The Changing of the Guard Tour and Buckingham Palace

Royal pageantry rewards good positioning. This 2-hour-15-minute walking tour combines the Changing of the Guard with a brisk route through St. James’s, Westminster, Parliament Square, Horse Guards Parade, and Trafalgar Square. I especially like the careful viewing spots chosen by the guides and the lively royal stories from guides such as Alan, John, Peter, and Camila. You also get a useful first look at several major London sights without paying for a large sightseeing package.

The tour offers two things I value: a better chance of seeing the ceremony clearly, and a compact walk through central London’s royal landmarks. The main consideration is that this is not a Buckingham Palace interior tour. Westminster Abbey is viewed from outside, too, and the ceremony can change or be canceled at the British Army’s discretion.

Key points to know before you book

• The ceremony changes by day: Buckingham Palace Foot Guards appear on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Horse Guards Parade is used on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
• The guides control the experience: Alan, John, Peter, and Camila have all been praised for strong storytelling, humor, and excellent positioning.
• The tour is mostly outside: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, and 10 Downing Street are viewed externally.
• You walk at a brisk pace: The route covers royal parks, ceremonial roads, Westminster, and Trafalgar Square in about two hours and fifteen minutes.
• The price is reasonable for a guided morning: At $24.95 per person, the main value comes from timing, orientation, and finding a useful viewing spot.
• Weather matters: Rain or poor conditions can affect the ceremony, and the experience may be rescheduled or refunded if canceled.

Why this tour is useful for a first London visit

London’s Changing of the Guard looks simple on paper. You arrive at Buckingham Palace, wait, and watch soldiers march. In practice, the important question is where to stand, how early to move, and which part of the ceremony is worth watching.

That is where this tour earns its fee. A guide who knows the route can move you toward a strong viewpoint instead of leaving you to search through a crowd. The strongest praise for this experience centers on guides placing groups close to the action, sometimes with a clear front-row view. That can make a big difference when the ceremony lasts only part of your sightseeing day.

The tour also gives you a compact introduction to royal London. You pass St. James’s Palace, Clarence House, Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Park, Churchill’s War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, Horse Guards Parade, and Trafalgar Square.

You will not explore these buildings inside. Still, the route helps you understand how the royal, political, and ceremonial parts of London fit together. For a first day in the city, that context is useful.

The group size is listed at a maximum of 35 people. That is not tiny, but it is manageable for a walking tour. You should still stay close to the guide, especially during the ceremony and on busy streets.

Meeting at Green Park and getting started

The tour begins at Colicci Ritz Corner, Green Park, Stop H, London W1J 9DZ. The meeting point is beside the coffee van outside Green Park station area, so arrive with the location details ready on your phone.

This is one part of the experience where precision matters. A missed meeting can mean missing the whole ceremony, and the operator says the group waits only until about 10:05 a.m. The meeting area can be busy, so do not simply wait near the first entrance you see. Look for the tour guide or group flag in the stated coffee van area.

The tour is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. Confirmation arrives when you book. There is no food or drink included, so buy water or a snack before meeting the group if you need one.

Wear comfortable shoes. The route is not a technical hike, but the walk can be brisk, and you will spend much of it standing outdoors. A coat or rain layer is wise even when the forecast looks acceptable. The ceremony may be canceled in poor weather, but the walking portion still depends on outdoor conditions.

St. James’s Palace, Clarence House, and Buckingham Palace

The first part moves through what you might call royal London’s front yard. St. James’s Palace and Clarence House are seen from outside, along with Buckingham Palace. The guide uses these stops to explain royal connections and ceremonial traditions, adding anecdotes and small facts that are easy to miss when you walk past on your own.

St. James’s Palace has an older, more intimate feel than Buckingham Palace. Clarence House remains closely linked with the Royal Family. Buckingham Palace is the grand visual centerpiece, and the approach along the Mall gives the ceremony its proper setting.

I like this opening because it does not rush straight into the palace gates. You get a sense of the buildings, streets, and royal spaces around the event first. The experience becomes more than a single photo stop.

