Can You Tour Buckingham Palace Right Now?

Not on an ordinary ticket. The State Rooms closed for 2026 on 27 September and will not reopen to general visitors until next summer. Royal Collection Trust says tickets for summer 2027 will be released in November (rct.uk, checked 22 October 2026).

There is one way inside before then, and several things around the Palace that carry on through the winter. Put together, they make a good royal morning, as long as you know which days each one runs.

The one way inside: the East Wing Exclusive Guided Tour

Royal Collection Trust runs an East Wing Exclusive Guided Tour from 6 November 2026 to 31 January 2027, at £100 per person. It is the only way to visit Buckingham Palace during the winter months.

The East Wing is the range that faces The Mall, the front everyone photographs, with the balcony in the middle. The summer East Wing tours have included the Centre Room behind that balcony since July 2025, when it opened to the public for the first time; check RCT’s winter listing for the rooms on this route. Groups are small, and RCT’s East Wing listings say tickets are not for purchase or resale by third parties. The only place to buy one is rct.uk.

Is £100 worth it? It is about three times the price of a summer State Rooms ticket (£32 in advance in 2026), for a shorter visit. If you are in London this winter and the inside of the Palace is the point of your trip, yes: there is no other way in until July. If the rooms matter less than the day out, the ceremonies outside cost nothing, and the summer opening costs a third as much.

What carries on outside

The Changing of the Guard. It runs all winter and costs nothing to watch. The Household Division lists the King’s Guard change at the Palace on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a Sunday parade at 10:00, and it can be called off at short notice in wet weather, with the decision made as late as 10:45 on the day. The guided walk’s listing adds that there is no ceremony on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Check the schedule at householddivision.org.uk the night before, and read where to stand before you pick a spot.

The mounted guard at Horse Guards Parade. The Household Cavalry’s guard on Whitehall changes every day, in full ceremonial uniform, so on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday this is the ceremony to see. It is a short walk from the Palace, along the edge of St James’s Park.

The King’s Gallery. Open daily when rct.uk was checked on 22 October 2026. It shows changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection, on Buckingham Palace Road, and it is indoors.

The Royal Mews. Open Thursday to Monday on the same date. It is the working stable beside the Palace, home of the Gold State Coach and the horses that pull it. The Mews has historically closed for part of the winter, so check your exact dates. The Royal Mews and King’s Gallery guide has tickets and timings.

Windsor Castle. Also open Thursday to Monday (rct.uk, 22 October 2026), and in winter Royal Collection Trust adds the Semi-State Rooms to the visitor route. If you want a royal interior this winter without paying £100, Windsor is it; Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle compares the two.

A winter morning, by day of the week

• Monday or Friday. The guard change at the Palace, then the Royal Mews or The King’s Gallery in the afternoon. Both are a few minutes’ walk from the forecourt.
• Wednesday. The guard change, then The King’s Gallery. The Mews is closed.
• Sunday. The 10:00 parade, then the Mews or the Gallery.
• Tuesday. No guard change at the Palace. Go to Horse Guards Parade for the mounted guard, then The King’s Gallery.
• Thursday or Saturday. Horse Guards Parade in the morning, then the Mews or the Gallery.
• Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. No ceremony at all, according to the guided walk’s listing.

The walk that plans the morning for you

The hard part of a winter morning here is knowing which ceremony is on and where to stand for it. A guide takes that off your hands. UK Empire Tours’ walk starts by Green Park, passes the Palace, St James’s Palace and Clarence House, and ends along Whitehall at Westminster Abbey. Its listing takes in the Foot Guards’ change on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, weather permitting, and the Household Cavalry’s mounted guard, which changes daily. It runs rain or shine. From $26, rated 4.4 by 4,766 reviewers (checked October 2026).

If you can wait for summer

The summer visit is a different thing from anything on offer now: nineteen State Rooms at your own pace, the rehung Picture Gallery with around 120 paintings, and a half-kilometre walk out through the garden, for £32 in advance in 2026. If the rooms are the reason for the trip and your dates are flexible, come between mid-July and late September and book when the 2027 tickets are released in November. The State Rooms covers what is inside, and opening times has everything known so far about 2027.

Checked 22 October 2026. The end of the 2026 season, the November release of summer 2027 tickets, the East Wing Exclusive Guided Tour (6 November 2026 – 31 January 2027, £100, not for third-party resale) and the opening days of The King’s Gallery, the Royal Mews and Windsor Castle are from rct.uk, read that day. The Semi-State Rooms’ winter opening is from Royal Collection Trust’s visitor information. Guard-change days, the Sunday parade and the 10:45 cancellation deadline are from householddivision.org.uk. The tour’s route, its ceremony days and the Christmas and New Year exception come from its listing; the price, rating and review count were checked in October 2026 and change over time.