If you’re visiting London there’s some attractions you just have to see. The connection between London and the Royal Family is well known around the world and landmarks such as Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace are world famous. If you’ve never seen the palace before, and even if you have, paying a visit needs to be at the top your to-do list.
Luckily there’s plenty of London hotels near Hyde Park that make the perfect launch pad to any royal itinerary, such as Park Grand Hotels in London.
The palace is stunning no matter when you visit, but not all seasons are created equally! Here’s our run down of what you can expect to see as you visit around the year.
Spring
The palace is the official residence of the Queen, and has a whopping 775 rooms. Buckingham Palace is one of only a few working royal palaces left in the world.
In spring you’ll (probably) get a combination of nice weather and fewer tourists, allowing you to get an unobstructed view of the palace. It’s also a great time of year to witness the historic changing of the guard. There’s a Palace Garden Guided Tour available from 5th March to 1st May, and there’s not many better ways to spend a spring day!
If you’re visiting in the late spring, there’s a Bucking Palace Spring Guided Tour available. Only opening on Friday, Saturday and Sundays between May 21st and Jun 20th, the tours take place throughout those days.
With beautiful gilded ceilings and lots of glittering chandeliers, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace provide a perfect opportunity to get a look at some of the greatest treasures contained in the Royal Collection. You’ll be guided by experts as you tour these magnificent rooms and treasures within. You’ll also get a narrated history of the monarchs that helped shape the palace as we see it today.
On this spring tour you can expect to see the Ballroom, Green Drawing Room, Throne Room, White Drawing Room, Music Room, Blue Drawing Room, East Gallery and Bow Room.
While at Buckingham Palace make sure you also take in the Royal Mews. A working stable that’s home to the historic collection of coaches, carriages and the cars used for state occasions. The most iconic of all the exhibits is the Golden State Coach, as seen in the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations containing a hologram of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In spring, there’s a lot to do and see around Buckingham Palace and you won’t be disappointed.
For comfort, convenience and calm, in some of London’s best locations, visit Park Grand Accommodation for a contemporary metropolitan haven, where comfort always comes first.
Summer
This is arguably the best time of year to visit, but that’s for you to decide! It is definitely the busiest though, so you’ll need to factor in that during your summer visit, things like travel across London and viewing attractions will take longer.
Visitors during summer have access to the Buckingham Palace State Rooms and the Palace Garden. The strict security surrounding the palace and the Royal Family mean that these can only be guided tours. But there’s plenty of them, unlike the winter and spring seasons where only selected dates are available.
Between 22nd July and 2nd October, (which is the main period for palace visits) the Queen enjoys her official summer break. During this time the palace is open for paid visitors. The opening times vary across different days of the week and months, and due to maintenance and events, certain state rooms sometimes become unavailable. You should definitely plan ahead to avoid disappointment if you’re looking to see something specific.
The impressive changing of the guard also takes place outside the palace (but within the gates) at 10.45 am every day. This is easily viewed by the public without a ticket being needed.
Kensington hotel London is one of the Park Grand hotels, where they endeavour to present a luxurious and comfortable London experience. If you’re a frequent traveller, a couple on a quick romantic getaway or an executive travelling for business, Park Grand will make your stay memorable.
Autumn
The autumn months can be a beautiful time to visit London and the palace. As the leaves start to fall off the trees and the nights close in, London takes on a different charm with the narrow streets and heritage architecture projecting a Victorian feel. In this context, it’s a great time for viewing the magnificence of the palace as it somehow becomes even grander and more striking. There is limited availability for touring the state rooms during the autumn, as the Queen will now have returned from her summer break and the palace gets back to work again.
The changing of the guard is still available each day, and even with the cooler temperatures and unpredictable weather, this is a must-see event for all travellers.
Winter
Buckingham Palace is located close to Hyde Park, which hosts a six week long Winter Wonderland festival. As London’s favourite Royal Park, Hyde Park is a popular tourist destination in its own right, being home to a number of famous attractions, such as Serpentine Lake, Speakers’ Corner and Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. At the festival you’ll be able to ice skate, visit a kingdom made of solid ice, eat and drink enough to last you until next winter and if that wasn’t enough, you can even see Santa!
As Hyde Park is just around the corner from the Palace, it makes it a great place to plan a day out. The Palace will probably not be open for visitors during winter, but it’s still a stunning landmark to take in, even on the coldest and wettest London day. If you’re visiting in winter, make the palace part of your plans and you won’t be disappointed.
If you want to enjoy the best of London during winter, then Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park are amongst the very best destinations in the capital and you won’t find a more conveniently located or more luxurious accommodation than London Hyde Park Hotel to support your visit.
