How Much Does It Cost to Visit Buckingham Palace in 2026?

Visiting Buckingham Palace is cheaper than most people expect, because the single most famous experience, the Changing of the Guard, costs nothing at all. The confusion comes from the fact that the Palace has several separate paid attractions, and only one of them opens to the public. Here is the reality for 2026. The State Rooms cost from £33 per adult and are the only part of the Palace interior you can book. The Changing of the Guard ceremony outside the gates is free. The Royal Mews and The King's Gallery are separate paid sites next to the Palace. So your total spend ranges from zero, if you only watch the ceremony, to roughly £33 to £70 if you want to go inside and add one of the neighbouring attractions.

The State Rooms are the 19 grand rooms the Royal Family uses to receive and entertain guests, including the Throne Room, the White Drawing Room, and the Picture Gallery with its Rembrandts and Canalettos. Tickets start from £33 per adult and include a multimedia guide and a walk through part of the Palace garden at the end. The catch is timing: the State Rooms only open for about ten weeks each year, roughly late July to early October, while the King is at Balmoral. Outside that window there is no way to go inside, at any price. If your trip falls in the summer opening, book ahead, because dated timed-entry slots sell out on the busiest days.

If you are visiting outside summer, or you simply do not want to pay, the Changing of the Guard delivers the classic Buckingham Palace experience for free. The ceremony features the Foot Guards in their red tunics and bearskin hats, a full military band, and about 45 minutes of drill and music. It usually runs on set mornings through the week and daily in peak summer, starting around 11am, though the schedule changes with weather and events, so check the official timetable the day before. Arrive by 10.15am to claim a spot against the railings or on the Victoria Memorial steps, which give the best view over the forecourt. It costs nothing and is the single most photographed thing most visitors do here.

Two smaller paid attractions sit right beside the Palace and open for far more of the year than the State Rooms. The Royal Mews is the working stables, home to the Gold State Coach and the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, and it is a genuine hit with families and anyone interested in the ceremonial side of the monarchy. The King's Gallery shows rotating exhibitions drawn from the Royal Collection. Each is a modest add-on rather than a full-day cost, and both are useful alternatives if you visit when the State Rooms are closed. If your main interest is walking through the Palace itself, though, neither replaces the State Rooms tour.

For most first-time visitors, the honest answer is that the free Changing of the Guard is unmissable and the paid State Rooms are a worthwhile splurge only if you are genuinely interested in royal interiors and happen to be in London during the short summer opening. At £33, the State Rooms are priced similarly to Westminster Abbey at £31 and cheaper than the Tower of London at £37, both of which are open all year and, for many people, deliver more history per pound. If you have limited time and budget, watch the ceremony for free and put your ticket money toward the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey instead.

Book the State Rooms in advance for the summer window, choosing the earliest morning slot for the quietest rooms and the best light in the garden. Combine your visit with the free Changing of the Guard by arriving mid-morning, watching the ceremony, then entering the State Rooms afterwards. A hop-on hop-off bus pass from £27 is a practical way to reach the Palace and link it with Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London in one day without paying multiple single Tube fares. Whatever you do, do not pay a tout or a third-party reseller a premium: the Palace uses simple dated tickets, and the free ceremony never requires a ticket of any kind.