Buckingham Palace is open to the public for a few weeks every year. Luckily, we were there one of the first days that it was open. We had purchased tickets early in the year so we could see the Palace. Click here for more information about visiting. We got the "Royal Day Out" Package which allowed us to visit the Mews (where the carriages and horses), the Queen's Gallery, and see some of the Staterooms and Gardens.
We first went to the Mews. It was really cool to see the different carriages that the royal family rides in- including the Diamond Jubilee carriage which cost about $4.5 million to complete... WOW!
Next my family and I went into the Queen's Gallery. This is her private collection of art. If you like to look at art, this would be perfect for you. It was interesting to look at for a little bit, but not necessarily my thing for long amounts of time.
We finally went to through the Staterooms and Gardens which took about two hours. They were incredible. Buckingham Palace is HUGE and extravagant! I couldn't imagine living in a place like that. The Staterooms they had open were many of the ones you saw on TV or public pictures. Just being in the rooms made you feel part royal. :) It was a glimpse into how the royals live.
Of course there was a cafe for people to buy food and drinks once you left the Staterooms and walked into the gardens. This is where my family had "lunch" (AKA more desserts) and of course tea. We love our desserts, okay?! We had to say we had tea at Buckingham Palace.
After the Palace, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit. We had been walking around all day and still didn't adjust to the time change. We walked to Fortnum & Mason and bought dinner for us to eat at the hotel. This is another place you shouldn't miss- especially if you love food. I would describe Fortnum & Mason kind of like Eataly if you have been there. It is a giant UPSCALE supermarket where you can buy food as well as eat it there. They had plenty of desserts and macarons on the first floor and if you walked downstairs this is where they had produce, meat, and fish.
I got Salmon which was actually very good. They had a number of different items you could purchase. We walked back to the hotel where we ate our dinner.
After we ate, we walked down to the London Eye. (Also a LOT of walking on this trip if you haven't noticed yet). My mother had read online about buying a "FastPass" to the London Eye. And thank goodness we did! The line for the Eye was long but my family and I basically walked straight on thanks to our FastPasses.
The London Eye is so cool. We went at night so we could see the city lit up and it was well worth it. The panoramic views were incredible. It was also a clear night so we could see for miles (or kilometers over there).
After that we walked back to our hotel and started packing for our next adventure.
Until next time~off to Paris!
Next my family and I went into the Queen's Gallery. This is her private collection of art. If you like to look at art, this would be perfect for you. It was interesting to look at for a little bit, but not necessarily my thing for long amounts of time.
We finally went to through the Staterooms and Gardens which took about two hours. They were incredible. Buckingham Palace is HUGE and extravagant! I couldn't imagine living in a place like that. The Staterooms they had open were many of the ones you saw on TV or public pictures. Just being in the rooms made you feel part royal. :) It was a glimpse into how the royals live.
Of course there was a cafe for people to buy food and drinks once you left the Staterooms and walked into the gardens. This is where my family had "lunch" (AKA more desserts) and of course tea. We love our desserts, okay?! We had to say we had tea at Buckingham Palace.
After the Palace, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit. We had been walking around all day and still didn't adjust to the time change. We walked to Fortnum & Mason and bought dinner for us to eat at the hotel. This is another place you shouldn't miss- especially if you love food. I would describe Fortnum & Mason kind of like Eataly if you have been there. It is a giant UPSCALE supermarket where you can buy food as well as eat it there. They had plenty of desserts and macarons on the first floor and if you walked downstairs this is where they had produce, meat, and fish.
I got Salmon which was actually very good. They had a number of different items you could purchase. We walked back to the hotel where we ate our dinner.
After we ate, we walked down to the London Eye. (Also a LOT of walking on this trip if you haven't noticed yet). My mother had read online about buying a "FastPass" to the London Eye. And thank goodness we did! The line for the Eye was long but my family and I basically walked straight on thanks to our FastPasses.
The London Eye is so cool. We went at night so we could see the city lit up and it was well worth it. The panoramic views were incredible. It was also a clear night so we could see for miles (or kilometers over there).
After that we walked back to our hotel and started packing for our next adventure.
Until next time~off to Paris!
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