Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

The Changing of Guards is one of the oldest traditional ceremonies in England. It takes places at several London attractions in the city such as Buckingham Palace, St James Palace and Horse Guards. At the Buckingham palace the ceremony takes places everyday at 11:30 am, except for the days when the weather is wet. It is also popular as the Guard Mounting ceremony in which the old guard is replaced by a new guard.

Changing of Guards is amongst the most attractive ceremonies in England and it thus attracts millions of tourists every year. The new guard in the ceremony is accompanied by a band of guards who play military music. These guards are dressed in bearskins and red jackets. They are also renowned as Queens Guards. You can watch the ceremony without any charges and it lasts for around 45 minutes everyday. It's recommended to come early and stand close to the Victoria monument in order to get the clearest views of the ceremony. After the ceremony the new guard marches to the St James's Palace.

Opening Timings

Aug 2009: 1st,3rd,5th,7th,9th,11th,13th,15th,17th,19th,21st,23rd,25th,27th,29th,31st Sep 2009: 2nd,4th,6th,8th,10th,12th,14th,16th,18th,20th,22nd,24th,26th,28th,30th The entire process takes about 45 minutes and starts 11:30am BST onwards in summers.

Admission

Access & Disabled Facilities.

Available Bus Routes

Address

Buckingham Palace London United Kingdom SW1A 1AA