A Review of Buckingham Palace – State Rooms Tour Tips and Advice

Looking to visit Buckingham Palace state rooms? I visited with my mother in September 2024.

In this review, we’ll take you through our full visit—from the highlights of the State Rooms tour to the experience of having tea at the Garden Café, and everything in between.

There’s also lots of tips and information that’s good to know from where exactly you’ll need to go to enter the palace to whether it’s a good idea to take the kids.

Whether you’re deciding if a visit to Buckingham Palace is worth it, have already secured your ticket, or are just curious about life behind its walls, this review offers an insider’s guide to what you can expect.

Everything You Need to Know:

When to Visit Buckingham Palace?
How much does it cost to Visit Buckingham Palace: a guide to the different ticket options.
Where is gate C?
Which is the Best Tube Station to Get to Buckingham Palace
A Review of State Rooms Tour
The Garden Cafe
A walk through the garden
Would I recommend a visit to Buckingham Palace?
Would I take the kids?
More Tips and Advice

When to Visit Buckingham Palace?

Buckingham Palace opens it’s state rooms to the public every summer. In 2024, it’s open from 11th July to 29th September. The exact dates change slightly every year. In July and August it’s open 7 days a week. In September it closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but is open the rest of the week.

The Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace during the summer months which allows this to happen. So unfortunately you won’t see King Charles walking around with the corgis.

If you’ve missed the summer season, don’t worry! Buckingham Palace also offers winter tours on select dates, though these come at a premium. Check the website to see when the next tour is scheduled.

How Much Does it Cost To Visit Buckingham Palace: a guide to the different ticket options.

Visiting Buckingham Palace offers a variety of ticket options, depending on what parts of the palace and grounds you’d like to see. Here’s a breakdown of the most common options:

1. State Rooms Tickets – this ticket is available during the summer months (July to October). It’s the ticket we purchased and which is reviewed in the article. It costs £32 in 2024 and includes a self guided tour of 19 state rooms and some of the garden.This is the most popular option for tourists and is the one most people pick!

2. Royal Day Out – this allows you access to the state rooms, the Royal Mews and the Kings Gallery. The Royal Mews is where you can see the royal carriages, cars, and horses. The King’s Gallery shows exhibits from the Royal Collection, including old Master painting, rare furniture and photographs.

3.) State Room Tickets and Garden Tour – on selected dates you can receive a 45 minute tour of Buckingham Palace Garden after you visit the State Rooms. You need to book in advance to secure tickets for this as they are limited.

4.) Private Tours – in the winter there are private guided tours of Buckingham Palace on selected dates. These tend to be for fewer people but is more expensive than visiting in the summer.

Where is Gate C?

Once you’ve booked your Buckingham Palace State Room tickets, you will see you need to go to gate c to get access.

Gate C is located on the south side of the palace, near the entrance to the King’s Gallery.

This map is the best I’ve found to show exactly where it’s located.

Which is the Best Tube Station to Get to Buckingham Palace

The closest Tube station to Gate C is Victoria, though Green Park is also nearby and a popular choice for many visitors. If you opt for Green Park, it’s a lovely walk from the staton, taking you past Buckingham Palace itself. This offers a stunning view of the Palace in all its glory before you begin your visit.

If you’re visiting on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday, keep in mind that the Changing of the Guard takes place at 11 a.m. Large crowds gather in front of the Palace for the event, so if you’re visiting during those times, it’s best to use Victoria station and walk from there to avoid the crowds at the front.

A Review of the State Rooms Tour

Upon entering, the first step is passing through airport-style security, which takes about 5 to 10 minutes and is fairly painless. You will need to remove all items from your pockets before you go through.

Next, you collect an audio headset with an online media guide—a feature I really liked. As you move through the palace, you can play the guide at your own pace, learning about the rooms, their furnishings, ornaments, and paintings. The information is clear and concise, and the guides are available in several languages.

We then saw the Quadrangle, a grand open courtyard used for major state events, such as  welcoming foreign dignitaries.

The first breathtaking view inside the palace is the magnificent Grand Staircase, which you can also see on the virtual tour.  For many visitors arriving for state banquets, this is their first glimpse of the palace’s interior.

During the tour, you’ll visit 19 state rooms, all beautifully decorated and full of history. Among my favourites was the Throne Room, where official Royal Family portraits are taken. The ballroom was equally impressive and here you can see the most recent and very red portrait of King Charles III by Jonathan Yeo.

The state rooms also showcase many interesting paintings and provides fascinating background on a select few, really bringing them to life.

Overall, the state rooms were impressive and the flexible pace of the tour was perfect. It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete, which felt just right. Although there are spots to sit down, my legs still felt tired by the end.

