Fodor's Expert Review Wellington Barracks and The Guards Museum

These are the headquarters of the Guards Division, the King's five regiments of elite foot guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh), who protect the sovereign and, dressed in tunics of gold-purled scarlet and tall bearskin caps, patrol his palaces. Guardsmen alternate these ceremonial postings with serving in current conflicts, for which they wear more practical uniforms. Pass by first thing in the morning and you might spot the soldiers exercising in the yard. The Guards Museum has displays on all aspects of a guardsman's life in conflicts dating back to 1642. The Guards Chapel, the spiritual home of the Household Division, dates to 1962, the previous chapel having been destroyed during World War II.