Worth it to tour Queen's Gallery, Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace?

I can speak to the Mews. I toured it with my elementary school-aged daughters last summer. Although not a top site, we enjoyed it. You see a few horses, about a dozen carriages, including the really over-the-top state carriage, and an old Rolls Royce. Admission includes a decent audio guide that provides some history and explains the old buildings. If you like horses and carriages, then you'll like this. As to the Queen's Gallery, you might want to check to see what they're exhibiting right now and see if it interests you. I believe that they rotate the art that they display.

I have actually planned a stop in London to see the exhibit in the Queens Gallery the end of August. The current exhibition, as you likely saw, is on the beginning of the Georgian Period which is interesting to me. I went last year and was really impressed with the audio guide for the gallery. It was one of the best I had run in to. I also did the Mews last year as I hadn't done that before. I was slightly disappointed that most of the horses were on vacation at Hampton Court (no you can't see them there, I asked!) but got to see maybe 4 and plus the coaches and car that Rob indicated. At the Mews they have the audio guide, but also have a free guided tour at certain times. I worked it so I entered the Queens Gallery first at the earliest time frame, then hit the Mews for the 11AM free guided tour, then took a break for lunch. I came back to do the State Rooms after lunch so it took most of the day. The State Rooms were wonderful in my mind. They also have an exhibit within the state room area, this year on Royal Childhood with toys from young royals thru the years. Last year I spent a lot of time in the exhibit area which then was related to Elizabeth's coronation with her coronation gowns, the gowns of her attendants, etc.

They recommend you do the State Rooms last because they route you out of the Palace thru the Gardens and that puts you at some distance from the Queens Gallery and Mews entrances.

For me, it was completely worth it and I went ahead and got the combined tickets again this year. It was only a few pounds more to add the Mews in so I will do the audio guide there this year. I agree with Rob that you should see if the exhibition is something you are interested in, and if not I would skip that section. The Queens Gallery is small and the exhibition they list is the only thing you see (aside from the gift shop!). You can get your tickets stamped at the end which gives you entry for a year, but somehow I have misplaced my tickets from last year.

I would also say it took me more than 4.5 hours. I started at say 915 or 930, did the Gallery, got to the Mews about 11, then took perhaps an hour or so for lunch, went back to the State Rooms and finished at maybe 415. I did have a cup of tea at the tent at the end of the tour. I am not entirely sure of the time, but walked from the exit area of the State Rooms back along the entrance area, down Birdcage Walk to Westminster Abbey and hit that in time to enter for Evensong at just before 5PM.

If you just do the State Rooms you get a timed entry for that and I would go as early as you can. If you do the Royal Day Out you have a timed entry for the Queens Gallery but not for the State Rooms so you can go any time. You will have to queue at the State Rooms any way as they take you in in batches.

Whatever your decision, I know you will have a wonderful visit!

We saw the Mews on our first day in town. An easy thing to do when you get in and need to stay up for the day. You can re enter anytime while you are there. The carriages are beautiful and it was very interesting. Not a big sight in London at all. On our stroll down to Buckingham Palace. We actually went in a second time on our last day when we arrived late in the day back from York and did not have time to go do something big.

We toured Buckingham Palace last September and it was definitely worth it. The Royal Coronation robes, clothing, and jewels were on display. The mews were a disappointment-we had toured them ten years ago with a guide. This time we were on our own with an audio guide. There were only two horses to be seen and if the royal coachmen's attire from over the years was on display we missed that. I recall a room where the clothing was in glass cases and the guide went into great detail explaining what was worn on various occasions. He also pointed out the exterior wall that must be removed each time the huge gold carriage leaves the mews.

You don't say if you have already purchased your tickets for touring the palace but, if you haven't, definitely purchase them ASAP. Last summer they were sold out for much of August. People who showed up at the entrance who didn't have timed tickets weren't able to get in.

If you are “Blitzing” London, you might want to consider the London Pass; the Queen’s Gallery and the Royal Mews are includes, as are many of the other top attractions. The pass also allows you to jump the ticket window queue at most of the locations.

By the way, we really enjoyed the Mews and don’t regret spending the time to see it.

I toured the Mews and Gallery in early May. I enjoyed the mews and recommend the guided tour offered at the top of the hour. I wish I had not paid extra for the gallery. I whipped thru in about 10 minutes. But...I say that because I live on the East Coast, and we have all the Georgian architecture and art we can stand. If you're interested in the exhibit on display then it may be worth your while!

We enjoyed the mews, but I would encourage you to chat with any of the fellas you see hanging about. They were happy to chat and tell us stories about what it was like to live and work there. We didn't care for the art work that was on display in the Queen's Gallery, so check to make sure it suits your interest.

And, make sure you are there on time for your entry. We got caught in the crowd disbanding from the guard change and were 10 min.late. They did not want to let us in.

I also enjoyed a visit to the Queens Gallery recently, when the special exhibit was of interest to me. A carriage in which a king or queen has ridden must be better than average, but I did not spend long at the Mews, having seen similar displays in other places.

We did all 3 when we were in London 2 years ago. We greatly enjoyed it. Sadly, we won't be able to do them again when we are there in November.
I hope you decide to do them all and enjoy them as much as we did.