Buckingham Palace is again one of the sights that every tourist will put on his / her list of places to visit. Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. In 1761 King George III bought it for his wife Queen Charlotte and it became known as Queen's house and later as Buckingham Palace. From then until 1914 it has been modified several times (wings added and so on).
Around Buckingham Palace you will find Green Park and St. James's Park, which belonged to the Palace, but for years they are open for the public. Within walking distance you will also find Hyde Park, which is well known for all kind of concerts that take place.
Something else that disappoints me is that people who want to visit can do this if they are prepared to pay a (high) entrance fee. I wonder if the Queen, with all the millions she already has (and every year gets more from the English taxpayers) really needs this. I think it should be open for the general public for free. In my opinion there are many attractions in and around London that are much more interesting and I would recommend you to visit Hampton Court Palace. Sorry Queen Elisabeth. ;-) Visit the website of the British Monarchy for more information. If you plan to visit this and several other museums, attractions and / or historical buildings in London you might be interested in the London Pass, offering you free access to over 60 museums, attractions and historical buildings in London. |
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In the front (it is called the Forecourt) you can see the famous
guards walking from their post to halfway the next guard and back. These guards are an attraction
by themselves already and I can recommend you to check out when the 'Change of the Guards' takes
place as this is a beautiful ceremony to see.
As it is a well-known tourist attraction, I felt I was obliged to
take a look at it too. To tell you the truth however, I was disappointed about it. In my opinion
it does not really look like a palace, certainly when I compare it to the palaces I have seen in
Holland and France. When I think about palaces I see a big, nice looking buildings with a big
garden in front of it with a wide lane running up to the forecourt, not a building with a very
busy round-a-bout in the front garden.