Get up close to the iconic Royal Guards on this interactive walking tour of London. Learn about London’s royal heritage as you pass sights like Pall Mall, the Duke of York Column, the Royal Society and Marlborough House, then enjoy a prime view of the famous Changing of the Guards ceremony. Not only do you see the military bands and marching guards, you also get to march alongside the Old Guard, as they head from St. James Palace to Wellington Barracks.

See the famous Changing of the Guards ceremony along the Mall
Take in sights like Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace
Learn about British history and the royal family from your guide
Enjoy a strolls through Picadilly Circus and Regent Street

What's Included

Local guide

Gratuities
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Transportation to/from attractions

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus, London, UK
Outside the Criterion Theatre by the Statue of Eros. Your guide will be carrying a Fun London Tours flag. Arrive 10 minutes before the tour is due to start. We leave promptly at the designated start time.

Start time

09:30 AM

End point

The Mall
The Mall, St. James's, London SW1, UK
We finish the tour near Buckingham Palace.

What To Expect

Piccadilly Circus

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. James's Palace

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Changing of the Guard

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Regent Street (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
There are no toilet or refreshment breaks on this tour
Tour operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Ceremony can be altered at the discretion of the British Army, or occasionally due to rain
All tours are dependent on the British Army's schedule
No dogs are allowed on the tour other than guide dogs.
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
We do not see the section of the ceremony which occurs on the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, but instead we observe the highlights of the ceremony in other locations.
No videoing of the guide unless they have given permission
Arrive ten minutes before the tour for check in. Out of respect for other customers, we do not wait for latecomers.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Travellers should have good mobility as we encounter three flights of steps and march at the same pace as the guards at one point
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

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 canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Have to keep a steady pace while following the marching guards from St James Palace.

Fabulous a must see, get their early to get a good spot .

Reviews

5.0

844 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 844 reviews

Wonderful experience!

Marcus_D, Jun 2023

Amber was amazing!! So knowledgeable. It definitely was some fast walking, but so glad we booked this.

Great experience!

Sandy_T, Jun 2023

What a great way to see the changing of the guard-Amber made sure we knew exactly what was going on, who was who and that we were in the best place to see everything.

Matt the best tour guide ever!

William_D, Jun 2023

Matt was awesome! He was extremely knowledgeable and fun! Kids loved him. Knwe exactly where we needed to be and when. The crowd was extremely larger than expected.

Lots of fun with great commentary along the way.

Deborah_S, Jun 2023

This is a quick paced tour, as advertised, but be prepared to stand and the move quickly to the next stop. The guide was very informative and fun, plus looked out for us along the way.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Thank you for your review! The tour is certainly not for the faint hearted, but we're glad you felt looked after and enjoyed the tour!

Just not happy, only managed to video of Changing of the Guards for abt 4 mins as it not enough

Christine_M, May 2023

Arrive at St James Palace and we stay on the line near the footpath so got my mobile ready for the marching guards coming soon, as they coming then suddenly we have to leave straight to Buckingham Palace as I am disappointed for not video or watching the marching guards.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

I'm sorry that the tour did not live up to your expectations. As your guide would have explained, due to the number of people at St James Palace its necessary to move the group to the next place before the guards leave otherwise we would get stuck! But after that point you still see marching guards, and also a further group of guards later on, so you should have seen plenty of action.

Great tour

Tammy_H, May 2023

Rachel was our tour guide and did an amazing job. Great tour. Highly recommended if you want to see how the process starts with the changing of the guard.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Glad to hear you had amazing time with Rachel! We'd love to see you on another of our tours in the future.

Great tour Great guide

Melch, May 2023

Mike was an excellent and knowledgeable and fun guide. He took us to all the best spots and gave us the best insights

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Our guides know all the best spots for seeing the guards - glad to hear you had a great time!

The tour—and Alex—are great.

Dennis_S, May 2023

Alex was the perfect guide— professional, knowledgeable, engaging, and courtesy. The tour simply could not have been better.

Response from Host, May 2023

We're so glad to hear you had such a great time with Alex and loved the tour! Hope to see you on another soon!

Rachel is GREAT

Kimlee_S, May 2023

Rachel was fabulous- if uou have a choice, get her! She filled us in on so many historical facts & was so informed on where to go for the best viewing pts!! Great experience- Fun London Tours is lucky to have RACHEL & so were we!

