A short guide to visiting Hampton Court Palace from London
The former home of King Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace is an opulent complex of chambers, chapels, halls and other buildings set alongside more than 60 acres of manicured English gardens.
It’s not only one of the best places to learn about two centuries of royal history in England, from the Tudors to the reign of King George II in the 18th century, but it’s beautiful enough to enjoy even if you’ve less interest in the Kings and Queens who called it home.
Dating back to 1515, when the former Lord Chancellor Thomas Wolsey started remodelling a country hall into a complex suitable for royal society, the Palace has undergone a huge amount of changes over subsequent centuries.
This is a quick guide to visiting Hampton Court Palace, including highlights of a visit, how long you’ll need to spend there, how to get there, and what to do nearby.
Highlights of the Palace buildings
My favourite part of Hampton Court is the most resplendent of the remaining buildings from the Tudor era, the Great Hall. Built in the early 1530s, it’s an imposing structure with a magnificent medieval-style roof. The Wolsey Closet, one of the very few features of Wolsey’s original palace to be maintained after his execution in 1530, is another must-see room.
Many other parts of the Palace are later additions, with much of the work carried out by Britain’s most famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren, who in 1689 was commissioned by King William III and Queen Mary II to redesign the Palace. Some of the original sketches for Wren’s redesign are kept at one of our favourite museums in London, John Soane’s museum in Holborn, but you can also find a few of them online here.
Wren’s contribution to Hampton Court includes the Chapel Royal, which contains a replica of King Henry VIII’s crown. It’s still possible to attend church services on Sundays in the Chapel Royal today; check the timings on the Chapel’s website for details.
The King’s staircase is another Wren design, leading to the King’s chambers. While the staircase was built in 1690, a year after King William III was proclaimed ruler of England, the murals adorning the walls were completed 12 years later by the Italian painter Antonio Verrio, who continued to live in the Palace until his death in 1707.
Highlights in the Palace grounds
If you enjoy looking round a carefully designed garden, you’ll be delighted to know there’s a carefully designed garden at the Palace. The best part is the view along the length of the Long Water, a 1,200m-long canal installed during the reign of Charles II. Liz and I were somewhat surprised to realise that the canal is outside the gated part of the Palace grounds, so you can only walk alongside it before entering or after leaving. It's also not possible to access the palace from next to the Long Water - the entrance to the park where the Long Water is is at the opposite end of the site to the main entrance to the palace and there's a fence between them, so you'll have to exit and walk all the way around if you want to go from one to the other.
There is a small maze, which you may enjoy wandering through for a few minutes before you leave, and there is a famous – sorry, world famous – grape vine in the grounds. More on that at the end of this blog.
There are also occasional events in the grounds of the Palace, from concerts to car shows to the Christmas Market and Ice Rink which appear for two weekends in December. Find out what’s coming up on the Palace’s website. Sadly, there don't seem to be any current plans for the return of the Hampton Court flower show.
Home Park and Bushy Park
Even better than the palace gardens, in my opinion at least, are Home Park and Bushy Park. Part of Henry VIII's old hunting grounds, they are still home to the descendants of the deer he had introduced while living at the Palace.
Quieter and more peaceful than nearby Richmond Park, Home Park is one of our favourite place to see deer in London. It’s also where you’ll be able to walk along the Long Water, spotting herons, swans, Egyptian geese, and other small waterfowl as you go.
In Bushy Park, which is just across the main road from Home Park, you’ll also find a woodland garden and the water garden. It’s well worth spending an hour or two walking through the parks before making your way back to wherever you are staying in London.
How much does it cost to visit Hampton Court?
Adult tickets to Hampton Court Palace cost £29, while tickets for children aged 5-15 are £14.50. We have been able to buy tickets at the palace on the day of our visit, but you might want to pre-book to guarantee you’ll be allowed in. For the busiest days – such as when the Christmas Market is being held – I would recommend pre-booking well in advance.
Visit the Hampton Court Palace Website and you will be encouraged to become a Historic Royal Palaces member. Membership covers entry to Hampton Court Palace, Tower of London, Kensington Palace and, surprisingly, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens in Northern Ireland.
