Buckingham Palace: Worth It? An Honest Look
Buckingham Palace’s interior is not a year-round attraction, whatever a quick search implies. The State Rooms open to the public for one dated summer window only, 9 July to 27 September 2026, GBP 33 a ticket, while the King is at Balmoral. Outside those eleven weeks you are looking at a facade and, if the timing lines up, a free Changing of the Guard. Both are worth doing; neither is a substitute for the other.
| Detail | Buckingham Palace |
|---|---|
| Price | GBP 33 adult (25+) State Rooms, GBP 21.50 (18-24), GBP 16.50 (child 5+), summer only |
| Hours | 9:30am-7:30pm daily 9 Jul-end Aug 2026; Thu-Mon only through 27 Sep |
| Time needed | 2 hours for the State Rooms and garden; add an hour for the Royal Mews or King’s Gallery |
| Booking lead | Book ahead for morning slots; on-the-day tickets cost GBP 2-4 more and sell out by mid-morning |
| Getting there | Green Park or St James’s Park (Jubilee, Victoria, Piccadilly, District, Circle) |
Are the State Rooms open year-round, or only in summer?
Summer only. In 2026 that’s 9 July to 27 September, while the King is at Balmoral. Outside that window the State Rooms are closed to visitors entirely, no exceptions for a single-day trip; the Royal Mews and the King’s Gallery, both open far more of the year, are the honest fallback for anyone visiting October through June.
Is the Changing of the Guard worth planning a morning around?
Yes, but not at the palace railings. It’s free, runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings (weather permitting, plus occasional extra dates, so check the week), and the crowd at the palace gates stands several deep. Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk, five minutes away, shows the New Guard forming up at 10:15am with a fraction of the people.
Does the summer ticket include anything beyond the State Rooms?
Yes, the 39-acre garden, and most visitors skip it. Twenty minutes around the lake after the guided State Room flow, away from the tour groups, is the quietest part of the whole visit. Sign and date your ticket at the desk for a free 1-Year Pass back to the State Rooms, valid only on tickets bought direct from the Royal Collection Trust.
For the rest of the Westminster government quarter, see our UK Parliament page and Big Ben’s tour details ; Buckingham Palace itself sits a 15-minute walk from Westminster Abbey .
Book the Buckingham Palace State Rooms tour on GetYourGuide if a guided pass through the Picture Gallery and Throne Room beats queuing at the gate yourself, and check rates for the Belgravia and Victoria hotels a short walk away on Booking.com . Confirm the exact summer dates, ticket prices, and the Changing of the Guard’s confirmed weekly schedule on rct.uk and the Household Division’s calendar before locking in a date.
If the trip falls outside 9 July to 27 September, don’t force it: book the Royal Mews for the Gold State Coach instead, and save the State Rooms for a summer visit when the ticket actually buys you the interior.