Changing Of The Guard And Royal Westminster Walking Tour
Trip Highlights
Private Tour
Experience Westminster from a royal perspective
World famous Changing of the Guard ceremony with your private expert guide
Family friendly
Description
Feel like a king or queen for the day with a private walking tour of Royal Westminster. No more wondering what Changing of the Guards is, prepare to be an expert on this spectacular ceremony.
The only thing more regal than a Royal Westminster and Changing of the Guard experience is one taken as a private tour with your very own expert guide. Take a whirlwind ride through 1000 years of our history, walking in the footsteps of Winston Churchill, Henry VIII, Queen Victoria, Lord Admiral Nelson, Richard the Lionheart, Guy Fawkes and the Suffragettes with views of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and a trinity of palaces to admire
After your crash course in British history, from the very best vantage points, your new local friend will give you the lowdown on the age-old Changing of the Guards ceremony- how to tell the guards apart, why they wear those fantastic hats and all the rules surrounding these trained soldiers.
Tour info
Westminster Tube Station - Exit 2, Victoria Embankment next to The Boudiccan Rebellion Statue
Open in Google MapsWestminster Tube Station - Exit 2, Victoria Embankment next to The Boudiccan Rebellion Statue
Open in Google MapsWhy take this tour?
By the end, you’ll have a deep understanding of the significance and symbolism of this age-old tradition, feeling part of this layer of London life. Your private tour will reach a crescendo as you join the Changing of the Guards ceremony towards
Buckingham Palace, marching to the beat of their drums... but what will the music be today?
Included
Private and fully guided Changing of the Guard and Royal Westminster tour
English Speaking local expert guide
Excluded
Gratuities
Food & drink
Hotel pick-up & drop-off
Things to know
Cancellation Policy
Free cancellation up to 7 days prior to the tour.
Learn More
Free cancellation up to 7 days prior to the tour.
Learn More
Availability
This tour is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:45 AM
This tour is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:45 AM
The Important Stuff
- Please arrive fifteen minutes before the start time on your voucher.
- The experience will end outside Buckingham Palace at around 11:45 AM.
- We tend to move pretty fast to keep up with the guards, so please wear comfortable shoes and always carry water.
- We will n...
- Please arrive fifteen minutes before the start time on your voucher.
- The experience will end outside Buckingham Palace at around 11:45 AM.
- We tend to move pretty fast to keep up with the guards, so please wear comfortable shoes and always carry water.
- We will not stand at the forecourt of Buckingham Palace as, due to crowds, you see very little and the experience would be ten times less fun. We want to get you as close as possible with the opportunity to take some amazing snapshots.
- It is at the discretion of the British Army to change or cancel the Ceremony. The announcement will not be made until after 10:30 AM so come rain or shine, the Urban Saunters Changing of the Guard experience will go ahead. If the full ceremony is canceled, there will still be the chance to see the guards marching, just without the music.
Meeting Place
Meet our guide outside Westminster Station. Please follow the signs for Exit 2 Victoria Embankment, and then take the stairs up to the street level to Victoria Embankment. Your guide will meet you at the top of the stairs next to The Boudiccan Rebellion Statue.
Meet our guide outside Westminster Station. Please follow the signs for Exit 2 Victoria Embankment, and then take the stairs up to the street level to Victoria Embankment. Your guide will meet you at the top of the stairs next to The Boudiccan Rebellion Statue.
Book Now
More Experiences
Private London in WW2 Walking Tour and Churchill War Rooms Entrance
Visit the epicentre of British democracy where decisions were made and plans were laid to repel a German invasion as bombs rained down on London in the Blitz. This WW2 walking tour includes entrance to Churchill’s War Rooms to carry on your adventure into a not-so-distant past.
It’s time to go back to the 1940s. Big Ben no longer sounds. Air raid sirens are the norm. German bombing raids come under cover of darkness. The population lives with rations and restrictions. Many Brits lay down their lives in Europe and beyond.
Private Changing of The Guard Walking Tour
Witness one of the most dazzling ceremonies in the world with an expert guide - get closer to the action.
England is known for fish and chips, four seasons in a day, warm ale, history in spades, and of course, a deeply ingrained age-old love for pomp and ceremony. Join Urban Saunters as we serve a slice of world-famous ceremonial action with this private Changing of the Guards experience.
Tower of London Private Guided Tour
Explore the world heritage Tower of London with a private guide to lead the way- you’ll be astonished at the tales this tower can tell.
Keeping a watchful eye over the city and the river Thames since its founding in 1079, the Tower of London has had many faces: as a mint, an observatory, a zoo, an armory, a royal palace, a treasury, and most notoriously, as a place of execution.
