1. Buckingham Palace
We have to start with Buckingham Palace, one of the most famous buildings in the world. With its unrivalled views overlooking St James Park, it truly is a home fit for a King.
It began life as a comfortable town house in 1703, the London residence of the Duke of Buckingham, and didn’t pass into Royal hands until 1761 when King George III purchased it for the modest sum of £21,000 and gave it to his wife, Queen Charlotte (who you may know from Bridgerton) renaming it Queen’s House. After much repair and remodelling work, Queen Victoria chose it as the principal Royal residence when she ascended to the throne in 1837. Today it remains the London residence of the Monarchy, with 775 rooms, a private garden and its iconic balcony, as well as their administrative headquarters. It is essentially a private village, with its own stables, ATM, post office, clinic, art gallery, cinema and police station. For the past 150 years the palace has served as the focal point for the public’s interaction with the Crown, from the annual Christmas broadcasts, to the outpouring of grief after the deaths of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, to the daily Changing of the Guard Ceremony.
Buckingham Palace is open to the public for 10 weeks a year, usually the end of July until the end of September. You can buy your tickets to tour the 19 State Rooms here, and be sure to take a stroll around the beautiful Buckingham Palace Gardens, one of the largest private gardens in London. Or why not join our Westminster tour to discover more?
2. St James’s Palace
Built from red brick in the 1530s for the infamous Henry VIII, St James's Palace is named after Jesus’ younger brother St James’s Palace and though it may not stand out like it once did, it has a fascinating history. The site had once been a hospital, but Henry transformed it into a Tudor palace that would house English monarchs for the next three centuries. In 1649, King Charles I spent his final night in St James’s Palace before his execution the following day. In 1809, part of the Palace was destroyed by a candle in a servant’s room, but the damage was soon repaired. St James’s Palace still plays an important role today, with tourists lining up outside each morning to watch the end of the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, while the Chapel Royal inside was chosen for the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 and to host Prince George’s christening in 2013. In 2022 it was from here that Charles III was pronounced King, just like Elizabeth had been pronounced Queen from here in 1952.Next door is Clarence House, one of the few aristocratic homes still standing in central London. Built in the early 19th Century by John Nash, it has been a private residence for Charles & Camilla, The Queen Mother and Prince Harry over the last 25 years.
Sadly St James’s Palace is not open to the public, but you can visit the adjoining building, Clarence House in August or join our Royal Westminster tour!
3. Winchester Palace
Now for a curve ball. Located on Clink Street, a stone's throw from the Thames, Winchester Palace was once one of the most important buildings in Medieval London, towering above the City. Constructed in the early 12th Century, it was the London residence of the Bishops of Winchester. The area surrounding it, known as the Liberty of the Clink, was free from the laws of the City, so it became a safe haven for gamblers, thieves, actors, and sex workers. The local brothels paid their rent to the Bishops of Winchester and the women who worked there became known as Winchester Geese.
The Palace fell into disuse and was converted into warehouses in the 18th Century before tragically being partially destroyed by fire in 1814, however the ruins of the Great Hall survive to the present day, protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage. The hall would once have been spectacularly grand with a cellar below for storing butter and milk and a passage leading to the river, and was often used to house royal visitors, such as James I of Scotland who held his wedding feast there in the 15th Century. Today, you will find a pretty garden beside the ruins, and if you are in the area, be sure to visit Borough Market and The Golden Hinde, a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s famous ship.
4. Tower of London
We may not instantly think of the Tower of London as a royal palace, but it certainly is, its official name is His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London. Built shortly after the Norman Conquest, under the orders of William the Conqueror, the Tower has been one of London’s most recognisable landmarks for almost a millennia. In that time it has been a palace, a prison, a place of execution and even a zoo! While William had intended the building to serve as a small stone fortress with a defensive wall for protection, generations of monarchs expanded it to its current size, even adding a moat for additional protection.
Today, most peoples’ first stop inside is to visit the Crown Jewels, a breathtaking collection of jewellery, including the largest cut diamond in the world, the Koh-I-Noor, the true value of which is incalculable. Be sure to join the Yeoman Warders, more commonly known as Beefeaters, for a tour, which is included with the ticket, look for the Ravens (the guardians of the Tower), who have resided there for more than 300 years, and search for the truth behind the disappearances of two young princes who vanished in 1483.
You can book your tickets to visit the Tower of London here. To learn more about the Tower of London, join one of our Free Historical City of London tours.
5. Banqueting House
The Banqueting House is the only surviving part of the lost Palace of Whitehall. Once the largest Palace in Europe, Whitehall stretched from modern day Trafalgar Square to Downing Street. For centuries it was the centre of court life, a maze of passageways and squares, complete with sports pitches, an indoor tennis court and even a cock fighting arena. It was here that Henry VIII married two of his wives, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, as well as the first known performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and even a visit from Pocahontas.The Banqueting House, designed by Inigo Jones, was added in 1622. It was London’s first neo-classical building, inspired by classical Greek and Roman architecture, and was intended for Royal celebrations and masquerade balls, but its most famous moment came when Charles I was executed on a scaffold outside after The English Civil War.
