Welcome to the regal world of Buckingham Palace! Visiting the Buckingham Palace State Rooms is to step into realm of royal opulence. Immerse yourself in history as you explore the grandeur of the State Rooms. You can visit the Sate Rooms only in Summer. Tours of the East Wing are available through out. Adorned with timeless artworks, exquisite furnishings, and ornate decorations. From the splendid Ballroom to the majestic Throne Room, each space holds secrets and stories that have witnessed significant moments in British history.
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Visiting Buckingham Palace State Rooms
State Rooms are intended to dazzle and dazzle Buckingham Palace certainly does. You start your visit a portico designed for coaches. Awaiting you will be the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. If want to see the rather more spectacular Gold Coronation Coach then you will need to visit the Royal Mews. Now the glitz begins with plush red and low level gilding. Then you find yourself at the base of a white and gold staircase with glimpses of ever more extravagant interiors. Nineteen rooms await you. Here is a selection of the most spectacular.
Throne Room
© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Stars of the show in the Throne room are, unsurprisingly, the thrones. Upholstered in red, these are the chairs of estate used during the coronation. They stand on a small stage, complete with an arch to make it feel like a theatre. New for 2025 are the Coronation State Portraits of the KIng and Queen. The throne room is also the venue for Royal Wedding photos.
The Picture Gallery
The Royal Collection of painting is one of the greatest in the world and the very best of that collection is displayed in the Picture Gallery. Van Dyck, Canaletto, Rubens, Titian, Rembrandt, Vermeer … they’re all here. I could spend hours in just in the picture gallery.
Ballroom
Buckingham Palace’s ball room is huge. It is not only used for balls but also doubles as a concert hall and venue for grand state banquets. It even has its own organ.
Music Room
Keen fans of the Royal family will be familiar with the music room, it is here that Royal christenings are often held. It is a beautiful room with a vast curving bay that makes if feel very airy. When you get your invitation to a dinner or a banquet at Buckingham Palace you will gather in the Green Drawing Room before progressing into the Music room to be presented before heading off into the Ballroom. Make sure you look down the floor is incredible, it is parquet made up of many different types of wood.
White Drawing Room
The Royal Collection © 2002, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Photo: Derry Moore
This is my favourite room of all the state rooms in Buckingham Palace. It is here that the Royal family gather before big formal events, once all present they head next door to the Music room to meet their guests. Take a close look at the left hand mirror, it conceals a secret door that leads to the Queen’s private apartments.
Buckingham Palace East Wing Tours
Royal Collection Trust © King Charles III 2024, Photographer Peter Smith
Tours of Buckingham Palace East Wing, that’s the rooms behind the famous balcony, run throughout the year. Visits are in small groups. During the summer you can book a ticket that covers both the State Rooms and the East Wing. The rooms are spectacular emerging five years of what the Palace calls reservicing. (I think that means redecorating in mere mortal terms).
Buckingham Palace Gardens
At the end of your tour of the State Rooms you get to see the Buckingham Palace gardens. You can sit in a delightful pavilion and look at the lawns. On your way out you walk around the edge of lawns, past ponds and through woods. You get great views of the Palace as you look back. Wandering at will around the flower beds is not on the cards.
Refreshments at Buckingham Palace
As you leave the State Rooms the terrace at the back of Buckingham Palace is given over to a huge tea tent. The cakes are always excellent. My only disappointment with the tea tent is that it uses paper cups and plates not china, but you can’t have everything.
Buckingham Palace Shop
Regular readers will know that I am a great devotee of the museum shop. Buckingham Palace has by far and away the best shop of all. Soft toy corgis, Buckingham Palace wooden spoons, jewellery, honey from the Queen’s bees and beautiful soaps. I have the wooden spoon and use it every day.
Buckingham Palace State Rooms Review
When you arrive at Buckingham Palace you will need to go through airport style security. Small bags only are allowed in the Palace, you can check in large bags. Once through security you are handed an audio guide, which plays in nine different languages and has two versions, grown up or family. No food or drink is allowed inside the Palace nor are cameras. The rooms are absolutely spectacular and the exhibitions always well thought out. At the end you will find a large tea tent and a room devoted to family activities.
Buckingham Palace State Rooms Tickets
- Buckingham Palace State Rooms open 9 July – 27 September 2026
- Admission: Adult £33 in advance, £37 on the day
- Have your ticket stamped on the way out to make it an annual pass
- East Wing Winter Tours, January – May, Friday – Sunday £100
- East Wing Tour and State Rooms (summer): £100
- Booking is advisable
- Allow 2 hours for your visit to the State Rooms
