Horse Guards Parade
A trip to London isn't complete without seeing the Horse Guards Parade
The Horse Guards Building is a large Palladian style building located on Whitehall Street at the east edge of Saint James's Park. It was completed in 1753, replacing the Guard House of the Whitehall Palace after its destruction by a fire in 1698. The building is currently headquarters to London District and Household Cavalry Army commands.
In addition to the interesting architecture, you will enjoy viewing and photographing the guards. The Horse Guards is guarded by both mounted and foot troopers from the Household Cavalry. There are 2 mounted troopers on post daily between 10am and 4pm. These troopers are relieved every hour. In addition two unmounted troopers posted from 10 am until 8 pm get relieved every 2 hours.
If you arrive just before 11am (10am on Sundays) you can view the popular changing of the guard. There is also an inspection of the the guard everyday at 4pm. This was started over 130 years ago when Queen Victoria came through the gate and found no guards. Upon investigating, she discovered they where intoxicated with ale. She then ordered that the Household Cavalry must parade every day at 4 pm for 100 years, to ensure it would not happen again. While the 100 years has long passed the tradition continues.
Kids and adults will all enjoy watching the guards. It is amazing to watch how still they stand at their posts, seemingly oblivious to everyone around them. This is one of the many things you can do in London for free - great when travelling on a budget.
There are many other attractions within easy walking distance of the Horse Guards Parade. Some of these include Saint James's Park, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. These attractions can be nicely combined into a memorable one or two day walking tour.
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: NoHorse Guards Parade Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Sunday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Address: Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET, UK
Horse Guards Parade Reviews
Rated out of 5
Stunning architecture the beauty is in the details. Such an Incredible expanded of buildings and the courtyard has a huge footprint. The horse mounted guards are dressed impeccably. And the horses are simply magnificent. And seriously we'll trained.
David Walker - 2 weeks ago
Surprise visit to the Horse Guards Parade. This wasn’t on our list but we happened to walk past it and had to take a quick stop to check it out. I had seen many videos on YouTube about the horse guards and their routines and all and was excited to visit it one day, so it was really nice that we had to walk past it so we could take a quick look. We were lucky enough to catch a guard change the moment we arrived so that was a great experience to witness. Unfortunately, the horses were not there so that was very unfortunate but nonetheless our quick visit was enjoyable and we will hopefully be back again to visit the whole place and see the horses and garden as well.
乇Ⱡ Ꭾคɬróռ - 5 months ago
Be there before 11am to get a better place to record the parade. It's best to wait at the parade grounds if it's open as you get the best shots of them from there. The guards are available for photos, you just have to keep your distance. The horses can be violent at times so you have to be careful when taking your photos.
Akesse Sanza - 2 months ago
It was very nice experience. You can clearly see the warning signs of not to touch the horse and horse may be kick or bite. But if you stand outside of white line and take photo with the horse, there is no problem at all.
Panacea Yamin - 3 months ago
After I had visited the Horse Guards, I continued through the arch to the Horse Guards Parade. Though at the time of my visit there wasn’t any scheduled activities by the Royal Horse Guards, it was still wonderful to see all the architecture. I highly recommend checking it out when you visit London.
Riley C - a month ago
Directions
| Tube Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| Circle, District and Jubilee Line | Westminster | 7 Minutes |
| Northern and Bakerloo Line | Charing Cross | 7 MInutes |
How to get to Horse Guards Parade by Tube
From Charing Cross Station exit to Trafalger Square and exit the roundabout onto The Mall and then go south (left) on Horse Guards Road.
From Westminster Station take Exit 6 and go left out of the underpass, then go right on Great George Street and right onto Horse Guards Road.
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Accommodations near Horse Guards Parade:
Photo Gallery
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Photo Credit: string_bass_dave - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: David Guyler - cc license via Flickr -
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Photo Credit: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Leonard Bentley - cc license via Flickr
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