Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours: £18 for lavish State Rooms and throne room, includes audioguide;
Aug-Sept only, daily 9:30-18:30, last admission 16:15; only 8,000 visitors a day by timed
entry; come early to the palace's Visitor Entrance (opens 9:15), or book ahead in person,
by phone, or online (£1.25 extra); Tube: Victoria, tel. 020/7766-7300,
www.royalcollection.org.uk .
Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace
A small sampling of Queen Elizabeth's personal collection of art is on display in five rooms
in a wing adjoining the palace. Her 7,000 paintings, one of the largest private art collections
in the world, are actually a series of collections, which have been built upon on by each
successive monarch since the 16th century. The Queen rotates the paintings, enjoying some
privatelyinhermanypalatialresidenceswhilesharingotherswithhersubjectsinpublicgal-
leries in Edinburgh and London.
In addition to the permanent collection, you'll see temporary exhibits and a small room
glittering with the Queen's personal jewelry. Compared to the crown jewels at the Tower, it
may be Her Majesty's bottom drawer—but it's still a dazzling pile of diamonds. Temporary
exhibits change about twice a year and are lovingly described by the included audioguide.
Because the gallery is small and security is tight (involving lines), I'd suggest visiting
this gallery only if you're a patient art lover interested in the current exhibit.
While admission tickets come with an entry time, this is only enforced during rare days
when crowds are a problem.
Cost and Hours: £7.50-9.25 depending on exhibit, daily 10:00-17:30, last entry one
hour before closing, Tube: Victoria, tel. 020/7766-7301—but Her Majesty rarely answers.
Men shouldn't miss the mahogany-trimmed urinals.
Royal Mews
LocatedtotheleftofBuckinghamPalace,theQueen'sworkingstables,or“mews,”areopen
to visitors. The visit is likely to be disappointing unless you follow the included audioguide
or the hourly guided tour (April-Oct only, 45 minutes), in which case it's thoroughly en-
tertaining—especially if you're interested in horses and/or royalty. You'll see a few of the
Queen's 30 horses, a fancy car, and a bunch of old carriages, finishing with the Gold State
Coach (c. 1760, 4 tons, 4 mph). Queen Victoria said absolutely no cars. When she died, in
1901,the mews gotits first Daimler.Today,along with the hay-eating transport, the stable is
home to five Bentleys and Rolls-Royce Phantoms, with one on display.
CostandHours: £8.25,April-Octdaily10:00-17:00,Nov-MarchMon-Sat10:00-16:00,
closed Sun, last entry 45 minutes before closing, guided tours on the hour, Buckingham
Palace Road, Tube: Victoria, tel. 020/7766-7302.
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