Home to both the Beefeaters and the Crown Jewels today, the Tower’s story is one of intrigue, scandal, and ceremony, definitely best uncovered with a private guide and a morning entrance before the crowds arrive.
Private Royal London Tour with entrance to The Tower of London
Let us read you the story of London, a tale of two cities. From a visit to the Tower of London in the old city to a walking tour in the regal city of Westminster, join us for the Ultimate Royal London experience. From crowns to confessions, the Tower of London has been watching over the city and the river Thames since its founding in 1079.
A spectacular tower, it has lived many lives- as a mint, an observatory, a zoo, an armory, a royal palace, a treasury, and most notoriously, as a place of execution. Home to both the Beefeaters and the Crown Jewels today, the Tower’s story is intrigue, scandal, and ceremony waiting to be discovered.
Meet your expert English-speaking guide who will give you the lowdowns and highlights of this 11th-century fortress before you go inside the Tower to discover it on your own. Top tip- head straight for the crown jewels, meet the ravens and don’t miss the White Tower, the oldest part. Rejoin your guide for a relaxing cruise of the River Thames as you hear the stories of St Pauls, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Romans, and the impact this great river has had on the lives of Londoners since its banks were first settled.
But your experience does not stop there!
Westminster Abbey Private Guided Tour
To visit Westminster Abbey is to take a whirlwind ride through 1000 years of British history- the only way to skip the line for a private experience like no other.
Dream of the last Anglo-Saxon king and a flagship of the Church of England, Westminster Abbey is a tour de force of 1000 years of both English and British history.
This spectacular Medieval gothic ‘royal peculiar’ has hosted every coronation from William the Conqueror to the House of Windsor, seventeen royal weddings including William and Kate, and most recently the funeral of our beloved Queen, Elizabeth II. It is also the burial place of many royals and notables including feuding Tudor siblings, writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Rudyard Kipling, and Charles Dickens, scientists Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, and Charles Darwin, abolitionists, actors, and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Winston Churchill and London in WW2 Private Walking Tour
Beyond the Churchill War Rooms, this area is filled to the brim with WW2 history so take a trip back to Blitz-era Westminster on a private walking tour. Keep calm and carry on with an expert guide to lead the way.
On September 7th, 1940, Nazi Germany sparked a lightning war on London, dropping bombs across the city and beginning 57 consecutive nights of terror on Britain’s capital. But how did we get there and what was to happen next?
On a private walking tour with an expert guide, discover the grandeur of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Cenotaph, Ministry of War, 10 Downing Street, and Whitehall through the lens of WW2. Learn about the British resolve and the reality of life for millions at that time.
Royal Westminster Private Walking Tour
Explore the City of Westminster with a local expert and discover thousands of years of royal history.
When most people are asked to think of the most iconic landmarks in London, the answers come thick and fast- Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square but as a tale of two cities, all of these actually lay in the regal city of Westminster.
British Museum Private Guided Tour
The best way to dive deep into thousands of years of global history as you explore a world first is with a private, expert guide.
As the world’s first national public museum, the British Museum offers visitors a chance to travel to Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome, journey to the heart of Mesopotamia, and experience an unbelievable collection of objects that tell the tale of a world-long gone. With your private guide to bring it all to life, unlock the stories behind these astounding relics of the human experience, all under one roof.
Churchill War Rooms Private Guided Experience
Saunter in the footsteps of iconic British prime minister Winston Churchill as you explore the underground bunkers where plans were laid to repel an invasion of Britain in WW2. From a walking tour of the local area to access to the war rooms themselves, keep calm and carry on with an expert guide to lead the way.
On September 7th, 1940, Nazi Germany sparked a lightning war on London, dropping bombs across the city and beginning 57 consecutive nights of terror on Britain’s capital. But how did we get there and what was to happen next?
On a private walking tour with a local expert guide, discover the grandeur of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Cenotaph, Ministry of Defence, 10 Downing Street, and Whitehall through the lens of WW2 - learn about the famous British resolve and the reality of life for millions at that time.
As your private guided experience continues, descend below the streets of Whitehall to discover the military bunkers of the Churchill War Rooms, frozen in time and ready to be explored once again.
On The Beat - A Unique Crime and Police Private Tour with Retired Police Sergeants
Explore the history of crime and law enforcement in London with two gentlemen who know it best.
On this one-of-a-kind journey, you will travel from the gin-soaked, crime-ridden slums of 18th century Covent Garden to the formation of London’s First Police Service and onwards to modern days through stories of London’s dark underbelly.