Bucket list experience:
Birthplace of Winston Churchill, UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2,000 acres of Capability Brown-designed gardens, a gargantuan palace dating back to the early 18th-century – Blenheim is almost bewilderingly rich in heritage.
This Baroque beauty was built as a gift to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, from Queen Anne and a grateful nation in thanks for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim on 13th August 1704. Passed on down through the generations, it’s now home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family.
The Palace holds spectacular collections of art, furniture and porcelain, housed in ornate, grand state rooms. Alongside, there’s a new, interactive exhibition dedicated to Winston Churchill – and you can also see the tiny room where he was born.
There are several themed tours on offer – of the Marlborough’s private apartments, of the ‘downstairs’ where the servants worked (ala Downtown Abbey), buggy tours of the formal gardens, and of the stables – offering a deeper insight into life here in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the Walled Garden you’ll find the ‘Marlborough Maze’ – two miles of hundreds of yew trees to get lost in. When (if?) you find your way to the centre and out again, pop next door to the tropical Butterfly House to see butterflies from all around the world (and a few zebra finches).
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Destination Guide >Blenheim is just outside Oxford, about a 1.5-hour drive from London, up the M40. Trains leave from London Paddington and Marylebone for Bicester, which is a short taxi ride from Blenheim (taxi rank at the station).
Pre-booking tickets is advisable but not essential. Themed tours must be booked in advance via the website.
You can download an app on site containing an audio tour, for fascinating insights into the history of the grandest rooms and must-see artefacts, told by expert historians (but don’t forget to take your own headphones).
The Palace is open daily from mid-February until early November, then only on Wednesday to Sunday until mid-December. It closes in January.
On many Sundays during the year they hold live organ recitals on the famous on the famous Henry Willis organ. The website doesn’t show dates, so contact them for more details. There’s also a wonderfully atmospheric Christmas Market here, from mid-November through mid-December, with over 70 art and craft stalls.
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[10.9 miles]
A classically-styled hotel in an elegant Victorian mansion, with an award-winning restaurant.
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Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[11.4 miles]
History and style combine at this elegant hotel and restaurant. Art-filled and centrally located, it’s the perfect romantic escape.
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Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[11.7 miles]
A super-chic small boutique hotel with rooms above the best steak house in the city.
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Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[12.1 miles]
A charming B&B in a 16th-century townhouse, right in the heart of the city centre and close to all the main sights.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)
One of Britain’s most beautiful and historic cities, graced by heartstopping architecture and home to the world’s second-oldest university.
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Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[11.7 miles]
An extraordinary array of 7 million exhibits from the natural world, including the world-famous ‘skeleton parade’, housed in one of the country’s finest Victorian Gothic buildings.
Best for ages: 6+ | Free
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[11.8 miles]
A world-class collection of art and architecture in the heart of Oxford that ranges across 3,000 years of history, with Egyptian rooms to rival those of the British Museum.
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Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[12.1 miles]
Oxford’s extraordinarily beautiful colleges have housed everyone from prime ministers to presidents, and pair centuries of British history with spectacular architecture.
Best for ages: 13+ | £3
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[12.7 miles]
Glide along the Cherwell in a traditional punt, and take in the spectacular architecture of Oxford’s iconic colleges from the tranquillity of the river.
Best for ages: 6+ | £16 | 1+ hours
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Bicester, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[9 miles]
Owned by the same family since 1635, Rousham is a gloriously untouched garden, free of commercialisation, still very much as originally designed by famous 18th-century gardener William Kent.
Best for ages: 18+ | £8
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[11.7 miles]
An overwhelming array of archaeological and ethnographic finds from all over the world, with over half a million objects alongside early photographic and sound archives.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[12 miles]
An imposing, partly-ruined Norman castle, kids will love exploring the 18th-century prison cells, the candlelit crypt, and the climb up St George’s Tower (101 steps) gives wonderful views across the city.
Best for ages: 13+ | £15
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)[12.1 miles]
An extraordinary collection of scientific instruments and artefacts, dating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, with highlights including Einstein’s blackboard and a Roman disc sundial.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Round-ups that include this experience
Multiple countries
The great civilisations of the past have left a legacy of constructions that still stand out and inspire. Built without the wonders of 20th-century technology, many are also monumental feats of engineering; others offer such grace and beauty, that they’ll literally take your breath away.