Response from Host, May 2023

We certainly are lucky to have Rachel and we're glad to hear you really enjoyed your tour with her! Hope to see you on another in the future!

History and pageantry of the changing of the guard

Gary_S, May 2023

Our guide was great. He told us of all the history and pageantry of the changing of the guard and all of the sites we passed while walking to see the change.

Response from Host, May 2023

Glad to hear you enjoyed our tour! Hope to see you on another soon!

Must do in London

Norman_W, May 2023

Matt our tour guide was great! Very informative and honest about everything and planned and executed moving our group at just the right time to perfection.

Response from Host, May 2023

We're so glad you had a great time with Matt - getting to the right spots at the right time is no easy busy! Hope to see you on another tour soon.

Awesome Experience

Gerald_D, May 2023

Rosie gave our tour and she was absolutely awesome! Loved the history and stories she told. Awesome experience and highly recommended!

Response from Host, May 2023

So glad you loved your experience and Rozie! Hopefully see you again soon!

Well done

Anita_R, May 2023

Paul was great he knew a lot of history and showed us the best vantage points. Worth the money and time if you wish to see other things and not just stand and wait for poor view of guards.

Response from Host, May 2023

We're glad you agree it's much more interesting than being squashed waiting in a crowd! Hope to see you on another tour soon.

If I did not join this...

ZhiWei_L, May 2023

If I did not join this tour, I wouldn't be able to see so much of it on my own. Our tour guide Joe was fantastic.

Response from Host, May 2023

So happy to hear you were glad to have experienced our tour and with the wonderful guide, Joe! Hope to see you again soon!

Absolutely Fabulous!

Lisa_N, May 2023

Rozie, our tour guide was fabulous! Cannot say enough good things about her. Extremely knowledgeable about London history, and got us the perfect spots to see the changing of the guards. Do not think twice about booking this tour.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so much for the wonderful review - we're so glad you loved Rozie and her amazing knowledge as much as we do! We will pass your lovely comments to our guide and we hope to see you on another tour soon!

Interesting Tour

Robin_L, Apr 2023

Rachel was an EXCELLENT tour guide! The weather was crappy, so we couldn't get the "full" experience, but that was out of her control.

Response from Host, May 2023

We're glad our amazing guide Rachel was able to brighten your day, despite the unfortunate English weather! Hope to see you on another tour, ideally with the sun shining.

Fun and informative tour

Tamika_M, Apr 2023

This was a great tour. Our energic and knowledgeable tour guide, Paul made this experience both fun and engaging. We avoided the crowds at Buckingham Palace but was still able to see the action up close. I highly recommend this tour and hope that you get Paul.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for your review Tamika! We agree our tour guide Paul is wonderful and full of knowledge. Hope to see you again for another of our tours!

Great way to see the Guards and a bit of London

Neesha_R, Apr 2023

Our family, including our 2 girls (12 and 14 years) loved this tour! Our guide Alex had a wealth of information and stories to tell during the walk which kept us all entertained. Had a great view of the guards walking to Buckingham Palace as well, which was especially appreciated during a time where there were a lot of crowds and limited space given the preparations for the coronation. It was one of our favorite experiences of our trip.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Wonderful to know how much you appreciated the tour with Alex. As you say, there is a lot of preparation work for the Coronation, so its exactly the right moment to be with one of our experienced guides.

A fun, informative day!

Suzel_M, Apr 2023

Rosie was a great guide - she brought history to life! She was able to intersperse personal stories in amongst all the facts to keep it from being boring. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Rozie is certainly a wonderful guide and really ensures that your experience with us is enjoyable as well as informative. Thanks for your review!

Wonderful Walking Tour

rio24b, Apr 2023

Be prepared for a brisk walking tour where you will learn interesting bits of London’s history. Due to the inclement weather during our tour, the changing of the guard ceremony was canceled and the tour is not told of cancellation until 10:30am when you are at Buckingham Palace. It is beyond the tour’s control and you will be told that when you read the tour description. We still enjoyed the tour and our tour guide Dave did a great job keeping everyone engaged.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

It's great to hear that you enjoyed the tour despite the bad weather. Thanks for your review!

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