Membership could save you money if you are also planning to see the Tower of London on your visit to London. It’s particularly worth looking into if you are travelling with children, as a family membership for two adults and up to six children costs £135, or £125 if you pay by annual recurring direct debit (available to UK residents and people living in the European Economic Area.
For adults without children, Membership is only worthwhile if you’re also planning to see Kensington Palace, as well as the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace - or if you're planning to make multiple visits to any of these places within a year. Membership is £75 for adults or £65 by annual direct debit payments. That compares to £66 for your single-entry tickets to the Tower and to Hampton Court.
How much time you need to spend at Hampton Court Palace
A visit to Hampton Court is a full day out, though how exactly you split your time up will depend on what interests you the most.
Liz and I love walking and seeing wildlife, so we spent quite a long time in Home Park admiring the deer, the waterfowl on the ponds and the Long Water, and just aimlessly strolling along the paths in the sunshine this summer.
We’re both from the UK, have both seen our fair share of historic old buildings and know a little about Tudor history, so we spent less time inside the Palace and its gardens than I’d expect a visitor from another country might want to spend there. We were in and out within about three hours, but most people will want to stay a little longer.
If you love architecture, history, or you’re just extremely keen to get to see as many things to do with British royalty past and present while you’re visiting, I’d arrive at the Palace at opening time and then walk through Home Park afterwards with whatever time you have left in your day.
Is visiting Hampton Court Palace worth the money?
If you like looking at beautiful old buildings and learning a little bit about history, yes. If you think you might only want to spend an hour or two quickly walking around the buildings and the grounds, perhaps you might want to put your money to other use.
Like many places in and around London, tickets feel a little overpriced. But Liz and I enjoyed our most recent visit enough that we still felt glad to have gone, despite our wallets being a bit lighter than they were at the start of the day.
How to get to Hampton Court Palace from London
Before I tell you how to get to Hampton Court Palace, the most important thing to know is how not to get there. Do not decide to walk through Home Park and assume you will find an entrance at the rear of the Palace – you will have to walk back where you came from and do the same journey as everyone else.
Now that’s out of the way, the closest train station to Hampton Court Palace is… Hampton Court. If the station is closed for any reason, as we found on our most recent visit, you will likely be able to take a train to Hampton Wick station instead, before getting on the 111, 216, 411 or 416 bus services to the Palace.
If you’re visiting London from overseas or elsewhere in the UK, we recommend you download the TfL Go or Citymapper app to help plan your journeys while in London. You can read more about using public transport in London in our comprehensive guide.
You can find helpful directions on how to get to Hampton Court Palace online, along with up-to-date information on ticket prices. We spent most of an afternoon at the Palace and in its grounds; if you’re very interested in the history of English royalty, or if you’ve never been to an old palace before, I think you could spend longer there. The usual opening hours are 10am-5.30pm.
If you want to take a more scenic route to the Palace, and if you have a bike, consider starting in Putney and following the Thames Path through Richmond Park and Barnes Common. More details are available on the WalkWheelCycleTrust website.
Help, I cannot visit a palace on an empty stomach.
I understand and I am here for you.
If you’re looking for a place to get breakfast before opening time or if you're just looking for restaurants near Hampton Court Palace, we would recommend taking the train from Hampton Wick to Teddington, just four minutes away. A short walk from Teddington station is Gosia’s, a family-run Polish restaurant and café which serves gigantic portions of food at very reasonable prices. Their cakes are great too.
About the Great Grape Vine
I like plants. I’m a plant guy. I was a plant guy before the pandemic gave me so many spare hours to spend in the garden during lockdowns, and I still am today.
On some level, I know that the ‘Great Vine’, the world's oldest living grape vine planted by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown all the way back in 1768, must be very interesting and the product of countless hours of work to train it care for it over the past 250 years.
Sadly, on all the other levels, it’s just a grape vine on a big metal frame to me.
If you, however, find your heart racing at the thought of such horticultural history, this site has all the details. Enjoy!
Comments