London

Changing of the Guard Ceremony & Central London Food Tour

Badge of ExcellenceLondon, England

Buckingham Palace Tour Including Changing of the Guard Ceremony and Afternoon Tea

5 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Delight in the quintessentially English culture of London on a half-day tour that combines three iconic British experiences. With a knowledgeable guide, watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Westminster, a living testament to the British heritage. After the ceremony, enjoy a walk through central London as you make your way to your first stop for your food tour. Sample a variety of dishes that have shaped the culinary scene of England, from Indian lassis to fish and chips to frothy beer at a local pub.

Royal London tour including a food tour, led by an expert local guide
Stroll through St. James's Park and watch the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony
Walk through SoHo, Covent Garden, Chinatown, and more
Indulge in a variety of food samples and end with a beer at a pub

What's Included

Expert English Speaking Local Guides for both parts of the tour
Headsets (when appropriate) so you can always hear your guide
10+ food & drinks tastings at 5 stops in the heart of London
British, International delicacies
English beers tasting

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Duke of York Monument
St. James's, London SW1Y 5AJ, UK
Meet your guide by the Duke of York Column. This is the tall column with a statue on top. Food tour meeting part meeting point at 12.45pm: St. Jame’s Church Courtyard, 197 Piccadilly W1J 9LL - Your guide will be waiting inside the courtyard, holding a “City Wonders” sign

Start time

10:15 AM

End point

Chandos Place
Chandos Pl, London, UK

What To Expect

Greet your guide at a central London location and take a picturesque stroll through St. James’s Park to Buckingham Palace, the magnificent official residence of His Majesty the King. Stop in a prime position either along The Mall, by Horse Guards Parade or in front of the palace to behold the Changing of the Guard, a colorful and traditional ceremony that combines vibrantly dressed soldiers and rhythmic drum beats.

Later, embark on a food tour, starting with a tranquil walk through St. James's Park and the vibrant streets of Piccadilly. Enjoy Indian cuisine and refreshing lassi, sample gourmet delicacies at the renowned Fortnum & Mason department store, followed by sweet treats in Soho.

Savor traditional British desserts and a quintessential fish and chips experience. Then, pass through Chinatown's bustling streets before concluding at a historic pub near Trafalgar Square.

Bid your guide farewell inside the pub, where the tour concludes.

Please note: if there is heavy rain on the day of your tour, the Changing of the Guard ceremony is replaced with a visit to the Guard’s Chapel.

St. James's Park

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Changing of the Guard

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Buckingham Palace

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

London

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Sagar Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant - Leicester Square

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Fortnum & Mason

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bar Italia

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chinatown (Pass By)

The Chandos

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Poppies Fish & Chips

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking. We cannot accommodate Vegans and gluten free diets unfortunately.
Please note: Changing of the Guard will not operate in heavy rain and on occasional Sundays the changing of the guards may be rescheduled to early morning, this will be replaced with an extended walking tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

284 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 284 reviews

Buckingham Palace Tour with Tea

gr8wahine, Sep 2019

I've been to London many times but never able to catch this tour. We were lucky enough to book this time and SO happy we did. From start to finish, superb tour and tour guide, Michael. What a pleasure to have him for the day. He is AMAZING!!! Took good care of us and so freaking knowledgeable! We scored on tour guides!!! Inside palace was phenomenal and such a pleasure. Afternoon tea...well, it blew me away. Fabulous tour and day I will never forget.

Wonderful Day!

Carmela_D, Sep 2019

Great tour, Marnie was amazing, she knows her facts and made it really lots of fun. LOVED every moment.

BOOK THIS TOUR NOW!

Amy_P, Sep 2019

What an incredibly fun and informative tour! Nathan was amazing and brought history with humor together to create a fun experience. He knew all the right places to stand to get the best views of the changing of the guards, the band, etc. which resulted in amazing photo opportunities. I was disappointed the tea wasn't at Buckingham Palace, however we went to a charming and beautiful hotel "just around the corner" so it turned out perfectly. Absolutely hands down worth the money and I would do it again.

Family trip

Leonard_L, Sep 2019

Enjoyed viewing the palace. Posted staff were friendly and very knowledgeable. Really enjoyed having a snack at the end of the tour in the grounds garden.

Great Experience!

sallyn313, Aug 2019

What a wonderful experience! Sure, there were crowds and security was tight, but overall I would recommend this trip. Our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable and the afternoon tea at the St. Ermin's hotel was delicious!

A Day with Jennifer at Buckingham Palace and Tea

Daniel_E, Aug 2019

Jennifer was an absolute delight. She knew her way around Buckingham Palace and the surrounding areas, was full of stories and details ( I learned so much!) and cared about her tour. She was very vigilant; when we encountered a hiccup with a missing party member, she calmly took charge, made queries and recommendations, and handled their 3 year old while they tracked down the grand mother who wandered. She did all this while keeping the tour flowing and on time. She was upbeat and positive and I would recommend her to any party - such a lovely young lady!

walking tour

Linda_P, Aug 2019

Would have appreciated an overview of the tour with timelines - it was very confusing for the large group -

A terrific experience

Ronald_L, Aug 2019

The tour started with the Changing of the Guards. Michael, our guide, showed us the best vantage points for a great view. He was fun, very interactive and had facts and anecdotes for every step of the tour. The audio guided tour of the Palace was amazing. Afternoon tea at St. Ermins was a great end to the tour.

