Has anyone done this tour? My husband and I will be in London for one night Sept 16th, in order to fly home the next morning. So we have only one afternoon there, but we have been to London before, so thought this would be a good thing to do. Tickets can be purchased online or at the visitor entrance at Buckingham Palace. Does anyone know if I should get the tickets online, or if it would be ok to wait and get them there that day? Thanks, Ashley
Posted by
London, UK
286 posts
If you only have an afternoon, book online to save disappointment.
I did it last year but unless you are really into the Royal family and set aside the time to get the most out of it, I'd say skip it. It is pretty pricey at £15.50 plus transaction fee when booked online. You could see a theatre show for that price instead.
I thought we were whisked through and the interesting bits were long queues of people looking at the same thing. You don't even get the opportunity to enjoy the garden before you are guided out the back entrance.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Posted by
Boscombe, Dorset, UK
964 posts
I did this tour a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it.
I bought my ticket on the day, but it was a timed entrance, so I had to go away and come back later. So maybe buying your ticket online would be a better idea, but I'm certainly not an expert!
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I did this tour a number of years ago and really enjoyed it. Do book in advance. It wasn't my first trip to London, so I had seen the Tower and the Abbey before. This tour is only on when the Queen is up in Scotland, so unless you've never been to London before and expect to never go back, I think it's a good idea.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23267 posts
We were there third week of September last year and it was great. It was the middle of the week and was busy but not only crowd. Enjoyed a slow pace and nobody pushed us along. It is not something you can do everyday.
Posted by
Ballston Lake, NY, USA
157 posts
I did two years or so ago in September. I bought tickets at the time I arrived and got right in. When I was there there were no crowds and I was not pushed through at all. I am glad I went but I would not do it again. There are better things to do in London than this but based on your circumstances it is certainly not a bad idea.
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
208 posts
I happened to enjoy it - we went a few years ago - purchasing our tickets online. You will have to go to the pick-up place to get your tickets prior to arriving at the Palace, so keep that in mind.
If you are debating on whether you should go or not,
keep in mind it is only open to visitors in September. That's it. The rest of the time, you are on the outside looking in. Don't bother looking for HM - she'll be on holiday too.
Posted by
Everett, WA
1288 posts
I did the tour in 2002-the year of the Queen's Jubilee. I thought it was a unique and interesting tour and do not regret doing it. Since it was the Jubilee, there was a special exhibit on interesting gifts that have been given to the Queen over the years.
I did not purchase my tickets in advance. We went toward the end of the day, bought our tickets and walked in. It was funny, because we walked by on several different days in the morning and early afternoon, and there were long lines for ticket holders to get in. When we went towards the end of the day, there were no lines. So if you do book ahead, try to get a time toward the end of day. You will not waste time in a long line outside. (if I recall correctly, we went about an hour before they closed the line for entrance) Have fun.