Is The Horse Guards Parade Free?

This post covers how to visit the Horse Guard Parade for free, see the Changing of the King’s Life Guards, and visit the Household Cavalry Museum. What is Horse Guard Parade?

Can the public walk through Horse Guards?

Visiting The Horse Guards Parade
Only members of the royal family or cavalrymen on duty are allowed to travel through the archway; however, tourists are free to walk through from Whitehall to the Horse Guards Parade and St. James’s Park.

How do you get to Horse Guards Parade?

You can easily reach Horse Guards Parade by train. The nearest station to Horse Guards Parade is London Charing Cross, which is served by Southeastern services throughout the day. Turn left onto Strand, then at the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Whitehall until you see Horse Guards Parade on your right.

What happens at Horse Guards Parade?

Horse Guards Parade, is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London. As well as being the venue for changing The King’s Life Guard it is also the location for Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the King’s Birthday, and Beating Retreat.

Is Horse Guards Parade part of Buckingham Palace?

Horse Guards Parade is the ceremonial parade ground in St James’s Park and is the scene of Trooping the Colour on the Queen’s official birthday in June. Horse Guards is the building with a clock tower over an archway, and remains the official entrance to St James’s and Buckingham Palace.

What time does Horse Guards Parade start?

Trooping The Colour Timings
Trooping The Colour commences on Horse Guards Parade at 10:00 and ends at 12:25. Timings for the Reviews are the same as those for the King’s Birthday Parade, with the exception of the presence of Her Majesty the King, the Gun Salute and Fly Past.

How long does the Horse Guards Parade last?

The changing of the guard at Horseguards begins at 11.00am and lasts about 25 mins (most of which is just standing around), the change at BP starts at about 11.30 and again lasts about 25mins, although unless you are up against the railings you won’t see much , so you would be pushing it a bit to see both on the same

How much does it cost to watch the Changing of the Guard?

Viewing the Changing of the Guard is free. In fact, it’s #1 on our top 10 list of free things to do in London. For even more ways to save, read our guide to London on a Budget. Since you will be in the area, be sure to read our posts on tours of Buckingham Palace and things to do nearby to best plan your time here.

Do you need tickets to see the Changing of the Guard in London?

Watching the Changing of the Guard is free of charge and no tickets are required.

How long do the Horse Guards stand for?

Guardsmen will have two hours on sentry duty and four hours off. However, do not be surprised if on some occasions you do not see the traditional guardsmen, in their scarlet tunics, particularly in August when other regiments often guard ‘The King’.

Is Horse Guards Parade sand?

H orse Guards Parade has been transformed into a 15,000 seater volleyball arena. 5,000 tonnes of sand were used to create the central London pitch, which will host one of the most anticipated events at the Games.

Do you need tickets for Trooping the Colour?

The parade is also broadcast live on the BBC in the UK. Tickets for seated stands around Horse Guards Parade for Trooping the Colour are allocated by ballot. Up to a maximum of 4 tickets can be applied.

What is a punishment parade?

Also known as ‘The Four ‘O’ Clock Parade’ and ‘Punishment Parade’ it takes place at 16:00 daily when following an inspection by an Officer the mounted guards dismount, then take their horses back to the stables for the night.

Can you touch the horses at Horse Guards?

Horses can kiss you! They change guards and horses at the gate at around 2pm everyday and if you want to witness this, be there in time. Then you can go and touch the horses although the guards sitting on them must keep a straight face.

Can you touch the guards at Buckingham Palace?

Never touch a guard
As London aficionados know by now, one should never touch a member of the Queen’s Guard. If this is the case, they are actually allowed to shout warnings at you to make you go away. If people start acting aggressively, the soldiers can even present their bayonets to them.

Do the guards at Buckingham Palace have loaded guns?

Those guns aren’t loaded…
The Guard’s intimidating weapons only have ammo in them when they are aware of a potential serious security threat. The guard on Reddit, who uses the username “nibs123,” says that he has never carried a loaded gun as a Guardsman.

Is Watching changing of the guards free?

Watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, or along the parade route, is free of charge and no tickets or booking is required.

What is the ivy covered building on Horse Guards Parade?

The Citadel
Behind Horse Guards stands a rather imposing and somewhat ugly brown lump of a building, semi covered in ivy. This is the Citadel, a bomb proof bunker built during World War Two to house the Royal Navy operations unit, and still in use to this day.

Why is it called punishment parade?

DISMOUNTING CEREMONY
It is sometimes called the Punishment Parade because, in the 1890’s, Queen Victoria came to Whitehall to see the Household Cavalry and was shocked to find them drinking and gambling while on duty!

What time do they do the changing of the guards?

Changing of The King’s Guard takes place in front of Buckingham Palace at 10:45am and lasts for about 45 minutes. You should arrive early to get the best view. Soldiers gather at St James’s Palace and Wellington Barracks from 10:00am and march to Buckingham Palace accompanied by music.

Does changing of the guard happen every day?

Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace does not take place every day. The current schedules are: August – May: The Queen’s Guard change on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. June – July: The Queen’s Guard change daily.