Inside Buckingham Palace – My Guided Tour of the State Rooms

Visiting Buckingham Palace is a highlight of any London trip, and a guided tour of the State Rooms gives you the rare chance to step inside a working royal residence.

Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic landmarks in London, but stepping inside gives you a completely different perspective. On a guided tour of the State Rooms, I got a behind-the-scenes look at how a royal palace really operates.

Limited to just 30 people, the tour felt much more personal than the busy summer opening. Our guide brought the history of the Palace to life as we explored room after room. From the sweeping Grand Staircase to the Throne Room and the spectacular Ballroom, each space had its own stories, traditions and surprises.

In this post, I’ll share what it’s like to tour Buckingham Palace, some fascinating facts and history about the Palace itself, and everything you need to know about booking tickets and planning your own visit.

Buckingham Palace 2025 at a glance

Location: Central London (nearest Tube: Victoria, Green Park, or Hyde Park Corner)
Summer Opening: 10 July – 28 September 2025
Tickets: From £32 (State Rooms) / £61.20 (Royal Day Out)
Guided Tours: £65, spring and winter only
Book online: Royal Collection Trust

A little bit of history

Before getting into the tour, I thought I’d share some of the history behind the Palace and some interesting facts you might not have known.

Buckingham Palace began life as Buckingham House, built in the early 1700s for the Duke of Buckingham. In 1761, King George III purchased it as a private residence for his wife, Queen Charlotte, and their children.

When George IV became king in 1820, he commissioned architect John Nash to transform the house into a palace. He died before the project was finished, and his brother William IV chose to remain at Clarence House instead.

It was Queen Victoria who finally made Buckingham Palace the official royal residence in 1837. As her family grew, she found the building too small for entertaining, and a new wing was added. This enclosed the forecourt, introduced the famous central balcony, and created the grand Ballroom.

The Palace continued to evolve in the 20th century. King Edward VII redecorated the interiors, and during George V’s reign the façade was resurfaced. Since 1952 it has been home to the reigning monarch, and today it is undergoing a major 10-year refurbishment to modernise the building and protect both the Palace and the Royal Collection for the future.

Fun Fact: As part of the expansion during Queen Victoria’s reign, the triumphal arch was moved to the north-east corner of Hyde Park where we now know it as Marble Arch.

Fascinating facts about Buckingham Palace

• Buckingham Palace is a working palace and the headquarters of the British monarchy.
• It is one of six royal residences in London
• The building contains 775 rooms in total, including 19 State Rooms, 52 royal bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms
• There are 760 windows and 1,514 doors
• Facilities include a swimming pool, squash court and cinema
• More than 50,000 guests visit each year for events like garden parties and banquets
• The surrounding gardens stretch across 16 hectares
• It is to one of the largest clock and watch collections in the world, with more than 350 pieces.

Inside the State Rooms: guided tour highlights

I joined a guided tour of the State Rooms, which lasted just over an hour. We weren’t allowed to take photos, so here’s an overview of what we saw:

The Grand Entrance and Hall

The Grand Hall is the ceremonial entrance where dignitaries and guests arrive, and the bit you often see on TV when the Royal Family return from events or when visitors arrive for honour ceremonies and garden parties. It certainly lives up to its name — stepping inside for the first time must be an awe-inspiring, and slightly overwhelming, experience.

Our tour began here, with a look at some intriguing finds uncovered during the refurbishment works, including a 1913 edition of the London Evening Standard discovered inside the walls.

From the hall we also had a unique perspective of the courtyard, where the Changing of the Guard was taking place as we arrived. Watching the famous ceremony from inside the Palace.

The Grand Staircase

After the Grand Hall, the tour continues up the sweeping Grand Staircase. With its red carpet, marble steps and ornate bronze balustrades, it feels every bit as grand as you’d expect. The walls are lined with portraits of Queen Victoria’s family, watching over every visitor. Standing there, I couldn’t help imagining all the famous footsteps that have climbed those stairs, from monarchs and world leaders to modern-day celebrities.

The Green Drawing Room

Decorated in rich green silk chosen by Queen Adelaide, this elegant room feels both formal and inviting. The furnishings are coordinated to match, and porcelain vases add to the luxurious effect. Today it is still used for diplomatic receptions. I liked how this room, despite its grandeur, had a sense of calm, perhaps because of the colour scheme.

The Throne Room

The Throne Room is one of the most instantly recognisable spaces in the Palace, often used for official photographs and royal wedding portraits. At its centre are the red throne chairs used for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, still in place after all these years. You can also see thrones belonging to George VI, Queen Mary and Queen Victoria. It was fascinating to get close enough to see the intricate embroidery and how small Queen Victoria’s throne is.

