Admission is included in the London Pass and is something like L11 otherwise. There is a discount for seniors (60+). The Palace is only open to visitors at a certain time during the year, since the Queen actually lives here. The 2001 opening was 8/4 through 9/30. You have to get your tickets in advance, because they are sold for a certain date and time (15-minute entry window). Sometimes that means that you get your ticket and go right in, and other times it means you have to come back the next day. Here you can see the gorgeous furniture, graceful statues, staircases, paintings and other things. You get to walk through rooms that are used for official functions. This is a fascinating place to visit. Photography and videotaping is not allowed inside. The Changing of the Guard ceremony also takes place here, at around 11 AM. There is a sign in front of the Palace that tells you when the next ceremony is going to be (they're usually held either daily or every other day). The ceremony is fun to watch, and includes a marching band and cavalry in full dress uniforms. Be sure to come early if you want to watch this, as huge crows gather around the fence and make it rather difficult to see. The plaza in front of the Palace has a large statue of Queen Victoria. There are beautiful flower beds all around the area. Go to http://www.royalresidences.com for more information.

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. You are able to tell when she is in residence by her personal standard on the flagpole which flies when she is home.

Originally this building was the London home of the Duke of Buckingham, hence the name, but it was bought by King George III and Queen Charlotte in 1762. It has been renovated several times over the past centuries with the East Front being built in 1847. That's the area which you would most likely see, being the side which faces the Mall.
Several areas are open to the public including the Royal Mews which houses the state carriages. One such one being the gold state coach used for coronations.
You might want to see the Changing of the Guard which takes place from April to July at 11:30 and on alternate days from August to March.

By all means stop by Buckingham Palace to see it (and to have a ready answer to EVERYONE who will ask you if you did). It's an impressive landmark with beautiful grounds and, of course, the famous changing of the guard. Beyond that, you can take a tour (roughly $16) at various times of the year and some people would probably enjoy that. There is some impressive art and it is an elegant place to be sure -- but our advice would be to go to a gallery, if you like art... For palace buffs, more info is available at: http://www.royalresidences.com The area around the palace is dotted with little tourist traps and souvenir shops. Grab a few post cards or a brass Big Ben, if you need one. The prices are no worse here than anywhere else.

I think everybody is familiar with the Queen's residence in England, also better known as the Buckingham Palace. No matter how many photos you have seen of this place, seeing it in person is amazing. It's a beautiful architectural structure, and the gardens surrounding it are amazingly green and very pleasant to take a walk around in. It is a lot of fun to sit by the fountain and watch the seemingly frozen guards safe keep the palace, and a fun place to come take pictures and stroll around. You can even take a guided tour of the castle.

Besides being the official London residence of the Queen, Buckingham Palace is also the busy administrative headquarters of the monarchy and has probably the most famous and easily recognisable façade of any building in the world. Although Buckingham Palace is furnished and decorated with priceless works of art that form part of the Royal Collection, one of the major art collections in the world today, it is not an art gallery, nor is it a museum. Its State Rooms form the nucleus of the working palace and are used regularly by the Queen and members of the Royal Family for official and state entertaining. Buckingham Palace is one of the world's most familiar buildings, and more than 50,000 people visit the palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions, and Royal Garden Parties.