London: Buckingham Palace and Tea at The Clermont Hotel

A royal palace and a proper afternoon tea in one tidy half-day. Buckingham Palace is one of the few working royal palaces open to the public, and this visit lets you see the 19 State Rooms plus the gardens during that short annual window.

I love that the rooms are the stage for ceremonial Royal Family moments, and they’re filled with major Royal Collection treasures like Sèvres porcelain and paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck.

Another thing I like is the tone of the experience, you’re not racing with a live guide, you get an audio guide and can move at a comfortable pace inside. The main drawback to plan around is logistics, you’ll do a voucher pickup step first, then there’s a longer-than-you’d-like gap before tea.

Key points to know before you go

• 19 State Rooms and the palace gardens: the short-season chance to see inside the royal working spaces
• Audio guide included: you get context without being tied to a live group schedule
• Short daily window, long queue potential: you may need to build in time for ticketing and security
• Afternoon tea at The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross: finger sandwiches, scones, cakes, plus a range of teas and coffee
• Not a guided transfer between venues: you’ll walk yourself between Buckingham Palace and the hotel

Buckingham Palace, the short-season reason this is worth your time

Buckingham Palace is one of the few working royal palaces still used today. That matters because what you’re touring is not a museum set dressed to look real. The State Rooms are actually furnished and staged for ceremonial and official entertaining, so the spaces feel purposeful, not just decorative.

Even better, the palace is open to the public for only 10 weeks each year. That short window is a big reason people prioritize Buckingham Palace visits over other London palaces. If you miss the season, you simply miss the experience.

For this outing, you’re not looking at a small selection of rooms. You’re scheduled to explore the full set of 19 State Rooms, plus the gardens (when they’re open). That gives you the kind of sweep that makes the palace feel like an entire world, not a quick photo stop.

First stop: collecting tickets at The Albert Pub (and why that step matters)

This experience starts with a practical reminder: your GetYourGuide confirmation is not your palace ticket. You need to exchange your voucher for printed tickets at The Albert, 52 Victoria St, London SW1H 0NP, between 12:00 and 12:45.

This matters more than it sounds. One recent visitor described the process as tiring because it required moving from the pub, to the palace ticketing area, then to the tea venue later. You can avoid some of that stress just by being early at the pickup point, then treating the rest of the day as a self-guided flow rather than a tightly escorted tour.

From The Albert Pub, the palace entrance is about a 9-minute walk along Buckingham Gate (B323). You’re entering at 13:30, so if you’re late to the pub exchange, you’ll feel it immediately.

Entering Buckingham Palace at 13:30: what the State Rooms are like

At 13:30, you go through the palace entry process and begin your tour. This part is self-guided. You get an audio guide, which is a big deal if you like context, details, and names, but don’t want someone pacing you through rooms.

Inside, the State Rooms are packed with the kinds of objects that stop being “decor” and start being stories. The rooms feature treasures from the Royal Collection, including:

• paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck
• sculpture by Canova
• examples of Sèvres porcelain
• some of the finest English and French furniture in the world

That list is not just impressive, it helps you look better. Instead of floating past surfaces, you can use the audio guide to focus on a few key masterpieces and then connect the dots across multiple rooms. If you try to do everything at once, you’ll miss the best moments.

The garden portion: what you’ll see, and how to plan for the timing

This ticket includes access to the palace gardens as part of your visit. The palace gardens are where the day can either feel relaxing or feel rushed, and the difference is timing.

Afternoon tea is scheduled for 16:00 at The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross. In practice, that means you need to treat the garden section as something you fit between palace entry, security, and the time it takes you to move from room to room.

One traveler also noted that the garden access felt constrained and that separate garden entry was involved for some areas. Because exact garden access can vary by the day’s flow and boundaries, I recommend you keep your expectations flexible. If gardens are a top priority for you, go in with two mindsets: enjoy what you can see today, then plan your exit calmly so you don’t stress about tea time.

Also, plan for the possibility of a line. Another review described a significant wait time for ticketing after arriving, plus a security check. You can’t control that, but you can control your buffer. Leave earlier at the pub, and avoid arriving at the palace entrance right on the edge of 13:30.

Moving to tea: The 23-minute walk from the palace to The Clermont Hotel

After Buckingham Palace, you’ll walk to afternoon tea yourself. There is no live guide and no included transfer between venues. The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross is at Strand, London WC2N 5HX, and the walk is listed as about 23 minutes along The Mall.

This is actually a nice stretch if you like classic London views. The Mall is where you can start to feel the contrast between royal grandeur and regular city life, then smoothly shift into the softer rhythm of afternoon tea.

If you’re someone who hates being on your feet for too long, make a small plan:

• Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll do walking before the palace, then possibly additional waiting and moving inside.
• Give yourself enough time that you arrive at 16:00 relaxed, not sprinting.
• If the palace portion runs late, treat the tea time as fixed and adjust your garden pace accordingly.

The most common complaint tied to this experience was not the tea itself, it was the overall day flow, especially the information gap about how to get from one place to the next and the time gap between palace and tea. With the timings above in hand, you can sidestep a lot of that frustration.

Afternoon tea at The Clermont Hotel, what’s included and what you should expect

At 16:00, you sit down for afternoon tea at The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross. This is where the experience turns from “rooms and rules” into “food and calm.”

