Tours/London/Buckingham Palace, St James Palace & Tea at Kensington Palace
Viator · group up to 10 pax

Buckingham Palace, St James Palace & Tea at Kensington Palace

5.0(101)London1 hour
VIATOR5.0(21)TRIPADVISOR5.0(80)

Description

See Three Palaces & experience the magnificence of London’s royal quarter with a walk around its most stunning monuments followed by an authentic afternoon tea in Royal surroundings in the company of a knowledgeable guide. Get to the heart of aristocratic London, exploring the quiet corners & higgledy-piggledy streets of St James’ & its Tudor palace - where the King was proclaimed monarch. On Changing of the Guard mornings, witness the inspection of the Old Guard at St James before following the band to Buckingham Palace. Stroll to Wellington Arch & hop onto an iconic red bus for a short ride to the Royal Albert Hall. Step into beautiful Kensington Gardens & hear of a 1000 years of history, See Princess Diana's Statue & stroll through manicured parkland to the 300 year old Tea Room established by Queen Anne. Enjoy a full Afternoon Tea of delicious sandwiches, scones & cakes with a selection of teas. Dietary preferences are catered for, & a children's tea provided for youngsters.

Tour Options

Private Option - No Pal Entry
  • With Private Guide: This option does not include entry to the Palace itself. This can be booked on the official website hrp.org.uk
Tour & Tea with Ken Pal Ticket
  • Palace Entry after Tea: This option is for the whole tour, afternoon tea & Entry to the Palace after tea. We recommend 90 min to see the State Rooms
Private Tour & Ken Pal Ticket
  • Palace Entry After Tea: After Tea your ticket gives access to Kensington Palace state rooms for a self guided tour.
Tour & Tea with Bubbles
  • Glsss of Bubbles no Pal Entry
Tour & Tea -no Entry to Palace

Itinerary

10 min

Formally known as Upper St James Park, Green Park is the starting point of the tour. We will head away from the crowds to discover quiet spots and discreet passageways that lead away from the regular tours.

10 min

St James is the main aristocratic quarter of London where the landed gentry and political classes mingled in chocolate houses and taverns that became prestigious clubs in the seventeenth century. You will stroll through little used back streets with their fascinating history

5 min

Spencer House at the end of the small street. Built between 1756-1766 for John, first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) it is London’s finest surviving eighteenth-century town house.

5 min

St James Palace remains the official London royal palace and is not regularly open to visitors, but the public can attend Sunday services at the Chapel Royal and the Queen's Chapel.

5 min

The house was built between 1825 and 1827 to a design by John Nash. It was commissioned by the Duke of Clarence, who in 1830 became King William IV of the United Kingdom (reigned 1830–1837). He lived there in preference to the adjacent St James's Palace, an ancient Tudor building which he found too cramped

5 min

St James is the main aristocratic quarter of London where the landed gentry and political classes mingled in chocolate houses and taverns that became prestigious clubs in the seventeenth century. You will stroll through little used back streets with their fascinating history

5 min

In the Middle Ages, the site of the future palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury (also called Eia). The marshy ground was watered by the river Tyburn, which still flows below the courtyard and south wing of the palace. Where the river was fordable (at Cow Ford), the village of Eye Cross grew. Ownership of the site changed hands many times; owners included Edward the Confessor and his queen consort Edith of Wessex in late Saxon times, and, after the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror. William gave the site to Geoffrey de Mandeville, who bequeathed it to the monks of Westminster Abbey.

5 min

Cross to the Wellington Arch (Decimus Burton) 1828. 4 horse chariot with a figure of peace (1912) Central Passage was reserved for royalty.

5 min

The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial commemorating the crews of RAF Bomber Command who embarked on missions during the Second World War. The memorial, on the south side of Piccadilly, facing Hyde Park Corner, was built to mark the sacrifice of 55,573 aircrew from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, Poland and other allied countries, as well as civilians of all nations killed during raids.

5 min

The house was originally built in red brick by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778 for Lord Apsley, the Lord Chancellor, who gave the house its name. Some Adam interiors survive: the Piccadilly Drawing Room with its apsidal end and Adam fireplace, and the Portico Room, behind the giant Corinthian portico added by Wellington.

5 min

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage.

5 min

The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens is one of London's most ornate monuments. It commemorates the death of Prince Albert, who died of typhoid in 1861.

