Buckingham Palace London Tour: Inside the Queen's Landmark Residence

Buckingham Palace London Tour: Inside the Queen's Landmark Residence
8 April 2025 0 Comments Tobias Warrington

London attractions don’t get any more iconic than Buckingham Palace. Unlike any other London landmark, it holds a place in local lore and daily chatter, a magnetic presence whether you’re riding the 38 bus past Green Park or cutting through Victoria with a Pret in hand. How many palaces sit at the beating heart of a capital city, hosting more than 50,000 guests a year and functioning as both workplace and home for a reigning monarch? For most Londoners, Buckingham Palace isn’t just a gilded symbol—it’s a touchstone that grounds our city, part of the skyline we barely notice until we cross The Mall and catch a tourist snapping selfies at the famous front gates.

A Living Landmark: Royal Residence with Deep Local Ties

So what sets Buckingham Palace apart from all the other grand London buildings? Since 1837 when Queen Victoria made it her base, this place has evolved alongside London itself. The Palace saw the Blitz from its bomb-scarred windows, hosted impromptu tea parties for staff during wartime, and now serves as a backdrop every June for Trooping the Colour, when London’s streets fill with pageantry and people cram onto St James’s Park’s lawns with their M&S picnics. Walking past the gold-tipped gates, you’re straddling two worlds—the ceremonial and the everyday. You’ll spot Londoners threading through Green Park on early morning jogs, or tourists staring open-mouthed as horse guards clatter past.

For Londoners, the Changing of the Guard isn’t always just a must-do on a rainy weekend with relatives in town. It’s part of the city’s routine, a traffic-stopping spectacle that you spot as you unexpectedly emerge from Hyde Park Corner. This military tradition runs from April to July almost every other day—bucketing rain or searing sunshine, those bearskin hats don’t budge. If you’re planning on catching it, skip squeezing behind selfie sticks at the front gate. Instead, head to Wellington Barracks or watch from Spur Road—a local hack that saves the awkward shuffle through crowds and gives you a solid view without craning your neck. London City Hall’s annual stats mark around 20 million tourists shuffling through Westminster every year; a fair share of them make Buckingham Palace their prime photo stop.

The State Rooms: Glitz, Glamour, and British Craftsmanship

The palace’s famous State Rooms throw open their doors to the public for just ten weeks each summer. Ever queued around the Queen Victoria Memorial, drizzle running down your umbrella, waiting for those rare golden tickets? Here’s what waits within: an astonishing 775 rooms, though visitors get access to only 19, all dripping with gold leaf, priceless art, and skilled British handiwork. Step on the plush red carpets and try not to gawk at the Belgian crystal chandeliers or spot the secret door, disguised as a cabinet, in the White Drawing Room.

London’s reputation for creative design runs through these rooms. Thomas Tompion clocks tick steadily; paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens loom overhead; Sèvres porcelain gleams in the galleries. If you’re a local planning a visit, grab tickets ahead from the Royal Collection Trust—don’t risk a walk-up. Time your arrival in the early morning or late afternoon to dodge tourist bottlenecks, and wear comfortable shoes; the tours run longer than most London walks, and you’re not allowed to double back once inside.

One eye-popping stat: the Grand Staircase, an instant Instagram magnet, sees a footfall of roughly 500,000 pairs of footsteps each high season. That’s more than fans pour into the Emirates Stadium across a north London football season. Don’t try to photograph everything—security’s tight, and some rooms (the Throne Room, for example) have camera bans so you’ll need to live in the moment. If you’re keen to bring your own bit of regal life home, flag the palace shop by the exit for proper British souvenirs, from Emma Bridgewater ceramics to Fortnum & Mason teas.

Tradition Meets Today: Modern Life Behind Palace Walls

Tradition Meets Today: Modern Life Behind Palace Walls

The thing about Buckingham Palace most day-trippers miss? It’s not a museum; it’s a living, working HQ for the King and the wider Royal Family. On any given day, you’ll have staff prepping state banquets with logistics to rival the Tube at rush hour, while workers keep the palace’s 40-acre gardens looking flawless even on soggy afternoons. The offices here aren’t just ceremonial—they run everything from royal charters to art exhibitions and school visits. A table below breaks down some jaw-dropping palace stats that surprise even seasoned Londoners:

FeatureStat
Total Rooms775
Bathrooms78
Workforce~800 staff
Garden Size40 acres
State Rooms Visitors (summer)~500,000

Downstairs, the palace kitchens are a flurry of British classics (Scottish salmon, Cornish crab, Eton mess) whenever there’s a Royal Garden Party. By the way, ask a London cabbie about driving during those garden parties—traffic is infamous around Victoria, so best avoid the area on those summer dates. There’s even a post office inside the palace walls, a tiny nugget not even most locals realise. The palace isn’t stuck in the past—WiFi zips through the halls for official business, and digital press teams run royal Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts from inside.

Every December, the palace’s Christmas tree towers over the Marble Hall—decorated with decorations from London’s own John Lewis, no less. And while the monarchy’s role evolves, the palace stays stitched into the city’s fabric. London borough schools often get special access to history workshops inside the palace. 2023 marked a boost in such sessions with the palace welcoming over 3,000 schoolchildren from Lewisham to Croydon.

How Locals Experience Buckingham: Practical Tips and Offbeat Tales

Ask a Londoner about their first Buckingham Palace visit and you’ll get everything from stories about early-morning runs in St James’s Park to tales of bumping into celebrities at Trooping the Colour. Unlike other London attractions—like the Shard, where most visitors leave after an hour—Buckingham Palace pops up in the background of everyday life. You’ll spot locals lining up for the Queen’s Gallery, which showcases new Royal Collection art every few months, or booking afternoon teas across the street at Rubens at the Palace for a slice of “royal” cake and a non-touristy view.

If crowds aren’t your thing, go outside peak times: rainy weekday mornings are quietest. Grab coffee from Notes on nearby Wellington Street and take a stroll through Green Park to the palace. Avoid buying tickets from touts—buy directly online. During big events such as the Platinum Jubilee, Trafalgar Square and Pall Mall become rivers of waving Union Jacks. Londoners know to skirt around those crowds by ducking down Horse Guards Road instead of The Mall.

Insider tip: in July and August, special “Garden Highlights Tours” let you walk the usually off-limits lawns, catching rare blooms and London’s wilder parakeet flocks chattering in the trees. Bring binoculars if you’re a bird spotter. And don’t skip the palace’s own summer ice cream cart on hot days—flavours are locally sourced, and half the children from Westminster swear by the strawberry.

Finally, Buckingham Palace isn’t static or remote—it’s part of daily London. When the Queen’s Standard flag is raised, locals share updates in WhatsApp groups, and taxi drivers know to expect a spike in tourist fares. Whether it’s the backdrop to city marathons, proms in the park, or even the odd climate protest, the palace remains firmly at the heart of London’s social and cultural life. So next time you glance at its marble facade, don’t see it as a fortress—think of all the life, ceremony, and genuine London character happening behind those historic gates.