Buckingham Palace

The setting is glorious, sat between two great sweeping parks (Green and St. James's) at the end of an elegant tree-lined boulevard (The Mall), but the palace itself is a little. . . meh. It's big, certainly, and clearly expensive, but it's also a touch boxy and uninspiring. There's little fantasy here. For generations brought up on Disney, it doesn't really look like a palace; more like a very large Georgian-Victorian home, which essentially is what it is. Windsor, just outside the city, is much more fairytale like. But this is the principal London home of the monarch, and has been since the accession of Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century, which is what draws the crowds.

The first house to stand on this site was built by the Duke of Buckingham in 1702. It was acquired by George II in 1761 and expanded and renovated throughout the 19th century, first by the flamboyant John Nash for George IV, and later by the more dour Edward Blore (dubbed "Blore the Bore") for Victoria. A new facade -- including the famous balcony from which the Royal Family waves to the masses on major royal occasions -- was added in 1913.

Although the exterior is no great shakes, the interior has a lot more going on. For 8 weeks in August and September, while the royals are holidaying elsewhere, you can look for yourself. Tours visit a small selection of the palace's 600-plus rooms, including the Grand Staircase, the Throne Room, the Picture Gallery (which displays masterpieces by Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Rubens, and others), and the lavish State Rooms, where the Queen entertains heads of government with grand formal banquets. You can also take a walk along a 3-mile path through 16 hectares (40 acres) of landscaped gardens.

Outside of the summer months, the only parts of the palace open to the public are the Queen's Gallery and the Royal Mews.

Insider's tip: Remember, if the royal standard isn't flying atop the palace, the Queen isn't at home.

Buckingham Palace is also the setting for a daily dose of public pageantry, the Changing of the Guard. Pretty much every guidebook says the same thing about the ceremony -- it's terribly British and a bit dull, and who are we to buck the trend? The needlessly elaborate ceremony for changing the 40 men guarding Buckingham Palace with another contingent from Wellington Barracks only exists for the benefit of visitors these days. It's actually interesting for about 5 minutes -- with bearskin-wearing, red-coated soldiers, music from the marching band, shouted orders, and complicated marching patterns. The trouble is the whole thing lasts for around 40 minutes -- and if you want a decent vantage point, you need to turn up at least 1 hour early.

A much more accessible piece of pageantry can be seen at the nearby Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.

The Guard Doesn't Change Every Day -- The ceremony begins at 11:30am sharp every day between May and July, and on alternate days for the rest of the year -- in theory, anyway. However, it's often canceled in bad weather, which shows just what an unnecessary ceremony it is. If it looks like it's going to rain, it's probably best to head somewhere else instead.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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