Thrilling

698ValerieB, Aug 2019

Marni our guide was enthusiastic and informative. We saw changing of guard starting at Horse Guards. What pageantry! Horses and men in beautiful red uniforms. Then walked through park to palace where she positioned us to see the band coming straight at us. Great photos. Palace is fabulous — must see! Long walk to tea so sone took a cab and we all met at very old, interesting hotel. Beautiful afternoon tea. Wonderful day we’ll never forget.

Good time but got confused and missed the tea

Cruiser704031, Jul 2019

We enjoyed everything and went to wrong meeting place after tour before tea to meet up for tea. No place to call to recover. Left message but too late Later corporate for tour people called back and basically said should have paid better attention. I was nice and said yes I guess so but thought if I were going to call with that attitude, I wouldn’t have called. Usually the people that Viator chose are a good group and we have been on tours before and not had a problem. So something went amiss and there was no vehicle available to contact anyone. And the back office could care less. So who knows

Experience of Lifetime

OldBelAiran, Jul 2019

Buckingham Palace is open to the public only a few months a year. I lucked out to take this tour. My only gripe is that you meet at York Column and then have a long walk to palace. I could not keep up with tour guide but he stopped enough that I would catch up. State rooms were exquisite and tour was on your own. They have nice cafe in back of palace for a pleasant bite to eat. Exits through lovely gardens and ponds. Very nice tour.

Good overview of London’s history

Muboy09, Jul 2019

Lots of walking, west good shoes, sunscreen. Meet up with tour guide. No cameras or recording within the palace. Afternoon tea was underwhelming.

Buckingham Palace Tour Including Changing of the Guard Ceremony & Afternoon Tea

Cathy_M, Jul 2019

The guide was great. Pretty expensive tour for what you got. Didn’t see changing of the guard due to rain. Very disappointed in that. We thought we were seeing the Queens’s rooms but instead it was an exhibition of Queen Victoria. Disappointing . Our guide advised that the tour is usually about different members of the Royal Family and is done as an exhibition. Last year it was Prince Charles. If its about exhibitions then this should be included in the tours description so people know what they are getting and paying for. Afternoon tea was so so. 25min walk to the hotel from Buckingham Palace. We had some older folks in our group and after walking about and then having to walk to the tea they had to get cabs which I don’t think they were counting on. More information would have been helpful. You do indicate that there is a fair amount of walking but I don’t think these folks counted on having to pay to get there. This would be a good tip so that people know what to expect.

Buckingham Palace and tea

kettuvilly, Jul 2019

The weather was working against us on this tour (it was over 90 degrees) which made most things more difficult. While the palace tour was delightful, the afternoon tea that followed was disappointing. It was held in the back room of an African themed restaurant and while passable, did not meet our expectations in any way - or the expectations of any of the 20 people at the tea. We sat at long dining tables - which didn’t allow for relaxation or conversation, and the food seemed prepackaged and not fresh. If you’re interested in seeing Buckingham Palace - skip the tour and buy your tickets directly from the palace. The tour offers no exclusive views of the changing of the guard and only limited relevant commentary.

Very Good

ChakborPaul_C, Jul 2019

the tour inside the Buckingham Palace was a great experience to us, but the changing of Guard was a bit disappointed; we only see the horse parades on road but not the actual Guard changing ceremony in front of the Palace or the Guarding post.

EXCELLENT TOUR!!!

ANTONIO_O, Oct 2018

Very nice walking tour with and excellent guide!! our kids, mi wife and I enjoyed the tour and finishing with afternoon tea was fantastic!! what a nice place to have the afternoon tea and the food was amazing!!! our girls 6 years old enjoyed a lot!!!

Buckingham Palace

Cynthia_B, Oct 2018

The tour was awesome. Our tour guide, Dani, was so knowledgeable and gave us great tips to see the most of this tour. The palace was beautiful and we loved the family app on the audio guide to engage the children. We enjoyed the Changing of the Guard and the tour of the palace, the cafe outside, and of course, shopping in the gift store.

Perfect viewing vantages + lively commentary

Patricia_F, Oct 2018

OMG, Marnie is an expert! You want her as your guide. She is a font of FYIs about all things Royals + London history. Overall (for us, healthy sixty-somethings) the walking pace was an easy stroll. Marnie’s timing was superb, walking us to several perfect spots to witness different elements of the hour long changing of the guard ceremony. Her advice + care for her “Team Marnie” was awesome...even handed out 20p coins for the public park Loo! She gave great “how to” advice for best use of our precious allotted tour time @ Buckingham Palace, which was invaluable in light of slow security check-thru that ate up time! Marnie gave an excellent walking tour of significant historic sites along the way to tea...I never would have found these places. Our tea was at the St. Ermin’s hotel—it was delicious & lovely. Timing Note: book your evening theater event or fancy dinner for a different day!...no-fault time delays can occur. You will regret having to rush through Tea, which several in our tour group had to do. Our day was not a “2pm Tea time + done by 3” experience. If this is your desire—book high tea as a solo event. We waited to order tea + then waited for food served—it’s not American “fast food.” They even gave me a take-away box for Tea sweets I couldn’t finish. Wonderful!!Our full tour day ran from 10am to 4pm. Truly a wonderful tour experience for us. Again, time delays must be expected & taken into stride w/ this this tour package. Well worth the money.

Great tour

Stay651499, Sep 2018

The tour was fabulous. The changing of the guard ceremony is a must see. The self guided tour was perfect for anyone because you were able to walk at a comfortable pace while learning the history of the palace and the royal family. The atmosphere of the afternoon tea was superb.

Guide

rayandbevperu, Sep 2018

We had a very knowledgeable guide!! She kept us entertained the entire time with wonderful facts and fiction. We got to see the changing of the up very close. I would recommend this tour to everyone

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