Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle?

If it were me and I hadn't been to either, I'd do both. Given you're probably spending thousands on this trip, £180 is not much in context.

If I had to chose between the two, I'd pick Windsor Castle. It's far more historic and interesting, and it's somewhere the King actually lives in, whereas Buckingham Palace is more like an office. Make sure you pick a day it's open (and a day St George's Chapel is open as well).

I have been to both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle in the past two years, both times around the Christmas holidays.

The Buckingham Palace tour during the holidays season is small, less than 30 people total with guides that work at the Palace. The quality of the guides brought the workings of the palace to life. In addition, we happened to be there right after the King hosted a state dinner, so we were able to see the remnants of the dinner and learn about the protocol. The holiday party was the next night, so the guide shared stories about past holiday parties. Because the tour was small, we were not rushed and had ample time to explore the excellent art collection.

Despite the quality of the tour, I preferred Windsor Castle (which we did not have a guide). St. George’s chapel is interesting and the people that work at the chapel have a wealth of information about the history and the community. It is well worth your time to stop and chat to them while you are visiting. The castle itself is more vibrant and the doll house is fun. The grounds are also quite nice. During the Christmas holidays, it is also very nicely decorated while Buckingham Palace was more austere.

I am going back this December with my niece and I am going to take her to Windsor Castle. However, if you prefer a small tour with excellent guides, Buckingham Palace was excellent.

Love them both! Don’t choose just one!

The Royal Day Out ticket includes Buckingham Palace, the King's Gallery and the Royal Mews. Would that help you decide? Personally, I'd bite the bullet. I've done both and I think that they are different enough to make both worthwhile.

I am going to assume you mean what you say and only want to see one. In that case, I would choose Windsor, hands down. It is much older. It has glorious grounds. And you can also enjoy a stroll down to the river and across into Eton, and see Eton College.

For me, it’s no contest. For reference, I live in London and lived in Windsor for about 6 months a couple of years ago. I have visited both. Windsor gets my vote.

I had a very disappointing experience at Windsor last month. Way too crowded. Waiting time in queue/line for Queen Mary's Dollhouse was 45 minutes, standing, weather elements - light rain.

This was not my first Windsor Castle visit. I took a first-timer who was overwhelmed by the numbers and chaos of several large school groups. At times, the noise was such that the audio guide was hard to hear. Expensive, unsatisfying morning all 'round. I would hope this experience was not the norm, but if you chose to go, be prepared.

Buckingham Palace two years ago was a contrast in decorum, crowd control (there were no crowds) and enjoyment.

Very different sites, as noted above. Rather like apples and oranges. Both should be outstanding. I hesitate with recommending Windsor due to my recent visit. I'm not a crowd hater - I can handle Versailles Hall of Mirrors quite well knowing how to approach it. Windsor rivaled Versailles chaos on my recent visit, but given the price, limited timed entry tickets, degree of security and scrutiny and guard observation in the rooms, I would have expected better numbers and crowd management.

I would pick Buckingham Palace simply because access to it is far more limited date wise than Windsor. You have potential of seeing Windsor year round on another trip. Not so with Buckingham Pslace.

@another Steve- luckily my trip will be the week before Trump visit.

I do remember last time I visited London I couldn’t go to Buckingham Palace because the dates didn’t align and Windsor is very cool (plus I lived in Windsor Canada for a long time so there’s that connection) - I checked to make sure the Tuesday I want to go they are open.

I've been to both, but have only been inside Windsor Castle. I have yet to do the tour to Buckingham Palace though. I'd say you can't go wrong with both. BP is more in the central to London, so it is pretty convenient to many other attractions in the city. Windsor Castle, being outside Greater London and in Berkshire, might be mildly calmer but still touristy. The airplane noise from Heathrow is a bit of an annoyance. I will say I enjoyed my experience to the castle, and the church where Harry and Meghan got married (I went in 2019, so didn't know at the time how much would change with their status in the royal family).

Are you flying out of Heathrow by any chance? You could align WC to be done towards the end of your stay, if you are, while seeing Buckingham Palace earlier. What we did is see WC and then fly out. Safe travels!!

I've toured both and very much enjoyed both. I would choose both if time permits. I'd make that my deciding factor, not the price which seems reasonable considering prices of everything.

I'm facing the same dilemma, would prefer BP Royal day out but web warned that the "state dining room" is closed for renovation. On their staterooms page, there is no photo of the state dining room but it shows the very grand ballroom. Does anyone confirm these are two different rooms? If I would miss the ballroom I probably switch to Windsor. Thanks.

"Does anyone confirm these are two different rooms?"

Not sure exactly what picture you saw, but I think you're taking about the same room. The state dining room is a very big dining room, that I guess could be mistaken for a ballroom. There is still the other state rooms and garden open.

Given the choice I would pick Windsor Castle over Buckingham Palace. Windsor Castle is where the King actually lives (part time) and is very historic. Buckingham Palace is basically an office for the Royal Household.