Guide to the Best of Britain

Buckingham Palace

London is a city of villages that have been cobbled together and absorbed into the metropolis over time, so each neighborhood has an individual character. And, unlike New York, say, where a visitor probably wouldn’t travel from Manhattan to Queens and onward to Brooklyn, London is all about zipping between neighborhoods and the quantum leaps of style and sensibility that accompany a trip from Notting Hill to Soho and on to Knightsbridge.

The Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace is an extravagant display no visitor should miss. Once per day during the summer months, the Queen’s Guard (a company of soldiers who protect Buckingham Palace as well as other royal residences) exchanges duty with the first-shift Guard while marching to brilliant fanfare. The ceremony is typically performed in the late morning, so be sure to arrive early to get the best vantage point. You can even download an app to locate and learn more about Changing the Guard, complete with a checklist to identify the five regiments of footguards. For more information, visit www.royal.gov.uk.