Buckingham Palace, St James Palace & Tea at Kensington Palace

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours

Mobile ticket

See Three Palaces & experience the magnificence of London’s royal quarter with a walk around its most stunning monuments followed by an authentic afternoon tea in Royal surroundings in the company of a knowledgeable guide.

Get to the heart of aristocratic London, exploring the quiet corners & higgledy-piggledy streets of St James’ & its Tudor palace - where the King was proclaimed monarch.

On Changing of the Guard mornings, witness the inspection of the Old Guard at St James before following the band to Buckingham Palace. Stroll to Wellington Arch & hop onto an iconic red bus for a short ride to the Royal Albert Hall.

Step into beautiful Kensington Gardens & hear of a 1000 years of history, See Princess Diana's Statue & stroll through manicured parkland to the 300 year old Tea Room established by Queen Anne. Enjoy a full Afternoon Tea of delicious sandwiches, scones & cakes with a selection of teas. Dietary preferences are catered for, & a children's tea provided for youngsters.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

We offer Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan & Halal on prior request

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Knowledgeable Guide and Royal history walk

The history of tea drinking in England

Afternoon Tea of Sandwiches, Scones and Cakes, prepared daily in house.

Small Group, maximum of 10, typically 4-6 guests

Private Transport

No entrance to Palaces / Walking tour (unless selected at check out)

Bus fare - please bring a Contactless Card or Oyster Card

Can be purchased during the tea service

What To Expect

Spencer House

Spencer House at the end of the small street. Built between 1756-1766 for John, first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) it is London’s finest surviving eighteenth-century town house.

Admission Not Applicable

St. James's

Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in May 1819, and spent most of her early life there until she ascended to the throne in 1837. The statue was made to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 but took some years to complete. It was commissioned by the Kensington Golden Jubilee Memorial Executive Committee, who sought design proposals. Princess Louise was reluctant to take up a commission to sculpt her mother, but was persuaded to make a model by her friend, the artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema. She submitted her entry anonymously, and it was selected by the judging panel. Princess Louise was herself resident at Kensington Palace, and she sculpted the statue at her studio there (although some press reports suggested it was made by her tutor Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm). The completed sculpture was unveiled by Queen Victoria on 28 June 1893.

15 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Tour & Tea -no Entry to Palace

Tour & Tea with Bubbles

A glass of Sparkling Wine

Private Option

With Private Guide: This option does not include Entry to the Palace itself. This can be booked on hrp.org.uk

With Palace State Room Tickets

Palace Entry after Tea: This option is for the whole tour, afternoon tea & Entry to the Palace at 1 pm. We recommend 90 min to see the State Rooms

Reviews

4.99

68 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Lovely morning between the palaces with high tea
zylian2017,
Oct 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A lovely relaxed morning with a casual walk, soaking up the sites of London in a small personalised group. David’s knowledge and experience was exceptional - he took fabulous care of us and ensured a wonderful tour. The high tea went above and beyond to accommodate dietaries, even making special high teas for our children. We were very spoilt! An absolute highlight.
Wonderful Palaces' walking Tour.
brendajC3774ZT,
Oct 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We were met by Barbara and Cary, who knew the lay of the land and history of the area. Saw a little of the changing of the guards, showed us where the King lives in London and strolled through Hyde Park and Kenningston Park to Princess Diana's Memorial garden then to have an English tea. Very lovely. Would do it again.
Royal Palaces
Joanne W,
Oct 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Tea at Kensington Palace was a lovely experience- especially since my guide was so knowledgeable and engaging.
Great experience
ebonys929,
Sep 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This tour was ahmazing!!! Our tour guide, David, was absolutely incredible! He sent out of his way to make sure this tour was well curated and thoughtfully planned especially with the strike and travel hindrance. I learned so much and I thoroughly enjoyed the high tea! This was a birthday gift to myself and I traveled from the US to visit England. Very happy and satisfied with this tour and thank you David!!
Jennifer
Jennifer S,
Sep 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It was a walking tour but it was not overly athletic- which was good. We got to see Buckingham Palace and then we got to tour the gardens at Kensington Palace. Our guide was knowledgeable and very friendly.
Great experience! Wonderful value for the money.
jenniferkeiths,
Sep 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a great experience! Our guide was lovely and he provided a lot of information and answered questions. He was attentive and we never felt rushed. He actually waited till they seated us for tea before leaving.
Wonderful Experience!!!!
Dorothy R,
Aug 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
David was an outstanding guide. Gave us lots of interesting facts and tips about all sorts of British culture and history. Concluded with High Tea at Kensington Palace. Even learned the difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea. I would highly recommend!!!
Walking Tour with Simon
kendalll588,
Aug 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Simon was a great tour guide and was very informative! Would definitely recommend booking this tour and using him as a guide. He even helped us navigate the tube after we had tea which was super helpful!
Highlight of our day.
shawnn622,
Jul 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Pauly was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and entertaining throughout the entire day. Santos is an excellent driver and got us everywhere we were going ahead of schedule, thus resulting in us having more time at each location to enjoy the experience longer
Tour with Simon was so fun
DavidS18944,
Jun 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This tour with our guide Simon was so much fun! He gave us such a thorough and fun and engaging tour. We walked almost the entire Kensington Garden and my wife and I never knew how beautiful and how expensive the garden was we thought it would just be a small garden and didn’t realize the beautiful park. It is with the beautiful ponds and statues And flowers and wildlife. Simon was so awesome in giving us a great history lesson and also telling fun stories about the parks history. And then we went inside for high tea. I wasn’t a tea fan going in, but I came out of HIGH tea as a big big fan of tea! And the food was so plentiful and so tasty that it served as dinner. Also, we went to Princess Diana‘s garden and the princess Diana statue, which is so moving. We highly recommend you take this tour with Simon. It shows you the beauty of London.