A series of fires in the 1690s destroyed the majority of The Palace of Whitehall, but left Banqueting House largely untouched. Banqueting House is open to the public on certain days, and tickets can be booked here. Make sure to check out The Ruben Ceiling in the main hall, a breathtaking oil painting commissioned by Charles I. Or if you prefer something more sinister, why not join our Ghosts, Ghouls and Ghastly Murder tour to discover its darker past?
6. Lambeth Palace
Perched on the South Bank of the river, within spitting distance of The Palace of Westminster, Lambeth Palace is one of the oldest palaces in London, and has been the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for 800 years. With generations of architects putting their own spin on it, the surprisingly contrasting styles reflect the changing nature of London. The Lambeth Palace Library houses over 100,000 books dating back to the building’s construction.
The palace is currently not open to the public, but you should absolutely visit their famous gardens on one of their open days over the Summer, which is home to London’s oldest fig tree, planted way back in 1556! You can check dates and book tickets here.
7. Kensington Palace
For the past 300 years, Kensington Palace has been a firm favourite of the Royal family, and was even the birthplace of Queen Victoria in 1819.King William III and Queen Mary II purchased what was then a two storey Jacobean mansion called Nottingham House in 1689, back when Kensington was a small green village outside London and commissioned Christopher Wrent to transform it into a Palace fit for the most famous power couple of the day. Since then, it has served as a quieter, more spacious alternative to Buckingham Palace, with its beautiful baroque architecture. Notable residence include Princess Diana after her separation from Charles, and The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate and their children.
Today Kensington Palace is a popular attraction for visitors. You can buy your tickets online here. Be sure to visit The Jewel Room, Victoria’s reconstructed childhood rooms, and the State Apartments, as well as The King’s Gallery which houses paintings from the Royal Collection. Once you're done, take a stroll through the Palace Gardens which includes the famous Sunken Garden and a beautiful statue in memory of Princess Diana. If you are feeling flush, you can even rent out the Palace.
8. Palace of Westminster
When you imagine Royal Palaces, The Palace of Westminster may not be your first thought, as we think of it as The Houses of Parliament, but its hard to argue that its not the most important or iconic. Built 1000 years ago, it has been in continual use ever since. Originally the site of the Anglo-Saxon court, it was home to the Royal Family until 1547 when it was partially damaged by fire. The Royals decided to move into newer digs and politicians decided the Palace would be a perfect meeting place. Another fire in the 1800s destroyed much of the original building, bar Westminster Hall, and the Jewel Tower. But this gave an opportunity for neo-classical architects to make their mark, with the distinctive Victoria Tower and the world famous Queen Elizabeth II Tower (which houses Big Ben) added in this era. Tourists will need to book a ticket here and here, but all UK residents can visit for free. To do so, you need to contact your local Member of Parliament and ask them to invite you. It can take a while to get a reply, so plan ahead and check out the official website for more information. Alternatively, you can join our Royal Westminster tour to learn more!
9. Kew Palace
One that often gets overlooked is Kew Palace. Tucked away inside Kew Gardens, it is London’s smallest Palace, but don’t let that stop you from paying a visit. Originally constructed in the 17th Century for a fashionable London merchant, it was the Summer retreat for King George III and Queen Charlotte in the late 18th Century, and was the site of their private menagerie which included kangaroos. The palace retains much of its original design, with charming red brick exterior and delightful chimneys aplenty. If you do want to visit, be sure to plan your trip as it closes over Winter. The bedroom of King George III’s daughters has been restored to its original decor for a fascinating immersive experience together with the Kitchens which have remained unchanged for two centuries. You will also find a fascinating exhibition detailing George’s descent into mental illness at the end of his reign. After visiting the Palace, take a turn around Kew Gardens, which was voted the World’s most Instagramable botanical garden in 2022, making sure to visit the iconic Great Pagoda. You can book your tickets to Kew Palace and the Gardens here.
10. Hampton Court Palace
One of London’s most impressive, and supposedly most haunted, palaces is found in the leafy suburbs in the South-West, a short train ride from Central London. Hampton Court Palace may be inexorably linked to the story of Henry VIII, but it was actually built in the early 16th Century for Cardinal Wolsey and did not pass into Henry’s control until the Cardinal’s fall from grace. It quickly became the impulsive monarch's favourite home, largely for its location, surrounded by good hunting ground. Henry pumped a lot of time and money into work on the Palace, adding kitchens, a wine fountain, tennis courts and even The Great House of Easement, a communal toilet that could seat 15 people. A century later, Sir Christopher Wren was given the green light to add a grand Baroque wing for William III and Mary II.
The Palace is uninhabited today, and is open to the public most days. You can book your tickets here. Be sure to visit the Hampton Court Maze too which is included in the ticket price. This labyrinth of complex twists and turns was added in 1700 and today is the UK’s oldest hedge maze. It covers a third of an acre and takes an average of 20 minutes to reach the centre.
There are also lots of additional events at Hampton Court Palace, from concerts, to ice skating, to their regular ghost tours!
