Buckingham Palace

Because South Africa was once one of the Dominions of the United Kingdom, the English Royal Family and it's history is still of much importance in our country.

Of course, the facade of Buckingham Palace is one known to literally every South African, but to actually be at the Palace, and indeed, inside of such building, is awe-inspiring.

"Magnificent" is the only word to describe the interior of the building which is very well maintained - and particularly impressive of the tour is the fact that unlike other tourist attractions, you are not being rushed on from one room to the next - one can spend as much time as one likes in considering the breathtaking decor and magnificent furniture/art.

This was the highlight of my tour to Europe - even the Palace of Versailles, in my opinion, has little rating in comparison to that of Buckingham Palace.

Every time I now see a picture of the palace, I can justifiably boast that "I've BEEN there!"

MAURICE SHADIACK, QUEENSTOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

We visited the Palace and the State Rooms Tours in August. We pre-booked our tickets for the 12.45 tour which gave us time to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony which finished at 12.30. Just a minute walk to the tour entrance. Everything was well organised. The Ballroom was set for a state banquet and the precision of the place settings was stunning. they also showed a short video of the preparations for the banquet. We were given an audio headset for the tour which gave details of each room as you passed through. Excellent value for money! Well worth a visit!

The Palace tour is definitely worth doing if you are in London during August or September. It is a bit expensive, but still worth it. One tip is to buy advanced tickets. You will be given a time to enter and just show up about 10 min before your time and you will be allowed to enter. Also, you do not have to wait in the long ticket lines.