The State Rooms form the heart of the working palace and are lavishly furnished with some of the finest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Canaletto; sculpture by Canova; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

The Palace's 39-acre garden is an oasis for wildlife, and visitors can enjoy a garden walk that offers superb views of the Garden Front of the Palace and the 19th-century lake.

For the first time ever, visitors will be able to experience the spectacle of the Palace’s Ballroom set up for a State Banquet. 

For centuries magnificent banquets have been an integral part of royal ceremonial and the traditional way to mark significant events. Among the most important of these occasions is the State Banquet, held in honour of a visiting Head of State. This is the occasion when Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family entertain around 160 specially invited guests on the first evening of a State Visit. During the course of her reign The Queen has held 94 State Banquets. 

The horseshoe-shaped table traditionally used on such occasions will be dressed with a dazzling display of silver-gilt from the magnificent Grand Service, first used to celebrate the birthday of George III in 1811. Lavish buffet arrangements of jewelled cups, ivory tankards and chased dishes, sconces, shields and basins will be arranged along each side of the room.

Audio Guide
An audio guide is included in the ticket price and is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese, Russian and Mandarin.

There is also a family audio guide (in English only) and accompanying activity trail, suitable for children 7-11 years.

Changing of the Guard
The Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place at 11:30 daily from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting.

The new guards arrive at the forecourt of the Palace at 11:30 from Wellington Barracks. The journey takes about 5 minutes and the soldiers are accompanied by a band. The ceremony is conducted on the Palace forecourt and takes approximately forty minutes to complete.

The Army have not yet released the schedule for July, August or September.

Opening Hours
Admission is by timed ticket with entry at 10:30, 11:45 & 15:15 every day.  Tickets are valid only on the date and at the entrance time specified on the ticket.  Regretably, late-comers cannot be admitted.

A visit lasts between 2 and 2½ hours.