Royal London Tour with Afternoon Tea at The Rubens at the Palace

The best part of this experience is the way it pairs a fast-moving royal London sightseeing tour with a long, leisurely afternoon tea. In one morning, you see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace, then trade the coach for a comfortable table at The Rubens at the Palace.

I like two things here. First, the coach saves your feet and covers sights that are spread across central London. Second, the four-hour tea gives you time to slow down over sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and preserves, and fresh pastries. The main drawback is the large maximum group size of 52, and the Buckingham Palace admission is not included.

Key points at a glance

• Changing of the Guard: Scheduled at Buckingham Palace on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, with Horse Guards Parade used when the palace ceremony is not taking place.
• Four-hour afternoon tea: The Rubens at the Palace provides a full sit-down experience, not a quick snack between sights.
• Coach sightseeing: Onboard Wi-Fi, USB charging, and a personal audio headset make the long morning easier.
• Central London route: Westminster, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace fit into one compact visit.
• Accessible for many visitors: The experience is wheelchair and stroller accessible, and most people can participate.
• Important timing detail: The guided tour finishes at noon. Afternoon tea follows directly but is an independent visit.

A morning built around royal London

You meet at Victoria Coach Station at 9:00 am. That location is useful if you are staying in central London or arriving by public transport, though you need to make your own way there because hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.

The morning uses a superior coach rather than asking you to walk from landmark to landmark. That matters in London, where Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace are close on a map but can still consume a good part of your day on foot. You get short sightseeing stops and views from the coach, with time for photographs at the major locations.

An English-speaking Blue Badge guide leads the tour. A personal audio headset helps you follow the commentary, especially if the group reaches its full size of 52 people. The onboard Wi-Fi and USB charging are welcome touches, though I would still arrive with your phone partly charged for photos and directions later.

This is a sightseeing overview, not a series of long interior visits. The listed admission for Buckingham Palace is not included, and the morning route does not include an admission ticket for Westminster Abbey. You should choose it for coverage and context rather than for extended time inside one building.

Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament

Westminster Abbey is one of the morning’s most meaningful sights. This Gothic church has been the traditional setting for British coronations and the burial place of English and British monarchs. Even without an included interior visit, seeing the building in the setting of Westminster gives the royal theme some weight.

You also see Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. Big Ben properly refers to the great bell, although the name is commonly used for the clock and tower as well. The tower itself is officially called Elizabeth Tower, a name adopted in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Palace of Westminster remains the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. From the outside, it is an imposing piece of London scenery. Your guide can connect the buildings to the country’s political life, while the coach lets you cover more ground than a walking tour based only around Westminster.

One practical point: if you want to go inside Westminster Abbey or see Parliament from within, you will need a different ticket and more time. This experience gives you a guided look at the major landmarks, rather than replacing a dedicated interior tour.

Whitehall, Downing Street, and Trafalgar Square

The route continues along Whitehall, the main road linking Trafalgar Square with Parliament Square. This is a useful stretch of London to see from a coach because it connects several important government buildings in one straight run.

You pass 10 Downing Street, the official home and executive office of the First Lord of the Treasury, usually the British prime minister. The address is familiar around the world, but the experience here is about seeing the location and hearing its role explained, not entering the residence.

Trafalgar Square gives the morning a more open public setting. The square commemorates the British naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and is one of central London’s best-known gathering places. It is also a useful photo stop and a clear marker that you are moving from the government quarter toward the royal heart of the tour.

I like this part of the route because it shows how close London’s political, ceremonial, and public spaces are to one another. You get a strong sense of the city’s central core without spending the entire morning walking between them.

Buckingham Palace and the royal ceremony

Buckingham Palace is the visual centerpiece of the tour. It is the King’s London residence and the setting for national celebrations and royal events. You have about 40 minutes at the palace area, enough for photographs and a look at the famous frontage.

Admission to the palace is not included, so keep your expectations clear. This is an exterior visit, not a palace interior tour. That may be perfectly fine for a first visit, especially if you want a broad introduction to London rather than a single attraction.

The Changing of the Guard adds ceremony and movement to the stop. When scheduled, the palace ceremony currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. When there is no palace ceremony, the tour visits the Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards Parade instead.

The schedule matters. Do not book this experience assuming the Buckingham Palace ceremony runs every day. If watching the palace version is a top priority, select a date that falls on one of the stated days and still allow for changes to the exact program.

You should also expect crowds around the ceremony. The tour gives you access to the event as part of the public viewing experience, but it cannot guarantee a front-row position. The value is in having transport, timing, and guide support arranged while you see one of Britain’s best-known displays of military pageantry.

Four hours at The Rubens at the Palace

The guided Royal London portion finishes at 12:00 pm. The afternoon tea follows straight afterward at The Rubens at the Palace, located at 39 Buckingham Palace Road. The hotel is about a five-minute walk from Victoria Station, which makes the end of the experience convenient if you plan to continue sightseeing or return to your accommodation by train or Underground.

The tea takes place in the Palace Lounge, a bright room with panoramic views toward the Queen’s stables. You may see royal carriages coming and going while you eat, though the activity outside is not something the hotel can control.

The food follows the familiar afternoon tea pattern:

• Finger sandwiches
• Fresh-made pastries
• Traditional scones
• Clotted cream
• Fruit preserve

The strongest reason to choose this package is the amount of time allowed for the tea. Four hours is generous. You are not being rushed through a short refreshment stop before the next attraction. You can make the meal the main event of your afternoon.

