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Visit to Buckingham Palace and Afternoon Tea at Chez Gerard

Would you like Buckingham Palace entrance ticket only? Click here Would you like a guided tour of Buckingham Palace without afternoon tea? Click here Prices:   Ticket Type Tour BPChez Adult £39.00 Child (3-16) £34.00 Senior/Student £36.00 Tour Highlights: Visit inside Buckingham Palace   Traditional afternoon Tea at Chez Gerard restaurant at The Grosvenor Hotel (Victoria) Days of Operation: 26 July - 28 September 2009 - Daily by the concierge desk at The Grosvenor hotel This tour starts at 1:30pm and finishes at 5:00pm. Buckingham Palace and Afternoon Tea Meet your Golden Tours representative at 1.30pm by the concierge desk at the Grosvenor hotel in Victoria who will escort you to Buckingham Palace (10 min walk). After your independent visit, you will be free to take your afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is to be taken at Chez Gerard restaurant located in the Grosvenor Victoria from 3:00pm–4.30pm. The afternoon tea consists of a selection of finger sandwiches (egg and cress, salmon and cucumber and cheese and tomato), a delicious scone with cream and jam and a pot of tea or coffee. Buckingham Palace - ‘Special Timed Entry includes an Audio Tour’ Our special timed entry ensures a breathtaking visit to the official residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837. Open for just 8 weeks a year, the State rooms are an opportunity not to be missed! Marvel at the splendour of the rooms, used on official occasions by the Queen to entertain her guests. Be dazzled by the beautiful ballroom and Throne room, before ending your royal tour with a walk through the stunning south garden. Buckingham Palace Private Tours at Buckingham Palace State Rooms | Garden Tour Private Tour of the State Rooms, Buckingham Palace This exclusive tour begins at the Grand Entrance, where your group will discover how the Palace has evolved from a private royal residence to become one of the most famous buildings in the world.   With their gilded ceilings and glittering chandeliers, the State Rooms provide the perfect setting for the many famous masterpieces from the Royal Collection.  As paintings, furniture, sculpture and porcelain are described by an expert guide, visitors will have the opportunity to go 'behind the ropes' in selected rooms.   In August and September visitors may view the special exhibition Queen and Commonwealth: The Royal Tour.   The tour ends with a glass of champagne in the Bow Room and, weather-permitting, visitors may then move outside to the West Terrace.    During the winter months, champagne is served in the Grand Entrance and tours may take place in the afternoon.       Private Tour availability 26 July - 30 September 17:00-19:00 Tour price £60.00 per person. Minimum number 25 or booking value £1,500.00, maximum number 60 Price includes a copy of the official guidebook and a glass of champagne and all guests can enjoy a 20% discount off all merchandise in the shop. For further information or to book a tour, please telephone 44 (0) 20 7766 7322 or e-mail specialistsales@royalcollection.org.uk. Due to the architectural limitations of the building, it is not possible to admit wheelchair-users through the same entrance as the rest of the group.  A separate entrance and special facilities are provided.  Please inform the specialist sales team of your requirements.   Buckingham Palace Garden Tour This tour of the famous garden at Buckingham Palace begins visit with an introductory talk inside the Palace.  Following the talk, enjoy a tour of the garden in the company of an expert guide.  Highlights of the garden tour include the beautiful Herbaceous Border, the wisteria-clad summer house and Rose Garden, the enormous Waterloo Vase and the Palace tennis court, where King George VI and Fred Perry played in the 1930s. The 39-acre garden has always played an important role in the private and public lives of the royal family, and is today the setting for The Queen’s Garden Parties. Described as ‘a walled oasis in the middle of London’, it boasts more than 350 types of wild flower, over 200 trees and a three-acre lake.      Garden Tour availability Unfortunately all tours of Buckingham Palace garden are now booked.  If you would like to be kept up to date with our programme of special tours and private visits for groups, please e-mail your name, address, the name of your group and a contact telephone number to specialistsales@royalcollection.org.uk, and we shall add you to our mailing lists.  Full details of this year’s programme can be found in our guide The Royal Collection: Group Visits and Private Tours 2009, which can be downloaded here (as a PDF file).  If you would like to be sent a copy of the guide, please e-mail groupvisits@royalcollection.org.uk. Tour price Adult £20.00 Under 17 £10.00 Minimum number 15, maximum number 25.  Price includes an introductory talk and tea, coffee Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace has been the sovereign's official residence since the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The original house, built for the Duke of Buckingham, was bought by George III and later turned into a palace  for George IV by John Nash. It contains over 600 rooms and the sumptuous state apartments used for court ceremonial and entertaining are open to the public every year in August and September. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Her Majesty The Queen and serves as both home and office. This year’s Summer Opening has a musical accompaniment. From command performances to costume balls, musical entertainment at Buckingham Palace will be the focus of a special display at this year’s Summer Opening of the State Rooms. Historic fancy-dress costumes, musical instruments and manuscr i pts, photographs and souvenirs will be shown in the magnificent surroundings of the Ball Supper Room, which itself has been the setting for many glittering events in the Palace’s history. Every morning from April to the end of July (alternate days during autumn and winter) military precision and a blaze of colour mark the Changing of the Guard, known officially as Guard Mounting. Visitors can see soldiers in real bearskin hats and red tunics patrolling Buckingham Palace. At the front of the palace, the Queen Victoria Memorial, designed in 1901 by Sir Aston Webb, is the centrepiece for his Mall plan. The seated sculpture by Sir Thomas Brock is surrounded by allegorical figures representing Victorian virtues, such as Truth, Constancy and Courage. Home to the Royal coaches and their horses, the Royal Mews stables and coach houses were designed by leading architect John Nash in 1825. The 1761 Gold State Coach built for George III, the 1910 Glass Coach - used for nearly all royal weddings - and royal landaus are kept and looked after here, together with the Royal Family's favourite cars, Rolls Royce Phantoms and Daimlers. Clarence House, built in 1827 for William IV, became home to the Queen Mother until her death in 2002. She bequeathed it to Prince Charles and he oversaw extensive renovations the following summer. Some rooms are now open to the public during the summer for viewing. Displays include the Queen Mother's extensive collection of art and furniture, examples of Fabergt\ English porcelain and silver, and works by John Piper. The Queen's Gallery houses one of the best art collections in the world, including paintings by many Old Masters such as Leonardo da Vinci. Also on display are textiles, furniture, jewellery and decorative art. The Throne Room's ornate ceiling is illuminated by seven glass and gilt bronze chandeliers that are two hundred years old and it is here that the Queen receive addresses on formal occasions. Nearby St James's Palace was built on the site of a former leper hospital built by Henry VIII. Its impressive gate - house is one of the most recognizable Tudor sites in London and it was until recently home to Prince Charles and his household.

Buckingham Palace Picture - a military band is part of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.