Our verdict
Best overall
London: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Guided Tour
Abbey, Big Ben, Horse Guards and Buckingham Palace in one morning, with a choice of a guided Abbey visit. 4.8★ from 4,000+ reviews and the most complete royal walk on sale.
4.8★ · 4,016from £33 GetYourGuide →
Best value
London: The Original Changing of the Guard Experience
From about £15 for two hours built around the Changing of the Guard, with a guide getting you to the good viewing spots. 4.8★ from 2,700+ reviews.
4.8★ · 2,759from £15 GetYourGuide →
Best private option
London: Winston Churchill and London in WWII Walking Tour
Blitz-era Westminster with a WWII specialist, bookable as a private tour or shared group. 4.9★ — the best-rated Churchill walk we track.
4.9★ · 169from £29 GetYourGuide →
Skip it if
You only want to see the guard change
The ceremony is free to watch. Check the official calendar, arrive an hour early and stand by the Victoria Memorial — no ticket needed.
Which royal or history walk is best?
A London history tour is the city’s most booked walking tour, and the royal ones all orbit the same square mile: Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Horse Guards, St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace. The difference between them is mostly timing (are you there for the Changing of the Guard?), length, and whether a guided Abbey visit is included.
| Tour | Price from | Length | Rating | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham | ~£33 | 3–4 h | 4.8★ (4,016) | Royal Westminster on foot, option with guided Abbey visit | First-timers |
| Original Changing of the Guard Experience | ~£15 | 2 h | 4.8★ (2,759) | Small group or private, built around the ceremony | Seeing the guard properly |
| Buckingham Palace & Changing of the Guard | ~£19 | 2 h | 4.4★ (4,766) | Westminster walk with the ceremony, English or French | French speakers |
| Churchill & London in WWII walk | ~£29 | 1½–3 h | 4.9★ (169) | Blitz-era Westminster, private or shared | WWII buffs |
| Westminster WW2 tour + War Rooms ticket | ~£54 | 2½ h | 4.5★ (1,036) | Walk plus entry to Churchill’s bunker | One-stop Churchill |
| Medieval history walk from the Tower | ~£18 | 2 h | 4.9★ (425) | Globe, Borough Market, Winchester Palace, St Paul’s | Older London |
| 30+ sights sightseeing walk | ~£19 | 5 h | 4.9★ (210) | Westminster to the Tower in a day | Short stays |
| 30 London sights guided walk | ~£47 | 5 h | 4.8★ (941) | Same idea, bigger operator | Short stays |
Prices are per person, from our partner feed today; options with Abbey entry or private guiding cost more.
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideLondon: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Guided Tour | £33 Lowest today | 4.8★ 4,016 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutWestminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Palace Guided Tour | £55 | 4.7★ 634 | Headout → |
How the Changing of the Guard works in 2026
The guard change at Buckingham Palace begins at 11:00. The Household Division publishes the dates: through October and November 2026 it runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with separate Sunday parades and Windsor Castle on its own rota. It is free, dates do shift for state occasions, and the crowd at the railings builds early — so check the calendar the day before and arrive in good time.
That’s the case for a tour. A guide gets you somewhere you can actually see and explains which regiment you’re watching — the calendar names the unit mounting each guard, from the Grenadiers to the Royal Engineers. The Original Changing of the Guard Experience is the cheapest well-rated option, from about £15. If you’re also planning the Abbey, see our Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace page.
Royal and history walks you can book now
London: Buckingham Palace & Changing of the Guard Experience
from £19
See on GetYourGuide
London: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Guided Tour
from £33
See on GetYourGuide
London: The Original Changing of the Guard Experience
from £15
See on GetYourGuide
London: Westminster WW2 Tour & Churchill's War Rooms Ticket
from £54
See on GetYourGuide
London: 30 London Sights Guided Walking Tour
from £47
See on GetYourGuide
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Palace Guided Tour
from £55per person
See on Headout
London: Churchill War Rooms Entry & Political Audio Tour
from £34
See on GetYourGuide
London: Medieval & Roman History Walk from The Tower
from £18
See on GetYourGuide
London: London Sightseeing Walking Tour with 30+ Sights
from £19
See on GetYourGuide
London: Winston Churchill and London in WWII Walking Tour
from £29
See on GetYourGuidePrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
Churchill and wartime London
Two kinds of Churchill tour exist. The walk — through Blitz-era Whitehall and Westminster — takes 1½ to 3 hours and costs about £29. The War Rooms is the actual underground bunker where the War Cabinet met, run by Imperial War Museums with its own ticket. You can buy entry with a political audio tour from about £34, or a combined walk and ticket from about £54. The combined product is the simplest way to do both in one go.
Hidden London: the Tube’s closed stations
If you’ve done Westminster, the London Transport Museum’s Hidden London tours are the rarest history tour in the city. They take visitors into places normally locked: Aldwych’s abandoned platforms, Down Street (the disused station where Churchill sheltered), Euston’s lost tunnels with their 1960s posters, and the Clapham South deep shelter. Tickets go on sale in seasonal batches on the museum’s own site rather than through the booking platforms, and tours are generally for ages 10 and over. A Halloween tour of Clapham South in October 2026 was priced from £39.
Beyond royalty: medieval, Brutalist and the City
- Medieval London — the walk from the Tower crosses to Southwark for the Globe and Winchester Palace and returns to St Paul’s; about £18.
- Brutalist London — a two-and-a-half-hour architecture walk through post-war concrete, from about £35, for anyone who wants London without the crowns.
- The City of London — the Square Mile’s own history, from Roman London to the Great Fire. Free Tours by Foot runs a City of London tour on a pay-what-you-like basis; London Walks charges £20 for adults.
Medieval, Brutalist and Churchill picks
London: Medieval & Roman History Walk from The Tower
from £18
See on GetYourGuide
London: Brutalist Architecture & History Walking Tour
from £35
See on GetYourGuideLondon: Churchill War Rooms Entry & Political Audio Tour
from £34
See on GetYourGuidePrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
Private royal tours
For a family or a group of four or more, a private Blue Badge guide (from £229 for a half day under the Guild’s 2026–27 rates) sets the pace and the route; ask in advance whether they can guide inside the Abbey or the Tower, as each site has its own rules. See private Tower and Westminster tours or the Tower of London tours comparison.
Questions people ask
When is the Changing of the Guard in 2026?
Is a Changing of the Guard tour worth it?
What is the best London history tour?
What are Hidden London tours?
Can I visit Churchill's War Rooms on a tour?
Do royal walking tours go inside Buckingham Palace?
Sources
- Household Division — Changing the Guard calendar (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- The Royal Family — Changing the Guard (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- ianVisits — Hidden London Halloween tours at Clapham South (29 Sep 2026) (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- London Transport Museum — Hidden London (checked 21 Oct 2026 (site blocked automated access; details via ianVisits))
- London Walks — prices and how to join (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Free Tours by Foot — London tours (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Guild of Registered Tourist Guides — guide fees 2026–27 (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide — Buckingham Palace tours (partner feed)
Written and checked by the Private Tours London desk