Hampton Court Palace Entrance Ticket
Description
Hampton Court Palace is a tale of two palaces: a grand Tudor palace originally built by Cardinal Wolsey before being developed by Henry VIII. Dovetailing with the Tudor splendour is the Baroque palace designed by Sir Christopher Wren for William III and Mary II in the 17th century. Visitors can immerse themselves in the vast Tudor Kitchens where Henry VIII's banquets were prepared. Climb the stairs into the magnificent Great Hall and Tudor State Apartments, gaze down to the Chapel Royal from the Royal Pew. Venture into the enormous Queen's State Apartments in the Georgian Palace and finish in the 17th Century in William III's Baroque masterpiece, overlooking the splendid gardens.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Flamboyant Henry VIII is most associated with this majestic palace, which he extended and developed after acquiring it in the 1520s. The palace's many royal occupants have ensured the palace has fabulous furnishings, tapestries and paintings. It is set in beautiful formal gardens, which include the famous maze and the Great Vine. Hampton Court has a designated Family Room, where parents and young children are invited to take a rest from the bustle of the palace. The play equipment is suitable for children aged under five. Family Trails guiding children around the palace are available at the Information Center. The palace is pushchair friendly and a lift is available if you'd like to access the upper floor without using the stairs. Hampton Court is just half an hour from Central London by direct train and is a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon out of the city! At least three hours is recommended for your visit to Hampton Court. Do you want to visit more Royal sites? Upgrade to the Royal Palaces Pass, including the Tower of London, Hampton Court and Kensington Palace. Your pass comprehends one visit to each attraction and is valid for two years. You'll have plenty of time to explore the stories and intrigues at each site at your leisure, as part of you own itinerary. -------------------- ITINERARY -------------------- Things to See and Do Palace Gardens:There are over 60 acres of gardens to explore at Hampton Court including the Maze, the Great Vine and the recently restored Privy Garden. Courtyards and Cloisters: The buildings of Hampton Court Palace cover 6 acres and there are many courtyards and cloisters to explore. Henry VIII'S State Apartments: Henry VIII was Hampton Court's first royal owner, and his magnificent public rooms still survive today. The Tudor Kitchens: If you can stand the heat, come into the new Tudor kitchens! Real smells, sounds and huge roasting fires will give you a taste of Tudor life. The King's Apartments: King William III's Apartments are some of the finest and most important Baroque state apartments in the world. The Queen's State Apartments: These rooms took 30 years to complete and represent a wide range of styles. Some of the most spectacular interiors in the palace can be found here. Costumed Guides Every day there are free tours and presentations by costumed guides in the State Apartments. Learn about life at court and the colorful characters who lived here.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note: Once the lead passenger name has been added this cannot be changed. Please bring a form of identification that matches the Lead Traveller name on your ticket, with you on the day of your visit, as this may be checked before entry is allowed
- Please note: ticket is valid for entry on the day of purchase only
Reviews(577)
Take A full day to experience all the palace and gardens. Although we had no children in our party, they had plenty to engage the youngsters
Haven't visited for decades, have a girlfriend over from USA, paid almost £30 each that DOESN'Teven include parking.Found the commentary gadgets hard to navigate, corny acting staff & Beano comic sponsored paraphernalia everywhere.Limited food was offered for sale at a higher than normal price.
Stunning palace and gardens, well maintained and looked after, we had lunch in the gardens then toured the palace and its history
Such a fun day! I hadn’t been there since I was a child and was so happy to share the experience with family visiting from another country. The audio tour was free with admission and very good—you can tailor it to be as detailed as you want because you get an overview of each stop and then the option to get more detailed (i think the people saying it took them 5-6 hours may have been doing all the details because it didn’t take us that long, more like 2-3 hours). Many other families had brought picnic lunches and were enjoying them on the lawn—we hadn’t thought to do that and were jealous! We did have a lovely lunch at a Colombian cafe nearby, Canela Cafe, where the food was good and the people were even better than the food—so so nice!!
Lots of history and lots to discover/learn. Everything is well maintained and the staff very friendly. Downside: the map is pretty useless and parking a big issue and expensive once you find a space.
Hampton Court is a great place to visit with lots of history.. we visited on a relatively ‘quiet’ day ( no queues apart from for refreshments) and the rooms weren’t too crowded. We used the audio guide which I highly recommend however they need to improve the headsets as mine sometimes didn’t work at all or mostly worked only in one ear. This appeared to be due to the cable connector..As I have a hearing impairment I did struggle to hear it even with the volume on loud. There are plenty of resting places within the rooms which, when you can easily spend about 5 -6 hours looking round , are really needed.. I do recommend this place but be aware of the drawbacks; Food and drink is incredibly costly and the cafes /kiosks very busy so you’re better off taking your own and sitting in the grounds/gardens. Parking is in addition to ticket cost ( ours was £9 for 5 hours) which on top of £29 a ticket can make it an expensive day out but you pay on leaving so at least you don’t have the stress of worrying your ticket will run out.. and there is no set or clear route to see everything so make sure you get a free map and see the bits you want to see in no particular order… it would have also bern nice if it was clearer which bits were the original Tudor building and which was Georgian etc.. Lastly, my only criticism is the Beano themed stuff.. I appreciate it’s the holidays and it’s for the kids but it did spoil the historic atmosphere of some displays.. ( the Pewter room for example) .. I just wish it could have been a separate element rather than placed in with the heritage bits..
Such a lovely day. We took the train (past Wimbledon on the tournament final!) to the Palace and lucky us, it was joust day, so full of families and kids but also full of fun. The joust and falcons were fun. The grounds are great, lots of available shade and so many baby swans and ducks in July! The palace is cool, not as ornate as others but still a great sense of what life would have been like. We spent 5 hours here before taking a river cruise down to Richmond.
We had a great time - parking was easy on site and everywhere was within a short walking distance. The exhibits were superb and we saw the Indoor Tennis Court being used! Despite the hot weather and the fact that a lot of the garden was parched, we still saw some wonderful floral specimens. Food was great too - we spent around four and a half hours exploring and had a great day!
As a history lover, it was an enjoyable way to spend the day. The audioguides had the perfect amount of information with the ability to delve deeper in to things like architecture, but short enough to not be stuck in one section for too long. The tour felt interactive, particularly during the Tudor era, so perfect for children. There was plenty of helpful staff around to help us understand where to begin first, but it would have been better if there were recommended routes on the maps and better signage. Additionally, there were only 2 café’s which were both extortionately priced.
We booked our entry tickets through TripAdvisor but made our own way to the palace—and this is definitely the way to do it! Take the direct train from London Waterloo on the Hampton Court line (departing every 30 minutes), then enjoy an easy 5-minute walk from the station to the palace. Our ticket included an audio guide, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Hampton Court Palace beautifully showcases two distinct architectural styles: the original Tudor palace built for Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII, alongside the magnificent Baroque palace commissioned by William III and Mary II. It really gives you a wonderful sense of how the palace evolved over different periods of English history. It was a hot day, but there were plenty of shaded areas and benches to stop and rest. We spent about four hours exploring the palace and gardens, and it made for a truly lovely day.