The Picture Gallery

This long, narrow gallery was created for George IV’s art collection and today displays paintings by Canaletto, Rembrandt, Van Dyck and Vermeer. The artworks are rotated regularly, so even repeat visitors see something new. While admiring the paintings, our guide reminded us to look down at the carpet, decorated with delicate flower motifs, a detail that’s easy to miss. I loved how the gallery managed to feel both like an art museum and a space still very much in use for receptions and events.

More items from the Royal Collection can be seen in the Queen’s Gallery.

Fun Fact: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Cake was displayed here.

The Ballroom

The largest room in the Palace, the Ballroom is truly spectacular. Built for Queen Victoria, it now hosts State Banquets and investitures. During our tour, it was set with rows of seats, giving us a sense of how it looks during official ceremonies. Our guide explained how long it takes to prepare for a banquet (10 days!) and how a group of pipers marches through at the end of the evening, a tradition started by Queen Victoria. Standing in the centre of the Ballroom, I could easily imagine the buzz and formality of these grand occasions.

The Blue Drawing Room

Before the Ballroom was built in 1855, the Blue Drawing Room served as the Palace’s main space for dances. Its blue wallpaper and furnishings give it a distinctive look, and it continues to be used for receptions today.

Fun Fact: The BBC turned The Blue Drawing Room into its studio for The One Show in February 2022 to mark 100 days until the Platinum Jubilee weekend. 

The Music Room

At the centre of the West Front, is the Music Room and its tall arched windows overlooking the gardens. It’s an elegant space with a domed, gilded ceiling and two spectacular cut-glass chandeliers. Several royal christenings have taken place here, including three of the late Queen’s children. Our guide pointed out the grand piano, which has been played by the likes of Gary Barlow, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.

The White Drawing Room

The final room on our tour was the White Drawing Room, one of the Palace’s most impressive and best-known spaces. It often features in the King’s Christmas broadcast, and is used for small gatherings and audiences. Guests at larger events are sometimes introduced to the monarch here before moving into the State Rooms. I particularly loved the Erard grand piano, commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1856, with its gleaming gilded case. Our guide also revealed the hidden door used by the Royal Family to enter the room, one of those small details that makes the Palace feel more like a home as well as a grand stage.

Tip: If you visit the Royal Collection Site you can see photos of most of the rooms and even explore some in 360 images.

Tips for visiting Buckingham Palace

A few practical things to know before your visit:

• Guided tours last about an hour, though time flies once you’re inside
• You’ll go through airport-style checks before entering
• Cloakroom and toilets are available at the start and end
• Photos aren’t allowed inside the Palace (the Royal Collection website has images of many rooms)
• No eating inside, but bottled water is permitted
• There’s no seating during the tour, though you’re welcome to bring a folding stool

Top tip: If you want to catch the Changing of the Guard, book a ticket from lunchtime onwards.

Tickets and opening times

Summer opening

Each year Buckingham Palace opens its doors for around ten weeks in the summer. In 2023, the dates were 10 July to 28 September. During this time, you can explore the State Rooms on a self-guided tour.

• Tickets: From £32 (adult) for the State Rooms. A Royal Day Out ticket, which also includes entry to The Royal Mews and The King’s Gallery, costs £61.20 (in advance) or £65.70 (on the day).
• Duration: Allow 2–2.5 hours for a self-guided tour.
• Family discounts: Available.

Guided tours

Smaller guided tours take place on selected dates in spring and winter. These are limited to around 30 people and include a complimentary guidebook.

• Tickets: £100 per person.
• What’s included: An expert-led tour of the State Rooms, with plenty of historical insights and behind-the-scenes details.
• Duration: Around 1.5 hours.

Keep an eye on the Royal Trust Collection site for information on future dates. 

Booking your visit

• Tickets can be booked directly through the Royal Collection Trust.
• They’re also available on GetYourGuide, which offers free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
• You can often combine tickets with a visit to The Royal Mews to see the state coaches and horses.

The last word

All too soon, our tour came to an end and it was time to hand back our lanyards, collect a complimentary souvenir guide and step back out into the London sunshine.

Walking through the State Rooms felt like a rare privilege. Each space had its own character, from the grandeur of the Ballroom to the intimacy of the White Drawing Room, and hearing the stories behind them made the visit even more memorable. I especially enjoyed the little details like spotting Queen Victoria’s surprisingly small throne and learning about the traditions that still shape state banquets today.

Whether you book a guided tour in the quieter spring or winter months, or visit during the summer opening, stepping inside Buckingham Palace is one of those experiences that really does live up to the hype. It’s a chance not just to see incredible rooms and historic treasures, but to glimpse how the Palace still works as the centre of royal life.

If you’re planning a trip to London, I’d highly recommend making time for a visit. It’s grand, fascinating and surprisingly personal, the kind of tour you’ll be talking about long after you’ve left.