London
London
+ Central London
Sights
* Apsley House
* Banqueting House
* BBC Experience
* British Airways London Eye
* Buckingham Palace
* Cabinet War Rooms
* Chelsea
* Clink Exhibition
* Courtauld Gallery
* Design Museum
* Dickens House Museum
* Docklands
* Fleet Street
* Guildhall
* Hampstead
* Harrods
* HMS Belfast
* Highgate
* Hyde Park
* Imperial War Museum
* Inns of Court
* Jermyn Street
* Jewel Tower
* Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens
* Kenwood House
* Leighton House
* Lloyd's Building
* London Aquarium
* London Dungeon
* London Planetarium
* London Transport Museum
* London Zoo
* Madame Tussaud's
* Monument
* Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
* Museum of London
* National Army Museum
* National Portrait Gallery
* Oxo Tower
* Piccadilly Circus
* Regent's Park
* Royal Academy (of Arts)
* St Bartholomew-the-Great
* St Bride
* St James's Palace
* St James's Park
* St James's Piccadilly
* St James's Street
* St Katharine's Dock
* St Stephen Walbrook
* Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition
* Sir John Soane's Museum
* Soho
* Southwark Cathedral
* Spencer House
* Tate Britain and Tate Modern
* Theatre Museum
* Tower Bridge
* Trafalgar Square
* Wallace Collection
* Westminster Cathedral
* Whitehall
* Winston Churchill's Britain at War
Vicinity
+ Vicinity
Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
( Do not miss )
World-famous as the London home of the Queen, this vast, sprawling, 600-room house was built mostly between 1820 and 1837, although the familiar East Front public face of the palace was not added until 1913. Buckingham Palace has been opening its doors to the public since 1993, with proceeds going towards the restoration of Windsor Castle. Visitors get to view 18 State Rooms, which are furnished with some of the most important works of art from the Royal Collection (including pictures by Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Rubens) - one of the largest and most valuable private art collections in the world. There's no chance of spotting any of the royal family, however, as they are always away at another of the royal residences when the palace is open.
Around the corner, on Buckingham Palace Road, the Queen's Gallery, which displays a small changing exhibition from the Royal Collection, is closed for refurbishment until 2002. Alongside is the Royal Mews, where, among the horses and tack, is a display of the opulent carriages that are wheeled out on state occasions.
The colourful Changing of the Guard is still the most popular reason for visiting the palace. It takes place daily from April to July and on alternate days the rest of the year (wet weather permitting). At around 11:15 the St James's Palace part of the old guard marches down the Mall to meet the old guard of Buckingham Palace. There they await the arrival, at 11:30, of the new guard from Wellington Barracks who are accompanied by a band. Keys are ceremonially handed from the old to the new guard while the band plays. When the sentries have been changed, at around 12:05, the old guard return to Wellington Barracks and the new part of the St James's Palace guard march off to St James's Palace. As it can be extremely busy, aim to get close to the railings well before 11:00, particularly in high summer.
Address: The Mall
Phone: (020) 7839 1377 recorded information (020) 7799 2331(24hr) WEBSITE: www.royal.gov.uk
State Rooms
Address: Buckingham PalaceOpen: Tours daily 9:30-4:30 Aug-Sep
Metro: Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, St James's Park, Victoria
Accessible: Excellent
Admission: Very expensive
Practical: Purchase tickets in advance by credit card Phone: (020) 7321 2233
Royal Mews
Address: Buckingham Palace RoadOpen: Oct-Jul Mon-Thu 12-4; Aug-Sep Mon-Thu 10:30-4:30
Metro: Hyde Park Corner, St James's Park, Victoria
Accessible: Excellent
Admission: Moderate
| COUNTRY |
| Britain |
| REGION |
| CITIES |
| London
|
| Viewing |
| Top Ten |
| What To See |
| Where To ... |
| Practical Matters |
| Edinburgh |
| Oxford |
| York |
| MAPS |
| World |
| Europe |
| TRAVEL BOOK |
 |