Full Royal Tour: Royal London & Buckingham Palace Tour

Buckingham Palace is the star here, but you earn your palace visit with a lively walk through London’s royal center. Starting at The Ritz, you cross Green Park, pass the Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey before touring the palace’s 19 state rooms and gardens.

I like the small walking group, capped at 15 people, and the chance to get useful viewing advice for Changing of the Guard from guides such as Will, Greg, Ari, Kris, or Brandon. The main caution is the pace: this is a long walk with little sitting, and the palace portion is not a small guided group. You receive tickets and directions, then enter on your own with an audio guide.

Key points to know

• The walk covers royal London on foot: Expect roughly three hours of sightseeing before the palace visit, with stops at Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Parliament Square, and Westminster Abbey.
• Changing of the Guard is day dependent: On selected dates, your guide helps position you for a better view, but the ceremony is not guaranteed on every departure.
• Buckingham Palace comes later: The guide does not enter the palace with you. You receive your ticket and directions at the end of the walk.
• The palace visit is substantial: Allow about two hours for the state rooms, gardens, multilingual audio guide, and Queen Victoria exhibition.
• The walking group stays small: A maximum of 15 people makes it easier to hear the guide and ask questions.
• The $103.07 price covers two different experiences: You get a live walking tour plus palace admission, but not food, transport, or hotel pickup.

Buckingham Palace first, but not Buckingham Palace only

Many people book this tour for the palace ticket, and rightly so. Buckingham Palace offers access to 19 grand state rooms filled with royal furniture and art from the Royal Collection, plus gardens and the Queen Victoria exhibition.

What makes the experience useful is the royal London walk beforehand. You do not simply arrive at the palace, look around, and leave. You follow the ceremonial route that links the monarchy with Parliament, military tradition, government, and national memory.

The experience lasts about five hours, though the timing between the walking tour and palace entry matters. The morning begins at 10:00 am outside The Ritz London at 150 Piccadilly. The walking portion ends at Buckingham Palace, where the guide gives you your entry ticket and instructions before leaving.

That handoff is important. You should understand from the start that this is a guided walk followed by a self-guided palace visit, not one continuous guided tour inside the building.

Green Park and the walk to the palace

The group begins with a stroll through Green Park. This is a pleasant way to approach the palace, since you avoid city traffic and arrive through one of central London’s classic royal settings.

At Buckingham Palace, the guide explains the building and its place in British royal life. On certain days, the schedule may include Changing of the Guard. If it does, your guide helps you find a viewing point rather than leaving you to guess where to stand among the crowds.

That advice can be one of the more useful parts of the morning. Guard ceremonies draw large numbers of people, and the best view depends heavily on position and timing. Guides Ari and Kris received special praise for knowing good places to watch, while one guide, Will, also explained the royal sights with humor and clear detail.

Do not treat the ceremony as guaranteed. The tour information says it takes place on certain days, so check the schedule for your date if the guards are a major reason for booking.

After the palace area, you walk along The Mall. This broad ceremonial route links Buckingham Palace with Trafalgar Square and gives the tour a strong sense of place. It is also a good moment to connect what you have just seen at the palace with the public ceremonies held in central London.

Trafalgar Square, 20 minutes among national symbols

Trafalgar Square is the first major public square on the route. You stop near Nelson’s Column, the fountains, and the National Gallery.

The value here is orientation. The square is not just a photo stop. It helps you understand how London places royal, military, artistic, and political symbols close together. Your guide can point out the buildings and explain why this space matters as you move toward Whitehall and Westminster.

You have about 20 minutes here. That is enough for photographs and a quick look around, but not enough for the National Gallery. Admission to the square is free, and the museum is not part of this tour, so plan a separate visit if you want to see its collection.

Horse Guards Parade and St. James’s Park

The walk continues to Horse Guards Parade, on the edge of St. James’s Park. The group pauses at the famous arch and clock, both useful landmarks and strong photo subjects.

This stop adds a military layer to the royal story. After seeing the palace and The Mall, you get a closer look at the ceremonial spaces connected with guards and state occasions. The stop lasts about 20 minutes.

There is no admission charge here. The guide’s role is to give the place meaning and point out the details you might otherwise pass without noticing. That is where the small group helps. With no more than 15 people, it should be easier to hear explanations and stay together near busy streets.

Whitehall and the government district

Whitehall is only a short walk away, but the tone changes. Here, grand government buildings and monuments replace the palace gardens and parade ground.

You also pass the area around Downing Street, where British prime ministers have lived and worked since 1735. The tour does not promise entry, and you should expect an exterior look rather than a house visit.

This is one of the tour’s strengths for first-time visitors. In a short stretch, you see how the British monarchy, military, and government operate in neighboring parts of London. The guide connects the buildings instead of treating them as isolated landmarks.

The stop lasts about 20 minutes. As with the other outdoor sections, you are on your feet and exposed to the normal conditions of a city walk. Wear comfortable shoes and do not plan a packed activity immediately afterward.

Parliament Square and Big Ben up close

At Parliament Square, you see the Palace of Westminster, home of the Houses of Parliament, along with Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Churchill statue.

This is a strong photo stop because several well-known London sights come into view at once. You also get the chance to correct a common mistake: Big Ben is the bell, while the clock tower has a different name. One guide specifically made that distinction part of the explanation, which is the sort of small fact that helps the city make more sense.

The stop lasts around 40 minutes, longer than most of the other outdoor stops. That gives you more time for photographs and for the guide to explain the buildings around Parliament Square.

You do not enter Parliament during this tour. The experience is about seeing the exterior and understanding its place in royal London. If you want an interior visit, you need a separate booking.

