Why book a Buckingham Palace private tour?
A Buckingham Palace private tour has a clear limit and a clear strength. The limit: outside guides may not lead groups through the palace rooms, and the State Rooms are visited on your own with the multimedia guide. The strength: everything around the palace is yours to discuss with a guide who works only for your group, from the Victoria Memorial, 25 metres high and unveiled in 1911, to The Mall and St James's Park.
That makes a private walk a good fit for a first morning in London, a family with a lot of questions or friends who want royal stories rather than a timetable. The State Rooms ticket is a separate purchase: the adult advance price was £33 in summer 2026, and the rooms open in the summer season only.
Private tours and a shared alternative
Private walks for your own group, from royal London in two hours to a day with Westminster Abbey tickets, and a shared guard change walk.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in British pounds (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private walk from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace
- Big Ben
- Trafalgar Square
- St James's Park
- Buckingham Palace
A private two and a half hour walk past Westminster Abbey, Admiralty Arch and St James's Park to the palace, with stories of kings, queens and Londoners. All sights are seen from outside.
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King's Trail of London with a private guide
- Private walking tour
- Guide in the language of your choice
- Westminster Abbey tickets in the 4 and 7-hour options
A private walk through central London in lengths from 2 to 7 hours. Tickets to Westminster Abbey are part of the 4 and 7-hour options and St Paul's Cathedral of the 7-hour option.
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Royal London private walking tour
- Private guide for your group
- Stories about the royal family
- How Parliament developed
Two hours with a local guide for your group of up to 12. Exterior only, admission extra.
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Changing of the Guard guided experience
A guide takes you to watch the ceremony; a private tour only if you choose that option. No palace entry, and the ceremony is not guaranteed.
Check availability →Private London walks to Buckingham Palace
Three private guides for your own group, from a short walk around royal London to a day built around Westminster, plus a shared walk for the guard change.
Big Ben to Buckingham Palace in 2.5 hours
This private walk starts at Parliament Square and runs for two and a half hours. You see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Thames and the London Eye from the river side, then the Prime Minister's office, Admiralty Arch, Trafalgar Square, St James's Park and Buckingham Palace, all from outside. The guide fills the route with stories about kings, queens and ordinary Londoners. It costs £220 for a group of up to six, which suits a family or a group of friends who want one continuous line from Parliament to the palace.
Royal London in 2 hours
The shortest option begins at Green Park, Stop H, and keeps to the exterior of the places you pass. Your guide covers the royal family and how Parliament developed. The price is £180 for up to 12 people, the roomiest group size here, so a large family or a birthday party can share one guide.
King's Trail with a private guide, 2 to 7 hours
This is the option for visitors who want entry as well as stories. It starts at 2 St Margaret Street and comes in several lengths, with a guide who speaks the language you choose. The 3, 4 and 7-hour versions include free admission to St James's Church. Skip-the-line tickets to Westminster Abbey come with the 4 and 7-hour versions, and St Paul's Cathedral with the 7-hour version only. The 2-hour version has none of these. It starts from £205 per person.
What your group pays per person
Prices as of November 2026. The two group prices divide by the number of people who come:
- Big Ben to the palace, £220 for up to six: £110 each for two, £55 each for four, about £36.67 each for six.
- Royal London, £180 for up to 12: £90 each for two, £45 each for four, £30 each for six, £15 each for twelve.
- King's Trail, from £205 per person: £410 for two, £820 for four.
For a group of four or more, the two group-price walks cost far less per head than the per-person guide. Two travellers pay £220 or £180 for their own guide against £30 on the shared walk, so the difference buys privacy and a route that is yours.
Private or small group?
The small-group guard change experience lasts 2 hours, starts at the Edward VII statue in St James's and costs £15 per person. It has a 4.8 rating from 2,763 reviews. A guide takes you to watch the ceremony, and a private version exists only if you pick that option when booking.
Choose it when the guard change is the whole point, you are one or two people and the budget matters. The ceremony is free to watch without a guide: the Guard Change is normally on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:00, and the decision to hold it in wet weather can come as late as 10:45. Choose private when you want a route that moves at your pace beyond the forecourt.
Questions about private tours at Buckingham Palace
Can a private guide take me inside the palace?
Not through the State Rooms. Outside guides are not allowed to lead groups through the palace rooms. A State Rooms ticket costs £33 for adults in advance in summer 2026 and is visited with the multimedia guide.
How much is a private tour for four people?
£220 total on the Big Ben to palace walk, which is £55 each, or £180 total on the Royal London walk, which is £45 each. King's Trail starts at £205 per person, £820 for four.
Which walk is the shortest?
The Royal London walk takes 2 hours and starts at Green Park, Stop H. The Big Ben to palace walk takes 2.5 hours from Parliament Square.
Is the guard change part of a private walk?
It depends on the day. The Guard Change is normally held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:00, and the shared guard change walk is built around it.