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When we visited London a couple of years ago, we had plans to walk over to Buckingham Palace and watch the changing of the guard ceremony; however, our plans didn’t go accordingly. We didn’t realize it was a bank holiday, so the ceremony wasn’t taking place.

Fast forward to our second visit to London and this time we decided to book a tour instead of winging it ourselves. This ended up being the best decision since we learned from our tour guide that the palace (due to crowds) is actually the worst place to watch the changing of the guard ceremony.

We booked the London Changing of the Guard Walking Tour and the cost for each person was US $26.00. The tour runs approximately an hour and a half and it was definitely worth it. It’s very well organized and the tour guides are very knowledgeable and super friendly.

Not only do you get to see the guards up close, but you get to learn about the origins of this world-famous ceremony and London’s royal history. We’ll highlight some of the locations we stopped at, but doing this tour on your own definitely won’t have the same impact as joining a guided tour.

Meeting Point - Equestrian Statue of Edward VII (MAP)

Once we booked our tour, the instructions were to meet at the Equestrian Statue of Edward VII. We were staying at the Conrad London St. James hotel and it was a beautiful 13-minute walk through St. James Park to our meeting point.

A woman walking on a tree lined sidewalk — Lush trees all over St. James Park

We walked through St. James Park which was massive. The landscape was beautiful with rich, green grass and tall trees which was very soothing to the eyes. Once we reached the statue, we met our tour guide, Richard. He was a jolly man and seemed eager to start the tour.

A statue of Edward VIII — Get Your Guide Meeting Point

State of Queen Elizabeth — King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Memorial

As we made our way to the first stop, we stopped by a few statues and Richard gave us the history behind the historical figures. One of the stops was the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Memorial, who are the parents of Queen Elizabeth II.

Stop #1 - St. James's Palace (MAP)

St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace and if you are a fan of British history, this palace was built largely during Henry VIII’s reign. This was our first stop to get a close-up experience of the guards.

Three police officers on horses — Police officers clearing the way for the ceremony

Many assume that the guards are only at Buckingham Palace, but the ceremony actually takes place between three locations - Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, and Wellington Barracks. Richard gave us a brief history of St. James's Palace and then shortly after, the guards came out right in front of us.

Soldiers marching and playing instruments — Changing of the Guard Ceremony

We were in awe of just how close we were to the ceremony and also delighted that we didn’t have to fight any crowds. Once the guards passed us, we started heading to our next location.

Stop #2 - The Mall Street (MAP)

From St. James's Palace, we took a short walk to The Mall. The Mall is a tree-lined royal road that leads from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace. We waited here for the cavalry to go by on their horses while Richard gave us some tidbits about the soldiers’ duties and how they have continued to protect the monarchy since the restoration period.

The Mall Street in London — The Mall Street

There were more people here, but still, plenty of room where we didn’t have to fight our way into the crowds. We weren’t able to see them as up close here, but it was a gorgeous view as they marched down The Mall.

Stop #3 Clarence House (MAP)

Clarence House is Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla’s official London residence. Prince Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, used to live here with her husband, Prince Charles, until she became queen.

Clarence house in the distance — Clarence House

Richard pointed out that when you see the union flag raised, also known as the royal standard, it means that Prince Charles is in the building. Anytime you see the royal standard raised on a monarch’s building like Windsor or Buckingham, that means that the royals are at home. If you’re lucky, you might get a chance to see Prince Charles or Camilla enter or exit the premises.

A man holding a photo of soldiers — Our tour guide, Richard

While we waited for the changing guards to walk by us, Richard explained the difference between the guards that protect the queen. There are five Regiments of Foot Guards, which are the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards. You can tell the difference by the color of their plume and which side of the bearskin it is worn on.

After Richard told us this interesting piece of information, the guards came right by us and again, they were so up close. We couldn’t believe how close we were able to view them with no other tourists around. We had the viewing all to ourselves.

Stop #4 Buckingham Palace (MAP)

Our next stop was Buckingham Palace, but we didn’t go near the gates as it was packed with people. Plus, you couldn’t really see the guards here. There were some within the gates, but we couldn’t quite see what they were doing.

While we waited for the guards to pass through, Richard offered to take pictures for everyone. He also told us some history behind Buckingham Palace and some other tidbits like the monument of Queen Victoria in front of the palace, which is the largest statue of the queen in the country.

We noticed that the nose on Queen Victoria was super white compared to the rest of the statue. Richard informed us that in 2012, a man cleaning the statue accidentally hit the nose with a pole and broke it. They could not find any marble to match, so now she has a super white nose. We love learning little tidbits like this.

Stop #5 Wellington Barracks (MAP)

Wellington Barracks was our final destination, which sits next to Buckingham Palace, and this is the soldier’s living quarters. We stood at the corner of the entrance waiting for the soldiers and this was the only place where we were wedged in with the crowds.

Wellington Barracks entrance — People standing at the entrance to the Wellington Barracks

By this time, we had already experienced the ceremony up-close at several locations, so this was more of a stop to see where the soldiers ended the ceremony. Richard shared some additional history about the barracks and how you can spot the rankings of the soldiers based on their uniforms.

Soldiers marching on Wellington Barracks premises — Soldiers marching on the Wellington Barracks premises

The Two Chairman Public House (MAP)

At the end of the tour, Richard gave several recommendations for other sites to check out and suggested Two Chairman. He said it was one of the oldest pubs in Westminster.

A woman peeking inside a building — Crystal peeking inside Two Chairman

We were actually staying at The Conrad St. James London Hotel which was just a block away from the pub. We didn’t get a chance to dine there, but we did stop by to check it out because the exterior of the building was so charming.

That’s It!

That was the end of our tour and we couldn't believe how fast an hour and a half went by. We were so glad we booked the tour as we really got to see the ceremony in it’s entirety and learn about the history of the guards, the royal family, and England in general. The timing of the arrival at each location was definitely key to getting the best experience and Richard had the timing down to a tee.

British soldiers marching — Soldiers marching with a weapon

He was a fantastic guide and made us laugh often as he presented the history in such an entertaining way. You can tell that he is proud of his country and truly has a passion for sharing his knowledge with the guests.

If you’re interested in the same tour, we did the London: Changing of the Guard Walking Tour with Get Your Guide.