Westminster Abbey from the outside

Westminster Abbey is the final major stop before the palace visit. The building has more than 1,000 years of history and is the traditional setting for the coronation of British kings and queens.

The tour includes an outside look, not entry into the abbey. That distinction matters because many people associate Westminster Abbey with its interior tombs, chapels, and memorials. You will need a separate ticket if you want to go inside.

Even without entry, the stop gives the walking route a fitting close. The morning has moved from Buckingham Palace and royal ceremony through government and Parliament, then to the place tied most directly to coronation tradition.

The stop lasts about 20 minutes. By now, you have already covered a large section of central London, so this is where the physical demand of the tour becomes clear.

The walking pace and the 19,000-step warning

The tour is advertised at about five hours, but it is best understood as a long walking morning followed by a separate palace visit. One participant described reaching roughly 19,000 steps. That exact total will vary, but it gives you a useful warning: this is not a gentle hop between attractions.

There are few scheduled sitting breaks. You may find benches in some public areas, but the tour itself keeps moving. Comfortable shoes are essential, and I would avoid bringing a heavy bag unless you need it.

The walking route is a good choice if you want to see several central sights without handling public transport or finding parking. It is less suitable if you tire easily, have limited walking ability, or prefer a slow museum-style tour.

Most people can participate, and service animals are allowed. The tour is near public transportation, but hotel pickup and drop-off are not included. You must reach The Ritz on your own at 10:00 am.

Entering Buckingham Palace with an audio guide

After the walking tour, you receive your palace ticket and directions. The walking guide does not accompany you inside Buckingham Palace, so expect a change in pace and format.

The palace portion lasts about two hours. You tour 19 state rooms with a multilingual audio guide, seeing royal furnishings and notable works from the Royal Collection. The audio guide lets you move at your own speed, which can be a benefit after the structured morning walk.

The palace interiors are the main reason this tour costs more than a simple London sightseeing walk. Admission is included, and you get access to rooms that are not part of an ordinary exterior photo stop. You also visit the royal gardens and the Queen Victoria exhibition.

One detail deserves careful attention: the palace entry may be timed separately from the end of the walk. A participant once hurried to the palace and discovered the ticket was for 45 minutes later. Take the time to read the instructions your guide gives you instead of assuming you can enter immediately.

The palace portion may also be much larger than the walking group. One person expected a small group throughout but encountered a palace group of roughly 60 or more people. That is not unusual for a major attraction, but it changes the experience. You will not have the same personal attention inside, and the guide will not be there to keep everyone together.

What the $103.07 price really buys

At $103.07 per person, the price is easiest to judge as two linked admissions: a small-group guided walk and a Buckingham Palace entry ticket.

The walking tour gives you a route, local stories, and help with places such as Changing of the Guard. The palace ticket gives you access to the state rooms, gardens, exhibition, and audio guide. If you already plan to visit Buckingham Palace and also want a first-day orientation to central London, the combination can be sensible.

The value is weaker if you only want palace interiors or if you would rather explore the royal sights at your own pace. You could prefer a standalone palace visit and use a map or public transport for Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Parliament Square, and Westminster Abbey.

The small group is a real advantage outdoors. Guides Will, Greg, Ari, Kris, and Brandon were each described as engaging, witty, friendly, or clear in their storytelling. Guide quality can vary by departure, but the experience clearly depends on having someone who can keep the long walk lively.

The palace audio guide provides structure once the live portion ends. You do not need the walking guide inside, but you should not book this expecting personal commentary throughout the full five hours.

Who should book this royal London experience?

I would recommend it to a first-time London visitor who wants a quick orientation and a major palace visit in one morning. It suits history fans, royal enthusiasts, and anyone who prefers a guide to connect the sights instead of reading signs alone.

It is also useful if you want to avoid parking and do not want to plan a central London walking route yourself. The route includes many of the city’s most recognizable royal and political sights, and the group size should make the outdoor commentary easy to follow.

I would be more cautious if you dislike long walks, need frequent rest, or want to spend plenty of time inside each landmark. You see Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament from outside only, and the palace visit is self-guided with a potentially large entry crowd.

Book this tour if you value context before the palace rooms. Skip it if your priority is a quiet, highly personal Buckingham Palace tour or if five hours on foot sounds tiring.

Practical details before you reserve

The tour starts at 10:00 am outside The Ritz London, 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR. It ends at Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA, and there is no hotel pickup or return transport.

You receive confirmation when booking. The activity is offered in English, with a multilingual audio guide available at the palace. The maximum walking group size is 15 people, though the palace entry group can be much larger.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Changes or cancellations inside that 24-hour window are not accepted, and the cutoff follows local London time.

FAQ

How long does the Full Royal Tour last?

The experience lasts approximately five hours. About three hours are spent on the outdoor walking route, followed by about two hours inside Buckingham Palace.

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts at 10:00 am at The Ritz London, 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR, UK.

Where does the experience end?

The experience ends at Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, after the palace visit.

Is entry to Buckingham Palace included?

Yes. The Buckingham Palace entrance ticket is included, along with access to the 19 state rooms, royal gardens, Queen Victoria exhibition, and a multilingual audio guide.

Does the guide enter Buckingham Palace with the group?

No. The walking guide does not join you inside the palace. You receive your ticket and directions at the end of the walking tour, then tour the palace with the audio guide.

Can I see Changing of the Guard?

You can see the ceremony on certain days. The guide will help you find a viewing spot when it is scheduled, but it is not offered on every tour date.

Is hotel pickup included?

No. You must make your own way to the starting point at The Ritz London. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.