--- title: Buckingham, St James Palace & Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace lang: en type: tour city: London country: United Kingdom price: 158 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.95 reviews: 105 duration_minutes: 150 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 9 of 41 (Westminster & Royal London) schedule_checked: 2026-10-01 data_updated: 2026-10-01 canonical: https://guidekin.com/uk/london/tours/buckingham-st-james-palace-afternoon-tea-at-kensington-palace/ --- # Buckingham, St James Palace & Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace **Guidekin's take:** Pair a royal quarter walk with afternoon tea at Kensington Palace in a small shared group of up to ten. Guiding, a private tea table, sandwiches, scones and cakes are included; palace entry requires the ticket option and bus fare is extra. 4.95 from 105 reviews at €158 per person for 2h 30m. ## Overview 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. ## Before you book - Meeting point: We are meeting at the Park Gate between… - Min. 2 to book: not for solo travellers - Starts 10:30, 11:30, 13:30: 3 departures a day - Strollers OK: infants accepted - Children from €106: ages 2 to 11 ## Key facts - Price: from €158 per person for the Tour & Tea -no Entry to Palace option; other options up to €268 - Duration: 2h 30m - Rating: 4.95/5 from 105 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 99% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Top Tasting Tours - Minimum booking: 2 travellers at this price ## Tour options Prices are the operator's current list price for two travellers (whole euros); options sold only to bigger parties say so; pick the option on the booking page. | Option | Price | Guide languages | Details | |---|---|---|---| | Tour & Tea -no Entry to Palace | €158 / person (for 2+ people) | English | - | | Tour & Tea with Bubbles | €172 / person | English | Glsss of Bubbles no Pal Entry | | Tour & Tea with Ken Pal Ticket | €200 / person | English | Palace Entry after Tea: This option is for the whole tour, afternoon tea & Entry to the Palace after tea. We recommend 90 min to see the State Rooms | | Private Option - No Pal Entry | €237 / person | English | With Private Guide: This option does not include entry to the Palace itself. This can be booked on the official website hrp.org.uk | | Private Tour & Ken Pal Ticket | €268 / person | English | Palace Entry After Tea: After Tea your ticket gives access to Kensington Palace state rooms for a self guided tour. | ## What's included - Entrance to the State Rooms (if selected at check out) - Knowledgeable Guide and Royal history walk - The history of tea drinking in England - Small Group, maximum of 10, typically 4-6 guests - A Private Table at the Afternoon Tea Venue - Afternoon Tea of Sandwiches, Scones & Cakes. (NB: Child Tea is typically for 11 yrs & younger) ## Not included - 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 ## Itinerary 1. **Green Park** (10m) - Formally known as Upper St James Park, Green Park is the starting point of the tour. We will head away from the crowds to discover quiet spots and discreet passageways that lead away from the regular tours. 2. **St. James's** (10m) - St James is the main aristocratic quarter of London where the landed gentry and political classes mingled in chocolate houses and taverns that became prestigious clubs in the seventeenth century. You will stroll through little used back streets with their fascinating history 3. **Spencer House** (5m) - 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. 4. **The Mall** (5m) - St James Palace remains the official London royal palace and is not regularly open to visitors, but the public can attend Sunday services at the Chapel Royal and the Queen's Chapel. 5. **Clarence House** (5m) - The house was built between 1825 and 1827 to a design by John Nash. It was commissioned by the Duke of Clarence, who in 1830 became King William IV of the United Kingdom (reigned 1830–1837). He lived there in preference to the adjacent St James's Palace, an ancient Tudor... 6. **St. James's Palace** (5m) - St James is the main aristocratic quarter of London where the landed gentry and political classes mingled in chocolate houses and taverns that became prestigious clubs in the seventeenth century. You will stroll through little used back streets with their fascinating history 7. **Buckingham Palace** (5m) - In the Middle Ages, the site of the future palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury (also called Eia). The marshy ground was watered by the river Tyburn, which still flows below the courtyard and south wing of the palace. Where the river was fordable (at Cow Ford), the... 8. **Wellington Arch** (5m) - Cross to the Wellington Arch (Decimus Burton) 1828. 4 horse chariot with a figure of peace (1912) Central Passage was reserved for royalty. 9. **Bomber Command Memorial** (5m) - The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial commemorating the crews of RAF Bomber Command who embarked on missions during the Second World War. The memorial, on the south side of Piccadilly, facing Hyde Park Corner, was built to mark the sacrifice of 55,573... 10. **The house was originally built in red brick by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1...** (5m) - The house was originally built in red brick by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778 for Lord Apsley, the Lord Chancellor, who gave the house its name. Some Adam interiors survive: the Piccadilly Drawing Room with its apsidal end and Adam fireplace, and the Portico Room, behind... 11. **Royal Albert Hall** (5m) - The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage. 12. **Albert Memorial** (5m) - The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens is one of London's most ornate monuments. It commemorates the death of Prince Albert, who died of typhoid in 1861. 13. **Kensington Palace** (5m) - George II was blind in one eye and hard of hearing. In Kensington Palace, 25 October, 1760 he rose as usual at 6:00 am, drank a cup of hot chocolate, and went to his close stool alone. After a few minutes, his valet heard a loud crash and entered the room to find the king on... ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 10:30, 11:30, 13:30 - Schedule last checked: 2026-10-01 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Meeting point We are meeting at the Park Gate between Ritz Hotel and the Station Entrance where the Black Gates are. Under the porch of Green Park Station Street Level. Nearest Underground: Green Park Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJQRZgSygFdkgRrZelNQQCpf8 ## Good to know - Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller - Service animals allowed - Public transportation options are available nearby - Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries - Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - We offer Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan & Halal on prior request - Not suitable for those with walking difficulty, we walk for about 60 mins ## Compared with other Westminster & Royal London | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #9 of 41** | €158 | 2h 30m | 4.95 (105) | shared | | [Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace Experience](/uk/london/tours/changing-of-the-guard-at-buckingham-palace-experience/?format=md) | €34 | 2h | 4.99 (805) | shared | | [Changing of the Guard Walking Tour](/uk/london/tours/changing-of-the-guard-walking-tour/?format=md) | €18 | 2h | 4.95 (899) | shared | | [Changing of the Guard Walking Tour in London at Buckingham Palace](/uk/london/tours/changing-of-the-guard-walking-tour-in-london-at-buckingham-palace/?format=md) | €17 | 2h | 4.92 (1099) | shared | Ranked #9 of 41 in Westminster & Royal London by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €17 to €562, median €101; typical length 3h. 5 of 41 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/uk/london/westminster-royal-london/?format=md ## More in London - All London tours: https://guidekin.com/uk/london/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/uk/london/tours/buckingham-st-james-palace-afternoon-tea-at-kensington-palace/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/uk/london/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. 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