The only downside was it was crowded with many people touring the rooms at the same time. While it didn’t prevent us from seeing everything, fewer people would have made it easier to soak in the grandeur of the rooms and the atmosphere.

The Garden Cafe

After completing the tour, we were in need of some refreshments to recharge.

Fortunately, the Garden Café is conveniently located right at the end of the state room tour. It’s a self-service spot offering a selection of sandwiches, crisps, cakes, as well as hot and cold drinks. They even offer an afternoon tea option.

The food and drinks were enjoyable, but expensive. We paid £8 for a small Victoria sponge cake—while it looked and tasted lovely, the price was steep! The scone was just £6.35, and much more reasonable. There were some more affordable choices, like the lemon drizzle cake. We also had tea, which was nice

As for the afternoon tea option, it’s priced at £47, and I’d recommend steering clear of this one. It comes in a charming tin you can keep, but for that price, you can find far better afternoon teas. One to consider is the The English Rose Cafe and Tea Room, not far from the Palace, and featured in our article on affordable afternoon teas in London. Although of course, you won’t have the same view! 

Overall, the food and drinks at the café were visually appealing, and it was a treat to enjoy tea and cake with a view of Buckingham Palace. I would recommend a cuppa and cake there after you’re visit. It’s not everyday you can enjoy some food in Royal surroundings.  Just be prepared—some of the options aren’t budget-friendly!

A Walk Through The Garden

To exit Buckingham Palace, you’ll need to walk through part of the beautiful gardens which is a lovely way to end the tour. You walk through a wooded part of the gardens and past the lake to exit.

When we exited by the final gate onto the road, we didn’t know exactly where we were. It would have been good of the Palace to leave a map at the end to show you the local area, as you don’t always want to whip out your phone to look at city mapper.

So you know, when you exit you’ll find yourself on Grosvenor Place roughly half way between Hyde Park Corner and the junction with Lower Grosvenor Place. The nearest tube stations are Hyde Park Corner and Victoria.

Would I Recommend Visiting Buckingham Palace

Absolutely!

I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the State Rooms—it was an excellent experience. The entire tour felt well organised. I especially loved the self-guided media tour, which made exploring the stunning State Rooms and learning their history a real pleasure. At £32, the entry price seemed fair for the overall experience. The only downside was it was fairly crowded. Fewer people would have made for a better experience. However, it was stilll very enjoyable.

Would I Take the Kids?

I wouldn’t take my kids who are 13 and 17 year old boys. I think they would be throughly bored!

That’s not to say all kids wouldn’t enjoy it. I would’ve loved it as a child because I was always interested in history and this type of experience. So if you think your child would like it – definitely take them.

I probably wouldn’t take very young children as I think they would get bored quite quicky.

Chldren aged 5 to 17 are half price at £16 if you book in advance online. Under 5s are free. 

If you do take the kids it’s worth checking out the website before you go. There’s a good article on the top 10 highlights for children at Buckingham Palace. 

There’s a multimedia guide designed especially for kids where Alice the footman and Rex the Corgi take kids on a tour where there are also games and puzzles to solve. 

In the summer there is also a family pavilion especially for under 12s with a range of games and activities. It’s located in the Palace Garden and can be used after the tour of the State rooms. There’s also a dedicated  area for children under 5s filled with toys. 

One highlight on the State Tour to look out for with kids (that I also loved) is the secret door! 

More Tips and Advice

Here is a quick round up of extra things you may need to know.

Toilets and Facilities – Toilets and baby changing facilities are only available in the garden at the end of the tour. There are no toilets at the start of the tour.

Where are the nearest public toilets to Buckingham Palace – There are public toilets at Victoria Station (free) and Green Park station (50p cost) which you could use on your way to and from the Palace. There are also toilets near to the playground in St James’ Park (free). This website is excellent for finding the nearest public toilets!

Shoes – Wear comfortable walking shoes. You’ll be on your feet walking around slowly for an hour or so. As already mentioned there are places to sit, but your legs are likely to ache. (Mine did and I’m fairly fit being a regular walker and runner). Therefore make sure you wear flat comfortable shoes.

Photos – unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take photos on the tour of the state rooms. If you do, somebody will quietly approach and politely inform you that you can’t. I saw this happen on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately, it’s something you can’t get away with. However, you can take plenty of photos of the garden and the back of the palace.

Change your ticket to a 1 year pass – at the end of the tour there’s an option to change your ticket into a  1 year pass which allows you readmission for a year.

Buggies and pushchairs – these can’t be taken on the tour and need to be checked in and out on arrival and departure of the building. There are baby carriers and hip carriers to borrow (subject to availablity)

Forbidden Items – there are quite a few items that you aren’t allowed to take into the Palace. These include large bags and backpacks, long umbrellas and alcohol. You can check what’s allowed on the website here. 

You May Also Like…

Pin Me For Later