Buckingham Palace

What makes it special

The palace has 775 rooms, and the summer visit takes you through 19 of them, the State Rooms. The Grand Staircase is the centrepiece of the route, and the Throne Room is a favourite setting for royal wedding photographs. Each summer the rooms also hold an exhibition, which changes from one year to the next.

Outside, stand at the front railings and look up at the balcony. Its first recorded royal appearance came in 1851, when Queen Victoria stepped out during celebrations for the opening of the Great Exhibition. Notices of royal births and deaths are still fixed to those railings for the public to read.

The guard on the forecourt is a working one, made up of soldiers on active duty. It usually comes from one of the five Guards regiments of the Household Division, and you can tell which by the number of buttons on the tunic and the plume on the bearskin cap. Regimental flags, called Colours, are carried on some parades.

Visiting

Going inside is a summer visit: you join the queue at the State Rooms entrance at your booked time. Every person and bag is screened at the entrance, and only small bags go into the palace, so larger ones are checked in.

Past the screening you are handed an audio guide in one of nine languages, in a grown-up or a family version, and you walk the rooms at your own pace. A State Rooms visit can be combined with a Garden Highlights Tour.

On guard-change days, the New Guard gathers at Wellington Barracks and St James's Palace from 10:00 and marches to the palace with music. The handover on the forecourt follows in the late morning, lasts about 45 minutes, and ends with the guard leaving by the Central Gate. On other days the Captain inspects the guard at 15:00, and on Sunday that becomes the Sunday Parade at 10:00, with the Colour.

Guided or on your own

You do not need a guide for the State Rooms in summer. The audio guide comes with entry, carries the commentary room by room and has a family version for children. Outside summer, the palace sometimes runs a few small guided tours, usually in December, January and at Easter.

Tips

Pick your spot for the guard by what you want to see. The palace railings give the closest view of the forecourt and are the most crowded. The steps of the Victoria Memorial give a raised view of the bands arriving and of the ceremony, and The Mall between Marlborough Road and the palace puts you close to the march-past.

For a quieter view, watch the New Guard form up and be inspected at Wellington Barracks from about 10:15. Dress for a long stand outdoors: comfortable shoes, layers and rain cover.

Inside the palace, a backpack cannot be worn on your back, so carry a small bag on one shoulder. Photography is not allowed in the State Rooms, though it is in the gardens. The only toilets are in the gardens at the end of the route, and the rooms get warm, so bring a bottle of water.