Buckingham Palace vs. Kensington Palace

Is Buckingham open when you are there? It is only open for a few weeks in the summer/fall when the Queen is vacationing in Scotland. Kensington has more stairs. Kensington is not nearly as grand or historic as Buckingham so, if open, I would chose Buckingham. We walked into Kensington last Fall without any pretickets.

I haven't been to Kensington Palace so I can't compare them, but it's hard to believe it's as good as Buckingham -- the real palace for official purposes. Buckingham is open only in August and September when the queen is up in Scotland -- though I see they have a series of evening tours this spring also. I pre-booked my tour a few weeks out and spaces were limited, but the website doesn't say you can't just walk in and buy a ticket. However, I'd advise pre-booking to avoid disappointment. The self-guided tour involves stairs up and then down (long but not steep climb, the rooms have high ceilings but after all it's a palace).

Hope that helps. Hopefully you'll hear from someone who's been to both palaces and can give you a better comparison. EDIT -- There you go, Frank beat me to it!

I was at Kensington Palace a year and a half ago. Its easy to walk into, looks great from the outside. There are stairs inside. Loved the dress collection. But it is smaller and not that impressive. We had already been out to Chatsworth House in the Peak District and would hands down prefer it and a return visit. We had also visited Blenheim Palace and had lunch in the orangery. Blenheim seemed smaller than Chatsworth House in size of the house and the grounds are similar, developed by the same Capability Brown. So if it were me I would go to Buckingham Palace if there when open.

Agreed with the previous posters. Buckingham Palace is much better, but needs a reservation. It's pricey, too. I went about 12 years ago, and it was expensive then. I am not sure about canceling, if your mom is not having a good day for touring. I would check on the website. They should have details about cancellations as well as support for individuals with disabilities.

On the other hand, it would be entirely possible to walk into Kensington Palace without reservations. I did this with my London pass on our last trip.

I'll be in London in September and just booked my "Royal Day" tour from 10 am to 3 pm.
I asked some of my local London friends and they even said its worth going. If you can go to both, do it. But since Buckingham Palace is only open for a small window of time, and you need a reservation, you should do it.

You can do just the Palace (not the other 2) and it supposed to take no more than 2 hours.

There is a link if you need special assistance. Check into that.

I believe pre-booked tickets to BP are a must, and sell out quickly.

Buckingham Palace was (one of!) my favorite parts of my visit a few years ago. The rotating exhibit featured the Queen's Coronation, and it was absolutely beautifully done. My husband had to pull me out of there. Coupled with the other State rooms and the art on the walls.....sigh. Very fun.

We also visited Windsor and HCP on the same trip. BP was a step up. This summer the exhibition will feature the Royal Gifts received by the Queen during her reign. I bet it will be equally beautiful. I'm planning a return trip this October and am planning to visit KP. Nothing I have read, however, implies it is anywhere as impressive as BP. We also visited the Mews on the way out of BP. You leave BP via a WALK through the gardens and as you wind back towards the front of BP you walk right by it. I really liked seeing the gold coronation coach, as well as the other coaches and horses. Little fun visit.

Enjoy the time with your mom. I wish her great health for your adventure!

Question- We will be in Bath second week of September and planned to train into London for a day. Would a week day be better for the Buckingham Palace Tour or the weekend? We want to see the Albert and Victoria museum and the Palace as we missed both last time. and I wouldn't mind a trip to Harrods as there was a very good and very funny magician out front last time.

You know, one of the advantages of KP is having tea in the Orangery after.

I much prefer Buckingham Palace to Kensington. It's a much more interesting building and I liked walking through it and recognizing so much from what I've seen in movies and on TV! Aside from the building itself, the art collection you get to view is quite impressive. When I went they funneled you out the back at the end of the tour where you can have tea on the back terrace (with hoards of other tourists), walk through the gardens on a prescribed path, and exit from the back of the grounds. I really enjoyed it!
Make sure to book your tickets well in advance though. They were completely sold out when we were there and people were being turned away at the entrance gate.