The Changing of the Guard is one of London's signature attractions, a piece of pomp and circumstance where the Royal Guard march towards Buckingham Palace. Witness this historic ceremony with a guide to explain which regiment is which on this walking tour, then enjoy a sightseeing stroll past attractions including St. James's Palace, Clarence House, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament.

See a signature London ritual—the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
Learn about the different regiments that serve the King from a live guide
Discover royal landmarks including Westminster Abbey and St. James's Palace
Capture classic shots of Big Ben, the clock tower that dominates Parliament

What's Included

Guided walking tour of the Changing of the Guard ceremony
Guided tour to see London attractions including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace & Westminster Abbey

Gratuities (optional)

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

The Ritz London
150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR, UK
The tour starts outside The Ritz Hotel on the corner of Piccadilly & Arlington Street. Please go to the Arlington Street entrance and meet your guide holding the yellow umbrella. Please arrive 10 minutes before the tour begins to check-in with your guide. Green Park is the closest Tube station.

Start time

10:00 am

End point

Parliament Square
Parliament Sq, London SW1, UK
The tour ends at Parliament Square

What To Expect

Changing of the Guard

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Buckingham Palace

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Big Ben

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Houses of Parliament

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

St. James's Palace

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Westminster Abbey

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Pall Mall

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Clarence House (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
On arrival at The Ritz Hotel please go to the main entrance on Arlington Street and meet your tour guide holding the yellow umbrella.

The ceremony can be altered at the discretion of the British Army or due to bad weather. In the event of bad weather the tour will see a 'Wet Change' (ceremony without music).
For security reasons, the police request that no suitcases (big or small) be brought to the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Please arrange storage for these prior to joining the tour. Handbags and Backpacks are welcome and can be brought on the tour.
Please arrive 10 minutes before the tour begins to check-in with your guide
Most travellers can participate
Due to crowds, uneven surfaces and unavoidable steps involved in the tour, this tour is not suitable for travelers with walking difficulties or wheelchairs.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

5.0

198 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 198 reviews

A really fun, inclusive and fascinating start to our trip!

Boz_L, June 2023

Mike was very engaging, delivering the perfect balance of history and “did you know?” facts, with humour and a delivery style that was very inclusive and balanced. He had endless patience for questions, yet also managed to wrangle our gaggle to be where we needed to be, whenever we needed to be there. The sequence of sights was well planned - giving us the in depth insight into the changing of the guard, as well as a wonderful introduction to the Palace. The final stop was brilliant too, as it helped us orient ourselves enough to plan for the following day’s adventures. The only constructive critique we have to offer is perhaps the walking pace being a little too fast and/or more pauses “to regroup and collect the stragglers” needed - this is primarily because of how crowded it was and although the yellow umbrella is genius with regards to visibility from a distance, there were times we felt anxious about keeping up/not losing the group, especially when turning a corner etc. In a nutshell, THIS is the tour we’d recommend to anyone and everyone! Thank you!

Changing of the guard spectacle

Fredericka_D, May 2023

Mike was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He got us into good locations so that we could see the spectacle. Highly recommend.

Changing of the Guards

Diane_P, May 2023

Mike was a great guide! The pace of the tour was too fast for us so we couldn't complete the tour, but we understand that was necessary to get the best viewing spots.

Very enjoyable tour

Anonymous, May 2023

Can’t say enough about our guide Mike. He was very knowledgeable and moved the group around to get the best possible views. I didn’t know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. Would highly recommend

Mike was a great tour...

Angela_H, May 2023

Mike was a great tour guide! He was very knowledgeable! He knew where to stand so we had the best views

Got to love the pomp and ceremony only the poms can do.

David_J, May 2023

Getting the best vantage spots and Ian's witty and informative commentary. It's certainly worth getting a guide than trying to bumble your own way around. Excellent value for the money.

Touring with Ian

RobertJ_L, May 2023

Ian was very knowledgeable and knew exactly where to be in order for us to get some excellent videos and pictures. He also told some great stories about the Queen, King Charles, Winston Churchill and Boris Johnston.A wonderful tour with our new friend Ian

Great experience

David_M, May 2023

Mike was a great guide. He gots the group situated in the right spots at the right time and gave us great information. If you want to properly see the changing of the guards make sure to book a tour.

