Official Review

Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.

attraction · London

Thirty-Three Pounds in Advance, Thirty-Seven on the Day, and One Pound on Universal Credit

Review of Buckingham Palace State Rooms

★★★★☆ 4/5
by RuinMyTrip Editorial · Aug 12, 2026

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The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace charge 33.00 pounds for an adult booking in advance and 37.00 pounds on the day. Young people aged 18 to 24 pay 21.50 in advance and 24.50 on the day. The detail worth knowing, and one that is not widely advertised, is that 1 pound tickets are available to people on Universal Credit and other named UK benefits. That is a serious concession on an otherwise expensive ticket and it applies to the same visit. The State Rooms are the working ceremonial heart of the palace, used for official entertaining, and they are open to visitors only during limited periods of the year. That scarcity is part of what you are paying for.

What was great

The rooms are genuinely on the scale the building implies, and they are the ones actually used for state occasions rather than a reconstruction. Booking in advance saves 4 pounds a head. The 1 pound benefits ticket is a real and unusually generous concession.

What nearly ruined the trip

Thirty-three pounds is expensive and 37 on the day punishes spontaneity. Opening is seasonal, so the visit is unavailable for much of the year. The route is fixed and busy, and photography is restricted inside the State Rooms.

Value for money

★★★☆☆ Fair

Safety

★★★★★ Felt safe
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