Buckingham Palace

We were able to book a private tour of the State Rooms through the Royal Collection website. This is offered a few days during August and September (the last one being Sept. 5, when we took it.) Although it was expensive, it was well worth it as we were able to tour the State Rooms with a private guide provided by the Palace, and 28 other people. We saw a few rooms that the public is not allowed to see, and the whole experiece was wonderful. Even if you don't get to take the private tour, Buckingham Palace is worth seeing. We have nothing in the U.S. that comes close to it.

I've seen Versailles, and other castles in Europe, but Buckingham Palace was by far the most impressive. The rooms were stunning, and the Palace Ballroom that was set up for a State Banquet, was amazing! We didn't get to see the Mews or the Queen's Gallery during our London visit, but no matter, as Buckingham was the highlight of our trip with Windsor Castle coming in a close 2nd.

Our experience was wonderful. We purchased tickets beforehand to visit the staterooms through viator. We picked up our tickets from the shop across the street, as per instructions, which went very smoothly. We had also reserved a wheelchair for my grandmother (btw, if you do that, you get a free companion ticket!) which was waiting for us at the gate. Note- if you do this, you will enter a separate place, all the way around the corner, which was a bit inconvenient for my grandmother to get to, since it is hard for her to walk that far. However, once we arrived, we received VIP treatment from start to finish. They have the wheelchair system down to a T, everything is just soo well coordinated! Their audio headsets were very easy to use- my grandmother who does not even know how to use a mouse on a computer was able to handle hers efficiently. The staff there truly went above and beyond the normal call of duty. At the end of our visit, we asked if we could return the wheelchair at the gate closer to the street where taxis can drive, and they accommodated this request, even though they had to do some rearrangement. A+++!!!

This is a great value attraction which can take up to 2 hours, it is great to have the audio and move at your own pace much better than listening to a guide who moves you at their pace.

Don't have tea before you go in because the cafe in the garden serves the best pastries I have ever seen.