Changing of the Guard

Judy_R, May 2023

There was no space for us to stand so we couldn’t see much! Super disappointed!!!! If possible, I’d like to request a refund! We were able to go on our own a different day and we were able to see. Your tour shows up to late to get a viewing space.

Response from Host, May 2023

Dear future guests – this guest chose to do the last tour before the King's coronation and had already been told that it would be busier than normal. We strongly reject the claim that the tour arrived late as it arrived 30 minutes before the guards marched. Thankfully this is a one-off situation and will not be an issue on any future tours. We look forward to meeting you.

We got some great views...

Amanda_P, Apr 2023

We got some great views of the guards and definitely learned some good information! Definitely an amazing deal!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for the great review! We are glad to hear you thought the tour was great value for money!

Tour guide was great but too big a crowd.

Richard_S, Apr 2023

Our beefeater was great. The ravenmaster. But it was really crowded. There were too many people on the tour. It’s probably unavoidable but it would be nice for it to be smaller.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Hello! It appears that your review was for the Tower of London and not for our tour. The Beefeaters and Ravenmaster are at the Tower of London. Thankfully our tours have a much smaller group than those at the Tower of London!

Lots of info

Giselly_P, Apr 2023

Was an excellent way to see and learn about the changing of the guards , the palaces and history of London. Our tour guide Mike ( I believe that was his name) was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of insight of the royals and history.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for the amazing review! We really appreciate you joining us on the tour!

Great info and discussion!

Dan_K, Apr 2023

Mike was an outstanding guide leading us to the ‘secret’ spot to get a great view and providing lively and informative discussion. He did a great job helping us navigate the crowds and the diversions due to the coronation prep. Would definitely recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for the great review and recommendation Dan!

Rain didn’t stop us

Amy_M, Apr 2023

It rained during our tour, but our tour guide was amazing and still made it enjoyable. He told us so much history while we were waiting. Made it worth it to stay in the cold rain. Would definitely do this tour again and highly recommend it. There are so many sites to see on this tour!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for the great review Amy! We agree that the tour is great even in the rain!

Must see

Randy_A, Mar 2023

Mike was wonderful and had a wealth of knowledge to share. and did so. Thank you Mike for an outstanding tour Randy & Shirlena

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much Randy and Shirlena for the great review!

Best London Tour

Rachel_S, Mar 2023

Mike was amazing! A live in person walking tour that kept us seeing more and more all morning. We all learned so much (way more than we expected) and saw so many sights in London. Thank you so much and we would definitely recommend this tour to anyone and would want go on a tour with this company anywhere else they give tours! We were a party of 8 (2 families with 4 adults & 4 kids and the kids, some teenagers, were happy and entertained the entire time). Thanks again!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for the amazing review and recommendation! Please do keep an eye out for our other tours in the future - we'll give you a discount too :)

Wonderful tour! Our...

Jenny_H, Mar 2023

Wonderful tour! Our guide got us close to every step of the changing of the guards. He was very knowledgeable about the process and the history of the guards. I highly recommend this tour if you want to see the changing of the guards.

Excellent Tour!!!

Kim_P, Mar 2023

Excellent tour! We had the best locations to see the guards and get photos. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining ! great tour!

Great time

Kelly_R, Mar 2023

We had such a great tour even tho it was pouring rain. Would definitely recommend this tour. We got to see a shortened version of the changing of the guards due to rain and he explained all about the uniforms and what they symbolize. We then continued on to learn about the Elizabeth tower and Big Ben. We also learned about parliament. ItSuch a great tour

Perfect time and money well spent !

Wendy_R, Mar 2023

A perfect and informative tour from start to finish. With guide Mike , his history, knowledge , and where to stand for the best view were second to none . An enjoyable few hours spent .

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks so much for the review Wendy! We're glad to hear that you got great value out of it and enjoyed your time with Mike.

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