Changing of the Guard Guided Walking Experience London

Waterloo Place and the Guards Memorial

The tour starts in Waterloo Place, the elegant square at the southern end of Regent Street, a few minutes' walk from Piccadilly Circus. Your guide meets you by the bronze equestrian statue in the middle of the square, among grand Victorian clubs and monuments. Nearby stands the Guards Crimean War Memorial of 1861, which honours the soldiers of the Foot Guards who died in the war, a fitting first stop before you meet the guards themselves.

Here your guide explains how the Changing of the Guard works: the King's Guard protects the royal palaces, and a new guard regularly takes over from the old in a ceremony that has kept its shape for centuries. You also learn the plan for the morning, so you know exactly where to stand for the best view and photos when the music begins.

The Mall, London's Ceremonial Road

From Waterloo Place a short flight of steps leads down to The Mall, the broad tree-lined avenue that runs from Admiralty Arch to Buckingham Palace. It was laid out in its present ceremonial form in the early twentieth century, and its red surface was designed to look like a giant red carpet leading to the palace. Royal processions, state visits and national celebrations all pass along it.

On the way your guide stops at the royal memorial on The Mall, with its bronze statues and carved reliefs, and tells stories of royal ceremonies past and present. This is where the tour turns into a walk with the soldiers: as the guards march along The Mall with their band, you walk beside them on the pavement, close enough to hear the commands and see every detail of the uniforms.

St James's Palace and Clarence House

St James's Palace, built in the 1530s with a red-brick gatehouse that still faces St James's Street, is the most senior royal palace in Britain. Foreign ambassadors are still formally accredited to the Court of St James's, and the guard detachment stationed here marches out to take part in the ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Watching the soldiers form up in the palace courtyard is one of the best moments of the tour.

Next door stands Clarence House, built between 1825 and 1827 and still a royal residence. Your guide explains the differences between the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards, from the spacing of their tunic buttons to the colour of the plumes on their tall bearskin caps, so you can recognise them like a local. These stops take about 20 minutes, with time for photos.

St James's Park

St James's Park is the oldest of London's royal parks, with a long lake, weeping willows and flowerbeds stretching between The Mall and Birdcage Walk. Pelicans have lived here since the seventeenth century, when the first ones arrived as a diplomatic gift, and you may see them resting on the rocks by the water. From the Blue Bridge in the middle of the park there is a postcard view of Buckingham Palace at one end and the towers of Whitehall at the other.

Your guide uses the park to share the history of royal London and the life of the soldiers on guard duty. It is a short stop of about 5 minutes on the tour, but the park is free and open all day, so many guests return afterwards for a peaceful walk by the lake.

Buckingham Palace and Birdcage Walk

The tour ends on Birdcage Walk or near Buckingham Palace, depending on the movements of the guards that day. Buckingham Palace began as a townhouse built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham and has been the official London residence of the monarch since 1837. The guard mounting usually takes place in the palace forecourt at about 11:00 on set days of the week, more often in summer; check the schedule before your visit.

The tour deliberately avoids standing at the palace railings, where huge crowds mean you would see very little. Instead you follow the soldiers along the route and finish close to the palace, with time to take photos of the facade and the Victoria Memorial. The State Rooms open to visitors in summer, but Buckingham Palace tickets are not part of this tour.