Buckingham Palace

The actual working palace of the British Royal Family, with 775 rooms sprawling behind that familiar grey facade. When the State Rooms open in summer, you're walking through spaces where actual state dinners happen - the Blue Drawing Room still smells faintly of furniture polish, and the Grand Staircase's gilt bronze balustrade catches your sleeve as you climb past portraits of dead monarchs.

The visit follows a set audio-guided route through about 19 rooms, taking roughly 90 minutes if you don't dawdle. The Throne Room feels smaller than expected, while the Picture Gallery stretches endlessly with Canalettos lining the walls. The White Drawing Room's hidden door (disguised as a mirror and bookcase) genuinely surprises, and you exit through the massive Marble Hall where the acoustics make every footstep echo.

Most visitors rush through to tick a box, but the details reward attention - look for the intricate ceiling work in the Music Room and the way afternoon light hits the silk wall coverings in the Green Drawing Room around 2 PM. Skip the garden cafe (overpriced sandwiches) but don't skip the final room displaying rotating exhibitions of royal collection pieces. The Changing of the Guard is legitimately impressive but wildly overcrowded; the State Rooms visit is the better experience.