parade. - Trafalgar Square - Finish the tour at Trafalgar Square, home of Nelson’s Column, one of the most impressive sights in London.
What's Included
- Expert-guided walking tour
- Expert-guided walking tour
What's Not Included
- No Food or Drink included
- Gratuities
- Entrance to inside of attractions
- No Food or Drink included
- Gratuities
- Entrance to inside of attractions
Additional Information
The Royal Westminster and Changing of the Guard walking tour offers an unrivalled, immersive experience into London’s most iconic Royal attractions. Be amazed at the grandeur of Buckingham Palace, walk alongside the King’s Guards on the Mall, and explore royal traditions at Westminster Abbey, the venue for all coronations since 1066.
Your guide will not…
The Royal Westminster and Changing of the Guard walking tour offers an unrivalled, immersive experience into London’s most iconic Royal attractions. Be amazed at the grandeur of Buckingham Palace, walk alongside the King’s Guards on the Mall, and explore royal traditions at Westminster Abbey, the venue for all coronations since 1066.
Your guide will not only provide you with comprehensive information and interesting tales, but also assist you in finding the optimal spots to observe the globally acclaimed Changing of the Guard Ceremony. A significant number of individuals without guides find themselves in less favourable locations every day.
*Please review the following additional information for complete details about the Changing of the Guard.
Experience the charm of standing under London’s most renowned landmark, Big Ben, one moment, and touching one of the Household Cavalry’s horses the next. All of this and more awaits you on this unforgettable journey.
- There will be access to public toilets halfway through the tour.
- The Changing of the Guard (Foot Guards) ceremony at Buckingham Palace occurs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
- On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the tour will witness the Changing of the King’s Horse Guards at Horse Guards Parade ..
- The Changing of the Guard Ceremony operates at the discretion of the British Army. It can be changed or cancelled without notice. This is beyond our control.
- In the event of bad weather the Changing of the Guard Ceremony may be cancelled. The tour will endeavor to watch the Changing of the Horse Guards on these days.
- Not recommended for those with walking difficulties as the tour can be a brisk walk in parts.
Location
Colicci Ritz Corner
The tour starts from the Goddess Diana fountain in Green Park, next to the Colicci refreshment stand. Enter Green Park via the entrance gates next to the Ritz Hotel.
If taking the underground, disembark at Green Park Station. The Green Park/Buckingham Palace exit will lead you to the fountain.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(176 Ratings)
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Donna_p
Oct 21, 2024
Excellent - John was a great tour guide!! He also took us to Big Ben and Parliment. We really enjoyed this tour.
Review provided by Viator
K1510jqfrancescap
Oct 9, 2024
Harry: amazing guide! Amazing tour! - I loved the tour. We saw different moments of the changing of the guard from different places, as well as the changing of the guard's horses. All these events are for free, but without our guide, Harry, we wouldn't have known where to go and which are the best places for us to stand. That´s the plus that this tour gives to the customers and that´s why I recommend it. Harry, was amazing, very funny and engaging. I appreciated his storytelling and vast knowledge about London and the sites.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bogdanmk9060tx
Oct 1, 2024
Best tour with Harry - I must say both me and my wife had a great experience in this tour mainly because of the guide ( Harry). He kept us active with all the important information and his extraordinary storytelling. Thanks Harry for the great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dianne_c
Sep 26, 2024
Alan showed us all the good stuff on the Guard tour! - The whole event had many parts and they were all great. Alan was a fantastic, informative, pleasant guide, very knowledgeable. He made sure we got to the right spots at the right time to have "front row" seats to the events. We therefore saw the marching and the bands playing with optimal views. We saw Buckingham Palace, St. James' palace, Clarence House (the King's residence). It was wonderfully organized and directions provided were clear. We had to depart (for the airport) after two hours but the group was going to carry on a bit. A very nice experience!
Review provided by Viator
Natalie_n
Sep 24, 2024
Great way to start a visit to London! - Great walking tour to get acquainted with the city of London. Lots of information from our fun and informative story telling guide. I was a bit confused about the location of the changing of the guards as it was at the beginning where they started their exchange from rather than the end in front of the palace so you just saw the palace from a less crowded distant vantage point. Nevertheless, overall good experience and great way to get introduced to London.
Review provided by Viator
Erin_m
Aug 26, 2024
Great morning with the Guards! - Mick was the best! Well heeled in history and great personality for a tour guide. He got us to all the right spots at all the right times. We had three kiddos with us and they all loved it. You don’t get in front of Buckingham Palace but it was a zoo over there. Not sure how you would see anything without getting there really early. We saw the main charge change and two others. Great photo opps.
Review provided by Viator
Jeanmarie_g
Oct 8, 2024
Great experience - This was a great experience with a wonderful guide. Lots of interesting information. Guide was friendly, professional added suggestions.
Review provided by Viator
Sindhusrinivas
Aug 30, 2024
Good tour but not as advertised - We had a great time with our tour guide however it was disappointing that the tour was for changing of guard and it was not advertised that those are only done Monday/wed/fr/sunday. We feel like didn’t get the intended purpose.
Review provided by Viator
Adventure302239
Oct 10, 2024
booked changing the guards we didn’t see guide told us they never do change of guards on Saturday. We should been told - Never saw changing guards they say they never do it on Saturday. Should been told. When we were booking it . Very disappointed
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhonda_b
Sep 29, 2024
Not what we expected!! - We were all very disappointed with the description of this tour. Yes, our guide was tremendous and his knowledge was immense. The beginning of the tour was great and we did get to see the "old guard" come out and begin the marching. It may be our error, but we were expecting to get close to the gate of the palace and actually witness the Changing of the Guard at the Palace.....Maybe you should redo your wording so people totally understand,
Review provided by Viator
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