Your guide may also point out the best place to stand before the guards appear. Several guides have been praised for getting groups unusually close to the action and for explaining what is happening rather than simply saying, Here they come. That extra context helps if you have never seen a military ceremony before.

Watching the Changing of the Guard

The exact ceremony depends on the day. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, the tour is scheduled around the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the focus shifts to the Changing of the King’s Horse Guards at Horse Guards Parade.

This distinction matters. If your dream is specifically the Foot Guards at Buckingham Palace, choose one of the scheduled Buckingham Palace days. If you visit on another day, you will see the impressive horses and ceremony at Horse Guards Parade instead. The operator notes that the British Army can change or cancel the event without notice.

The ceremony is free to watch, but the experience of watching it well is not always free in practical terms. You pay for the guide’s route planning and crowd awareness. The strongest feedback praises Alan in particular for placing the group in an excellent position, while John is often credited with handling crowded conditions and keeping the group moving.

Do not expect a private viewing area. You are still in a public space, and other people will be nearby. The advantage is that the guide knows the area and can direct you to a better angle than a random arrival may produce.

The horses are a special draw on Horse Guards Parade. They add movement, scale, and a strong photo opportunity. One account also describes seeing a royal departure in a Rolls-Royce during a rainy tour, though that is clearly an unexpected bonus rather than something you should count on.

St. James’s Park gives the route some breathing room

After the first ceremony section, the tour takes a walk through St. James’s Royal Park. This is a welcome change from palace gates and crowded roads. It also gives the guide room to continue with royal stories while you walk rather than stand still.

The park section helps the tour feel like a connected walk instead of a chain of unrelated stops. You have seen the royal residences, watched the ceremony, and now move toward Westminster through one of central London’s best-known green spaces.

There is access to public toilets about halfway through the tour. That is a useful detail on a two-hour-plus walk, especially if you are sightseeing with children.

Westminster Abbey from the outside

The second major section begins near Churchill’s War Rooms and continues toward Westminster Abbey. The guide explains the significance of the area while you walk, then brings the group to Parliament Square and the Abbey.

Westminster Abbey has hosted every royal coronation since 1066, making it one of the most important churches in England. However, the tour spends about five minutes at the Abbey and does not take you inside. The admission ticket is not included.

That short exterior stop is enough for a photograph and a brief explanation, but not enough for a proper visit. If you want to see coronation spaces, royal tombs, memorials, or the interior architecture, plan a separate visit and buy an entry ticket independently.

This is one of the clearest limits of the experience. The name may lead you to expect more time at Buckingham Palace or Westminster Abbey, but the tour is really an outdoor walking route with ceremonial viewing.

Parliament Square, Big Ben, and Downing Street

Parliament Square provides several strong photo stops. Statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill surround the area, and the Houses of Parliament form the grand backdrop.

Big Ben is technically the nickname for the bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, but the clock tower is what most people come to photograph. From Parliament Square, you can admire the Gothic exterior of the Houses of Parliament and hear how the political center fits into the wider royal story.

The walk then continues toward 10 Downing Street, the official home of the Prime Minister. You will view it from outside, not enter. As with the Abbey, the value is in seeing the location and learning its place in British public life.

John has received especially strong praise for combining facts, humor, and lively presentation. That style matters here because the tour covers a lot of history in a short time. A dry list of dates could make this stretch feel like a textbook. A good guide turns the buildings into a connected story.

Horse Guards Parade and the final walk to Trafalgar Square

The route includes a photo opportunity with the horses of the Queen’s Guard, followed by Horse Guards Parade. This is another chance for close viewing and photographs, although the position depends on crowd control and the day’s schedule.

Horse Guards Parade has a more open ceremonial setting than the palace approach. It also helps you see the military side of royal tradition, particularly on days when the mounted guard ceremony is the main event.

The tour finishes at Trafalgar Square, about five minutes after the final stop. Nelson’s Column dominates the square, and the location is practical for continuing your sightseeing. From here, you can choose your next museum, restaurant, or central London walk without needing to return to Green Park.

