Kensington Palace Entrance Ticket with Audio Guide
What happens, in order
- Show your ticket at the palace gate
- Collect the included multimedia audio guide
- The King's Grand Staircase and the Cupola Room
- The King's State Apartments
- The Last Princesses of Punjab exhibition
From $25 per person
- DurationValid one day
- At the palaceAbout 90 minutes inside the palace apartments
- Departs fromKensington Palace gate, Kensington Gardens
- Palace entryEntry included
- OperatorHistoric Royal Palaces
- CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
Sold by the palace itself
Historic Royal Palaces runs the building and sells this admission directly.
The guide costs nothing extra
Nine languages plus British Sign Language, recorded by the palace's own curators.
The Jewel Room is included
Victoria's emerald parure and the Fife tiara, open all year.
Skip the ticket-office queue
Present your ticket at the gate and walk in.
Ninety minutes, at your pace
Long enough to read the rooms, short enough to finish them.
Free cancellation to 24 hours
The date can move at no cost if your plans do.
What the palace's own ticket buys you
This is admission sold by Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that runs the building, rather than by a tour company. That matters in one practical way: nothing is held back for an upgrade. The King's State Apartments, Victoria's childhood rooms, the Jewel Room and whichever exhibition is running are all on the same ticket, and so is the handset that takes you round them.
Allow about ninety minutes inside. That is Historic Royal Palaces' own figure and it is honest — this is a compact palace, and you can finish it rather than being defeated by it.
The handset, and why it replaces a guide here
No operator is permitted to guide you through the State Apartments. Historic Royal Palaces does not allow commentary inside, which is why every guided tour of this palace ends at the door. What replaces the guide is the multimedia guide included in this price, running in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish and British Sign Language.
Travellers rate it without being asked to. The one thing it cannot do is answer a question, and the room stewards standing in the apartments can — more visitors praise them in their feedback than praise anything else about the day. Ask them something.
What you walk through, in order
Up the King's Grand Staircase first, where William Kent painted George I's household leaning over a balustrade that is not there. Then the Cupola Room with Charles Clay's musical clock at its centre, then the King's Gallery, ninety-six feet of crimson damask with a working 1694 wind dial above the chimneypiece. After that Victoria's rooms, the Jewel Room, and the exhibition. What you see inside takes each of them properly.
What is closed until spring 2027
The Queen's State Apartments — Mary II's side of the palace — closed on 15 June 2026 for conservation and re-presentation. The listing for this ticket still names them among its highlights. Everything else is open, and the King's side with the Jewel Room and Victoria's rooms remains a comfortable ninety minutes.
Who this suits
Book this if
You want the rooms and are happy to take them at your own pace. It is the cheapest way through the gate, the guide is already in the price, and there is no group to keep up with. It is also the right choice with small children, because you can leave whenever they have had enough.
Book something else if
You want the gardens explained and a table waiting at the Orangery. Neither is part of this ticket. The Kensington Palace Gardens Royal High Tea is the version of the day with a guide in it, and afternoon tea tours compares every table.
Know before you go
- Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Book Wednesday to Sunday, and use a closed day for the park instead — Kensington Gardens is free and open every day of the year.
- Bring photo identification. The lead traveller's name is checked at the gate. Photograph your booking as well so it loads without signal.
- Valid on the day you booked. Not transferable to another date, though free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead means the date itself can move.
- No large bags. Luggage is refused and there are bag searches at the entrance. There is no left luggage on site.
- Last admission is an hour before closing. Three o'clock in winter, five in summer. Plan your visit has both timetables.
- Come at ten if you can. The first hour is the emptiest the King's State Apartments get in any month of the year.
Kensington Palace tour sets this against every other way in, with the group cap and the access notes on each card.
What the fare covers, and what it does not
- ✓ Entry to Kensington Palace
- ✓ The Last Princesses of Punjab exhibition (26 March to 8 November 2026)
- ✓ Audio guide
- ✓ Skip-the-line access
- —
What travellers said about this trip
“Quiet enough to take our time, plenty of detail on the handset, and photographs are allowed, which was not the case at the other palace we did that week.”
Emma · Australia · Couple · July 2026
“Well organised, and the staff standing in the rooms answered things the recording did not. Ask them questions — that was the best part of our visit.”
Tim · United States · Couple · July 2026
“Good value with children, a decent cafe afterwards, and swans in the gardens on the way out. The self-guided pace suited a family that does not queue well.”
Jessica · United States · Family · July 2026
“We came for Diana and found the rooms are mostly about Victoria's childhood. Still a beautiful building, and the Orangery is worth the walk round.”
Willem · Netherlands · Couple · August 2026
“Not a large palace, but you get a real piece of the monarchy's story in it, and it took us a little over an hour at a comfortable pace.”
Simone · Italy · Couple · June 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the multimedia guide really included?
Yes, at no extra charge, in nine languages plus British Sign Language. The curators and conservators who look after the building recorded it, and the King's State Apartments section alone runs about twenty-five minutes.
Does this include the Jewel Room?
It does, and the Jewel Room is open all year. Queen Victoria's emerald tiara, the matching necklace and earrings, the Fife tiara and Princess Louise's diamond kokoshnik are all in it, with nothing extra to pay.
What does skip-the-line mean here?
You present your ticket at the gate and go in rather than joining the queue at the ticket office. On a summer weekend that is the difference between arriving and waiting.
Which days can I use it?
Wednesday to Sunday, on the date you book. The palace is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 24 to 26 December, so pick your slot accordingly.
What if I want somebody to answer questions?
Then this is not the right booking. A guided walk gives you the gardens told out loud and a person to ask — see the Kensington Palace Gardens Royal High Tea, which adds palace entry at checkout.
Is it suitable for children?
Very. Under-fives go free, the whole route takes about ninety minutes, and the Diana Memorial Playground is a few minutes away in the park.
Do I need to bring anything?
Photo identification matching the lead traveller's name, because it is checked at the gate. Leave luggage and large bags behind; there is no left luggage on site.
See the King's State Apartments at your own pace
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before you go on this booking, so a change of plan costs nothing.
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