Changing of the Guard

I seem to remember an hour before hand but don't worry you will be out of there in time to have a nice lunch and have the rest of the day.

I'm hoping to catch the 12:20 boat at Westminster. Do you think that's feasible?

Not sure of that, hopefully Nigel who posts frequently and lives in UK will see this and reply.

I have noticed but I won't be much help. Its been years since I've watched the changing of the Guard. I understand that it can often be 2 hours or earlier that the best spots get snapped up. Better show and fewer tourists at Horse Guards Parade. Perhaps folk who have done it recently will chip in. I can't guess where you will be at 12:20.

You would need to be there at least two hours to get a spot so you could have a good view. Like Nigel said the Horse Guard Parade would be easie to see and less tourist. If you really want to see the changing of the guards I would suggest going out to Windsor....you can get great views there and a lot less people. You can get the train from Paddington Station and its a 35 minute train ride.

St James palace; a detachment breakd away from Buck Palace Guard and changes guard at St james (a couple hundred yards away), very few people/tourists go here. You can stand right next to sentires. Unless you are prepared to get there at least two hours ahead- you must be right along the B Palace railings/fence to see in- you wont see anything at Buckingham Change. You need to really want to see it.
Not a realistic wish anymore- unless you are there in Winter Go to Horse Guards instead-.

Brian is very right. You can get a great view of them parading into the grounds, and then getting dismissed off duty. Horse guards is another great option.

Kristie, I've found that it's a good idea to be at Buckingham Palace AT LEAST an hour prior to the ceremony. Allow more time in peak tourist season, as there will be huge crowds! Depending on when your trip is taking place, you may have no choice but to "allocate a LOT of time for this", since your travelling companion REALLY wants to see it. When you get there, you might want to "scope out" a good vantage point. if you stand at either end of the Palace, you can view things through the iron rails of the fence, but most of the "action" will be taking place in the centre. With that in mind, you might want to position closer to the gates that the Guard will be marching through. If you arrive late, you'll find about six levels of spectators pressed up against the fence, so you won't be able to see much (unless of course you're travelling with a stepladder!). Some people position themselves on the monument across from the entrance, which probably provides a good vantage point but is at some distance from the participants. Happy travels!

you have just to be at Buckingham Palace at 10.30 am and try to find a place near to the large piece of statuary (monument) in the square in fron of the palace. At this link you can find more information http://buckinghampalace.londonpass.com/

Lots of good advice here. If you don't get a position up against the iron rails, you may want to heed Ken's advice: "Some people position themselves on the monument across from the entrance, which probably provides a good vantage point but is at some distance from the participants." You may want to take a look at the Travel Binoculars offered in the Travel Store here on the RS site. I have a pair of these that I carry in my daypack, and they sure do come in handy for times like this that you cannot be as close to a site as you'd like. Also, if you take the walk to the top of St. Paul's for the view out over the London rooftops, these binoculars really come in handy; good for getting a good look at interesting buildings and details.

I can think of nothing worse than waiting at the fence of Buckingham Palace for two hours to watch the changing of the guard. Instead, just watch the guards and band march from Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk at 11:20 (NOT 11:30) to the Palace via Spur Road. This is the best part, honest! You'll hear some music, see some marching up close, and be thankful that you are not in a crush of people at the fence wondering why you are wasting so much time. You can have done with the whole affair in 15 minutes.

I'm in the same situation as Kristie; my wife insists on seeing COG. Given the excellent posts, a question I have is whether all the COG's are the same. There are those at Windsor and other venues I've read about. Was thinking about following Rick's advice to combine a Red Bus tour and get dropped at Buckingham Palace "in time for the changing" but it would appear we'd be in deep by then.

No; the Guard Changes are different at each location Buckingham Palace- massed bands, large platoon of guards, change is slow and wiith great ceremony. Most people watching really cant see anything- the railings and even the monument fill up early-. I doubt you can see much if you are dropped off after a tour St James- a small handful (probably 10) soldiers splits off from the BPalace Guard and marches to St James where it changes that guard- no music. Minimal tourists Windsor is about in between the above - a small platoon with music marches (from within the castle?) to the gate and changes there, but much smaller and less pomp than B Palace, but does have music. Both Windsor and St James have manageable (or minimal) crowds Horse Guards: On certain occassions (i havent figured this out yet) this is very large with Bands and guards all on horses, the band plays on Horse guards parade while the Guard is changing. Amazingly few people watching for a great spectacle. The St james and BP change occur at the same time. horse guards is, as i recall half hour or hour later. Dont recall time for Windsor