Windsor Castle First, Then the Buckingham Palace State Rooms, in One Summer Day

Two royal residences in one day, and only in summer, because that is when the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace open to visitors. The coach leaves Victoria Coach Station at 7.45am (boarding from 7.30), and the early start puts the group among the first into Windsor Castle.

Windsor is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, an official residence of the King with more than 1,000 years of royal history behind it. The visit covers the State Apartments, still used for ceremonies and official events and full of art and historic treasures, the castle grounds, and St George's Chapel, the Gothic chapel where Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018 and where Queen Elizabeth II is buried.

Back in London, the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace are yours to take at leisure, with their paintings, porcelain and furniture, and an audio guide is available. The itinerary also lists Harrods, the department store on Brompton Road.

One thing to know before booking: palace and castle rules keep the guide out of the State Apartments at Windsor and out of Buckingham Palace, so both interiors are visited on your own, with palace staff on hand to help. The tour ends at Buckingham Palace, and you can stay as long as you like.

Entry to both residences, the air-conditioned coach and an English-speaking guide are included; hotel pickup, food, drink and gratuities are not. A booking takes up to 30 people, children under 16 must be with an adult, and the day asks for a moderate level of fitness.