The different start and finish points are a plus. You cover more ground and do not waste time retracing the route. Just remember that your tour ends away from the original meeting point.

Guide quality is the main reason to book

The guide can make or break this experience. The most praised names are Alan, John, and Peter, with Camila also receiving positive comments for a professional and well-informed approach.

Alan is repeatedly praised for ceremony positioning, useful trivia, clear explanations, and a warm sense of humor. John is praised for enthusiasm, royal knowledge, crowd management, and keeping people engaged even in cold weather. Peter is described as kind with children, entertaining in the rain, and strong on royal history.

You cannot assume which guide you will receive, and the tour does not promise a particular person. Still, the pattern is clear: the best part of this experience is not a ticketed attraction. It is the guide’s ability to put the ceremony and landmarks into context.

The guide also helps families. One account specifically praises Peter for being patient and kind with two children. The route is manageable for many families, but the brisk pace and long periods outside may be tiring for very young children.

What $24.95 buys you

At $24.95 per person, the cost is fair if you want help with the ceremony and a guided orientation to Westminster. You are not paying for palace admission, Abbey entry, transport, food, or drink. The buildings are viewed externally, and the ceremony itself does not require an admission ticket.

The value rests in three areas:

• Finding a useful viewing position
• Learning what you are seeing
• Covering a large group of central landmarks efficiently

If you are already confident navigating London and only want a quick palace photograph, you may prefer to go alone. If you want to understand the ceremony and avoid guessing where to stand, the fee is easier to justify.

The rating is 4.7 from 326 reviews, with 93 percent recommending the experience. That is strong, but the one-star account gives a useful warning: meeting-point confusion can ruin the day. Arrive early, check the exact location, and look for the group rather than assuming every guide near Green Park is yours.

Who should take this walking tour?

I would recommend it to first-time London visitors, families wanting a structured morning, and anyone who wants the Changing of the Guard without spending hours working out the crowd patterns.

It also suits people who enjoy history in short, lively explanations. The route offers plenty of photographs, but it is not only a photo walk. You get royal anecdotes, political landmarks, military tradition, and a useful sense of central London’s layout.

You should think twice if walking is difficult, if you dislike standing outdoors, or if you want to enter Buckingham Palace or Westminster Abbey. The tour is not designed for interior visits. It is also not ideal if you need a slow pace or a quiet, small-group experience.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time. If bad weather or a failure to reach the minimum group size causes cancellation, you can choose another date or receive a full refund. Changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if the ceremony is high on your London list and you want a guide to handle the timing, stories, and viewing position. The $24.95 price is sensible for a two-hour-plus route that connects Buckingham Palace with Westminster and Trafalgar Square.

Do not book it expecting palace entry, an Abbey interior visit, or a relaxed pace. Choose your date carefully based on the ceremony schedule, arrive early at Green Park, wear good shoes, and prepare for changing weather.

For most first visits, I think the guided format is worth it. The strongest advantage is simple: you spend less time guessing and more time seeing.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.

How much does the tour cost?

The listed price is $24.95 per person.

Which days feature the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace?

The Buckingham Palace Foot Guards ceremony occurs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

What happens on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday?

On those days, the tour watches the Changing of the King’s Horse Guards at Horse Guards Parade.

Does the tour enter Buckingham Palace?

No. The experience visits the area around Buckingham Palace and views the palace from outside.

Does the tour enter Westminster Abbey?

No. Westminster Abbey is viewed from outside, and the tour spends about five minutes there. Entry is not included.

Where does the tour start?

It starts at Colicci Ritz Corner, Green Park, Stop H, London W1J 9DZ, near the coffee van outside Green Park station.

Where does the tour finish?

The tour finishes at Trafalgar Square.

Is food or drink included?

No. Food and drink are not included.

Is the tour suitable for people with walking difficulties?

It is not recommended for people with walking difficulties because parts of the route can involve a brisk walk. Public toilets are available about halfway through the tour.