The menu includes:

• Cucumber finger sandwiches
• Cured ham fingers sandwiches
• Egg mayo fingers sandwiches
• Smoked salmon fingers sandwiches
• Eton Mess
• Victoria Sponge
• Chocolate and Orange Tart
• Fruit macarons, plus fruit and plain traditional all butter scones
• English strawberry and raspberry jam
• Cornish clotted cream

You also get a choice of tea or coffee, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Mint, Green, Fruit, Chamomile, plus coffee options.

I like this setup because it gives you both classic and a few sweet surprises. The mix of savory fingers, then scones with clotted cream, then cakes and macarons, covers the whole afternoon tea arc. It also means you’re less likely to regret the wait between palace and tea, because you’ll know the meal is coming and you can treat the gap as part of the day rather than an interruption.

One practical note: if you end up with a long stretch between the end of the palace visit and your tea booking, you might want to check on-site options or nearby options so you’re not hungry at tea time. The provided details focus on what’s included with the ticket, so you’ll only know for sure what’s available on the day by checking on arrival.

Audio guide value: how to use it so the rooms don’t blur together

The audio guide is included, but it’s only helpful if you actually use it strategically. In a place with 19 rooms, the risk is “seeing a lot” without “knowing what you’re seeing.”

Here’s how I’d do it:

• Pick two or three anchor masterpieces you want to track across rooms, then let the audio guide fill in the rest.
• Don’t try to listen to every single segment. Use it as a map for stopping points.
• If you’re prone to photo-itis, remember that one review said photography inside the palace was not allowed. That can affect your pacing, so focus on listening and looking instead.

This is also a good fit if you prefer quiet. Without a live guide voice pulling you along, you can stay focused in the rooms that really hold your attention.

Price and value: is $107 per person a fair deal?

This costs $107 per person for about 4 hours total. On paper, that’s not just “entry into a palace.” You’re combining:

• access to Buckingham Palace
• 19 State Rooms plus the gardens
• an audio guide
• afternoon tea at The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross with a full menu and tea or coffee

Where the value can break for some people is not the palace or the tea, it’s the day’s friction. If you hate self-guided logistics, you’ll feel it. This is not a guided transfer. You’re also doing a voucher exchange step at The Albert Pub, then walking between sites.

But if you’re flexible, the value makes sense. You’re basically buying one high-demand London attraction during its short open season, then treating yourself to a sit-down meal that would cost real money on its own.

Also consider that transportation is not included. Depending on how you’re getting around London that day, you may spend extra on trains or taxis.

Who this London half-day suits best

This is a great fit if you:

• want a classic Buckingham Palace visit without paying extra for a live guide
• like structured “see the whole thing” sightseeing (19 State Rooms) rather than a highlight-only tour
• enjoy afternoon tea and prefer a plated menu with scones and cakes rather than a snacky option

It may be less ideal if you:

• hate self-guided walking between venues
• get stressed by lines, security checks, or tight timing
• strongly want a heavily supported guide throughout the whole experience

If you’re traveling with kids, the main question is stamina. With an entry time at 13:30, a potential wait, and then a 23-minute walk to tea, it can be a lot for little legs unless you’re good at keeping the energy up.

Tips to make the day feel smooth (not exhausting)

This experience is easy to enjoy when you plan the hard parts first. Here’s what I’d do.

• Pick up your voucher early at The Albert between 12:00 and 12:45. Early makes the rest of the day calmer.
• Know the entrance and tea times: palace entrance at 13:30, afternoon tea at 16:00. Treat the tea time as fixed.
• Wear shoes you can walk in. You’ll do the pub to palace walk, and later the 23-minute walk to The Clermont along The Mall.
• Give yourself a buffer for ticketing and security. One review described a long wait for the real tickets after reaching the palace entrance, so don’t assume entry is instant.
• Plan your garden time wisely. Gardens are included, but boundaries and timing can affect what you can access comfortably before tea.
• Expect no live guide on site and plan to use the audio guide yourself.

Should you book this Buckingham Palace plus tea experience?

I’d book it if you want a traditional Buckingham Palace day during the short open season, and you’re happy with a self-guided visit plus a full afternoon tea at a proper hotel.

I’d think twice if your priority is a worry-free, tightly escorted schedule. The day has multiple handoffs, a voucher exchange step, and you must walk yourself between the palace and The Clermont Hotel. If that sounds like work to you, the experience could feel more tiring than it needs to be.

If you do book, go early, use your audio guide on purpose, and protect your tea timing. Then the day turns into exactly what you came for: royal rooms in the afternoon, tea in a comfortable room right on schedule.

FAQ

What time is Buckingham Palace entrance?

The Buckingham Palace entrance is at 13:30.

Where do I exchange my voucher tickets?

You exchange your tickets at The Albert, 52 Victoria St, London SW1H 0NP, between 12:00 and 12:45.

Is transportation between Buckingham Palace and The Clermont Hotel included?

No. You need to make your own way between the venues.

What time is afternoon tea at The Clermont Hotel?

Afternoon tea at The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross is at 16:00.

What is included with the afternoon tea?

Afternoon tea includes finger sandwiches, fresh scones with strawberry preserve and Cornish clotted cream, cakes and pastries, and a choice of teas or coffee (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Mint, Green, Fruit, Chamomile, and coffee).

Do I get an audio guide?

Yes. An audio guide is included.

Can I use my GetYourGuide tickets to enter Buckingham Palace?

No. You cannot use your GetYourGuide tickets to access the venues. You must exchange for printed voucher tickets first.

How long is the experience?

The duration is 4 hours.

Is this tour refundable?

This activity is non-refundable.