The food received especially warm praise for the sandwiches, scones, and pastries, and the service was also singled out as excellent. That makes this a good choice for a special family occasion. One parent specifically enjoyed bringing her daughters, which fits the setting well: the experience has ceremony without requiring children to sit through a long museum visit.

House cocktails are available and were praised as a pleasant addition, but they are not identified as part of the included package. Champagne is specifically excluded. Plan on paying extra for alcoholic drinks unless your booking details state otherwise.

What the $175.14 price really buys

At $175.14 per person, this is not a budget way to see London. The price makes more sense if you value convenience and the afternoon tea itself.

Your cost covers the Blue Badge guide, coach transportation, Wi-Fi, USB charging, a headset, the Changing of the Guard experience, and afternoon tea at The Rubens. It does not cover hotel transport, Buckingham Palace admission, or champagne.

The coach tour gives you efficient coverage. A person trying to recreate the same morning alone would need to plan the route, check the guard schedule, use public transport or taxis, and keep an eye on the clock before reaching the tea reservation. You are paying to remove much of that planning.

The tea is the bigger part of the value. If you would book a high-end afternoon tea at The Rubens anyway, combining it with a royal sightseeing route can be practical. If you mainly want to photograph Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, the price may feel high because several of the sights are viewed from outside.

I would compare this with the cost of a separate afternoon tea reservation and a half-day guided city tour. The package is strongest for a first visit, a short stay, or a special family day. It is less attractive if you already know Westminster well or prefer independent sightseeing at a slower walking pace.

Group size, comfort, and access

The group can reach 52 people, so this is not an intimate private tour. The headset helps, but you should still expect a shared coach and a set timetable. The advantage is that a larger group can keep the per-person cost of the transport and guide lower than a private tour.

The experience is wheelchair and stroller accessible, and most people can participate. You should still confirm any specific mobility needs when booking, since boarding a coach and moving between the coach stop, sightseeing areas, and hotel can require practical coordination.

Dietary needs must be provided at least 48 hours in advance. Vegetarian, vegan, halal, and gluten-free afternoon teas can be requested. This is an important detail, since the tea is a substantial part of the day and substitutions should not be left until arrival.

The tour is offered in English. If you need another language, this is not the right choice based on the available information.

Who will enjoy this day most

I would recommend this experience to you if:

• You have only a short time in London.
• You want to see many royal and government landmarks without a long walking route.
• You enjoy traditional afternoon tea as much as sightseeing.
• You are planning a family outing or a celebratory day.
• You want transport, guide commentary, and the main schedule handled for you.
• You need wheelchair or stroller access.

I would think twice if you want long visits inside Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace. You may also prefer a smaller group if personal attention and quiet pacing matter more than covering a wide part of central London.

The four-hour tea changes the rhythm of the day. This is not seven hours of nonstop touring. The first three hours are guided sightseeing, then the afternoon belongs to The Rubens. That split works well for you if you enjoy a formal meal and a slower finish.

Practical details before you book

The tour begins at Victoria Coach Station at 9:00 am. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off, so allow time to reach the meeting point before departure.

The Royal London tour ends at noon, followed directly by the independent afternoon tea visit. The guide-led portion and the hotel meal are connected in timing, but you should not assume the guide remains with you during tea.

The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed after booking. That makes the date choice important, especially if you are aiming for the Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard. Check the ceremony day before committing.

Bring a phone or camera, and use the onboard USB charging if needed. Comfortable shoes are still sensible, even though the coach handles much of the distance. You will want to be ready for short periods of walking around Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and the hotel.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want a well-organized first look at royal London followed by a polished afternoon tea in a hotel beside Buckingham Palace. The best features are the broad coach route, the chance to see the Changing of the Guard, and the unhurried four-hour meal at The Rubens.

Skip it if your priority is entering Buckingham Palace or Westminster Abbey, or if you dislike fixed schedules and large groups. For the right person, the price buys a convenient day with a strong mix of landmarks and traditional food. Just check the guard schedule, send dietary requests at least 48 hours ahead, and remember that palace admission and champagne cost extra.

FAQ

Where does the Royal London tour begin?

It begins at Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TP.

What time does the experience start?

The tour starts at 9:00 am.

Where does the experience end?

The afternoon tea ends at The Rubens at the Palace, 39 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PS. The hotel is about a five-minute walk from Victoria Station.

How long does the full experience last?

The total experience lasts approximately seven hours. The guided Royal London tour finishes at 12:00 pm, followed by the afternoon tea.

Is afternoon tea included?

Yes. Afternoon tea at The Rubens at the Palace is included.

Is Buckingham Palace admission included?

No. The Buckingham Palace stop includes about 40 minutes, but palace admission is not included.

Does the tour always include the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace?

The ceremony at Buckingham Palace currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. When it is not taking place there, the tour visits the Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards Parade instead.

Are dietary requirements accepted?

Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, halal, and gluten-free afternoon teas can be requested. You need to provide dietary information at least 48 hours in advance.

Is the experience wheelchair and stroller accessible?

Yes. The experience is described as wheelchair and stroller accessible, and most people can participate.

Is champagne included?

No. Champagne is not included in the experience price.