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FAQs for groups

Booking information

Tours and guiding

  • Are multimedia tours and guidebooks available for groups?

    Multimedia tours are included in the admission price at all residences, apart from Frogmore House and Clarence House, where guided tours are provided. They do not need to be pre-booked. 

  • Are guidebooks available?

    Guidebooks are available for Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle in English, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin and Russian.

    Guidebooks are available for Palace of Holyroodhouse in English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese Mandarin.

    English guidebooks are available for the Royal Mews, Clarence House and Frogmore House.

  • Can I guide my group?

    At all locations, only Royal Collection Trust-authorised Blue Badge Guides are permitted to guide in designated areas at selected residences. No guiding is permitted inside the buildings. For further information relating to guiding please visit the Information for Groups page for each residence.

  • Can my group have a private tour?

    Private tours and special visits are now available, more details can be found in the Group Visits & Private Tours brochure.

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How to get there

  • Is coach parking available?

    London residences: There is no coach parking near Buckingham Palace, The King’s Gallery, the Royal Mews or Clarence House. For Buckingham Palace, coaches can pick up passengers after they exit the Palace on Grosvenor Place. Please note that there is a strict 'no waiting' policy in place so coaches cannot linger in this areas. For the remaining sites, once your booking is confirmed we will advise the nearest set down and pick up points. Further information on coach parking is available on from Transport for London.

    Windsor residences: Coach parking is available on Alma Road in the town centre and is clearly signed from all approach routes. A lift takes visitors from the Coach Park to Windsor Royal Station, a 5– to 10-minute walk to the Castle entrance. Coaches cannot set down or pick up passengers at the entrance to Windsor Castle. Free coach parking for Frogmore House is accessible via Shaw Farm Gate.

    Edinburgh residences: Free coach parking is available adjacent to the Palace, accessible via Abbeyhill. Coach drivers must remain with the vehicle for the duration of the visit. Please note that coach parking is limited only to those groups seeking paid admission to the Palace or The King's Gallery.

    Maps of coach parking and passenger set down and pick up areas can be found on the Visiting in a group pages for each residence and in the Planning a Visit page of the Groups Visits & Private Tours Brochure

  • Can I get there by public transport?

    All sites, except Frogmore House, are easily accessible by public transport. For full details, please see the Map & direction pages for each residence under Visits

Visitor facilities

  • Are refreshments available?

    London residences: During the Summer Opening of the State Rooms, a selection of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes and ice cream, available in the Garden Café. The cafe is only accessible after a visit to the State Rooms. Groups are welcome, but tables cannot be reserved in advance.

    No refreshment facilities are available at the Royal Mews or The King's Gallery.

    Windsor residences: At the Castle, the Undercroft Café offers freshly prepared meals, including sandwiches, wraps and salads. Canned water is also available at the Castle shops. 

    No refreshment facilities are available at Frogmore House.

    Edinburgh residences: Café at the Palace offers a range of hot and cold refreshments and lunch. Groups can reserve a table or pre-order take-away food. Dietary requirements for special and private tours should be communicated in advance. Please telephone +44(0)131 652 3685 for further details. 

  • Are shopping facilities available?

    A wide range of exclusive merchandise, exhibition catalogues and books about the royal residences and the Royal Collection are available from this website and Royal Collection Trust shops at each location.

Group organiser resources

Future Programme

  • What is Future Programme?

    From 2017 - 2020, a series of projects at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse delivered major improvements to the visitor experience at the two Palaces. The developments have changed the way visitors are welcomed to the Palaces and how the buildings are interpreted, created new Learning Centres and visitor facilities, and opened up new spaces.  You can find out more about Future Programme here.

  • When will work begin and how long will work take?

    Work began in 2017 and was completed in 2020. At Windsor Castle, George IV's Inner Hall has been opened up and restored for its original use as an entrance hall. The medieval Undercroft has been transformed into the Castle's first permanent café. A new interpretation space has been created to tell the story of Windsor and its development over 1,000 years, and a choice of routes through the Castle has been introduced. The Visitor Entrance and Ticket Hall has been enlarged and reconfigured, providing faster and more efficient admission to the Castle, and visitor facilities and step-free access throughout the Castle has been improved and, at the very start of a visit.


    For visitors to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, there is a new ticketing and welcome area, and visitor facilities and step-free access have been improved. The display of the Royal Collection at the Palace has been refreshed, and there is a greater focus on telling the stories of Holyrood's former residents, including Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, and of the use of the Palace today. A new public garden has been created, with seasonal planting.

  • Is the Windsor Castle Admissions Hall part of Future Programme?

    The Visitor Entrance and Ticket Hall at Windsor Castle has been enlarged and reconfigured to create a faster and more efficient entrance to the Castle for all visitors.