5 min

George II was blind in one eye and hard of hearing. In Kensington Palace, 25 October, 1760 he rose as usual at 6:00 am, drank a cup of hot chocolate, and went to his close stool alone. After a few minutes, his valet heard a loud crash and entered the room to find the king on the floor. The king was lifted into his bed, and Princess Amelia was sent for; before she reached him, he was dead. At the age of nearly 77 he had lived longer than any of his English or British predecessors. A post-mortem revealed that the king had died as the result of a thoracic aortic dissection. He was succeeded by his grandson George III, and buried on 11 November in Westminster Abbey. He left instructions for the sides of his and his wife's coffins to be removed so that their remains could mingle. He is the most recent monarch to be buried in Westminster Abbey.

Highlights

Entrance to the State Rooms (if selected at check out)
Knowledgeable Guide and Royal history walk
The history of tea drinking in England
Small Group, maximum of 10, typically 4-6 guests
A Private Table at the Afternoon Tea Venue
Afternoon Tea of Sandwiches, Scones & Cakes. (NB: Child Tea is typically for 11 yrs & younger)

What's included

Included
Entrance to the State Rooms (if selected at check out)
Knowledgeable Guide and Royal history walk
The history of tea drinking in England
Small Group, maximum of 10, typically 4-6 guests
A Private Table at the Afternoon Tea Venue
Afternoon Tea of Sandwiches, Scones & Cakes. (NB: Child Tea is typically for 11 yrs & younger)
Not included
Private Transport
No entrance to Palaces / Walking tour (unless selected at check out)
Bus fare - please bring a Contactless Card or Oyster Card
Can be purchased during the tea service

Traveller Ratings

5.0
101 reviews
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98
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Important Information

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • We offer Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan & Halal on prior request
  • Not suitable for those with walking difficulty, we walk for about 60 mins

Reviews(101)

H
heidikH8059JW
August 17, 2026
A must spend experience

David was exceptional. He had so much knowledge and personal ties to area that made the experience that much better. I would recommend this to anyone and we will be back again!

Operator response

It was pleasure to see you and your family. I look forward to seeing you again

X
X3672EJdavidh
August 13, 2026
Great tour of London with Simon

Simon was amazing! Great tour, very knowledgeable.

Operator response

Simon's knowledge of London comes from his many years living in the City. We use local, experienced guides for that very reason. Thank you for being our guests and see you next year perhaps

F
franciscolL8110DR
July 25, 2026
Three palaces tour

This is one of the most interesting and educational tour ever To finish the tour with the most delicious and beautifully presented afternoon tea was by far one of best London experience for us. Simon’s knowledge, passion and attentiveness was simply wonderful and we highly recommend it. Thank you Francisco and Brenda

L
lauriewF7281VM
July 24, 2026
Review

This was an amazing experience! Our tour guide Simon was very knowledgeable and kind!

B
bep19
July 23, 2026
High Tea Tour

Great trip ! Great tour guide Simon! Lots of knowledge.

B
barbj636
July 15, 2026
Great tour, fantastic tour guide - couldn’t have asked for more!

Simon was an amazing guide. He did so much more than just pint out landmarks. He gave us history that was steeped in public knowledge as well as rumours and heresay. He pointed out obscure oddities which we would normally not even notice. It’s no wonder he is the senior guide - we couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else. 5 stars for sure and we would have rated it higher if we could. Thanks, Barb and Kathleen, Canadian kindred spirits that would take a constitutional with Simon any day!

Operator response

Simon was bowled over by your beautiful review. Thank you for being our special guests

W
Wahida_K
July 11, 2026
Amazing experience with a great tour guide!

We had a wonderful time in this tour! David was so knowledgeable and shared so many great stories about the entire tour. He was thorough and explained the history as well. The High Tea at Kensington Palace was an experience of a lifetime! Princess Diana's memorial statue was beautiful surrounded by the beautiful garden she loved so dearly. We were very happy with the entire tour! Thank you David for eberything!

Operator response

Dear Wahida, Many thanks for your wonderful words. Together with Simon we run these tours to meet and connect with our guests. It was a pleasure being with you and Salim.

N
nathanbQ8710EQ
July 9, 2026
Great tour and great guide Simon!

This was a great tour! Simon was our guide and extremely knowledgeable and fun! Very happy with this tour and would recommend!

7
709sherrieb
July 9, 2026
Excellent Tour

Excellent tour with Simon, he shared lots of history and personalized it to what we were most interested in. Great experience.

T
torrieb118
July 9, 2026
Wonderful tour

Simon was wonderful and knowledgeable

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