no alt text

Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 15 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Sarah Barrell

A Tudor royal pleasure palace set in 60 acres of gorgeous formal gardens and 750 acres of parkland. Anyone with the remotest interest in English history will get a kick out of exploring this sprawling Tudor and Baroque estate, where the infamous Henry VIII lived, loved and held lavish banquets.

Navigating the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze, commissioned around 1700, is something of a rite of passage for British kids, with families often opting to visit the gardens alone (maze-only tickets are available). But don’t miss the Great Hall and royal apartments, the elaborate dome in the Chapel Royal or the gallery – reputedly haunted by Henry’s fated fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

You can also play Mary Poppins with a walk on the palace roof, on guided summertime tours that take in the intricate brickwork and chimneys and give VIP views of the estate.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price from: £25
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 4+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Allow around three hours to explore the palace. The site is a 15-minute train ride from London Waterloo. Riverboats https://www.thamesriverboats.co.uk/ run from Westminster, Richmond-upon-Thames and Kingston-upon-Thames (April to October); the journey from Westminster takes three hours.

Audio guides to different parts of the estate are available, included in the ticket price – four of these are specially tailored for children (over 6). Costumed ‘courtiers’ offer free guided tours, leaving regularly from inside the palace. For food, you’ll find two cafés with a Tudor vibe and modern food. Picnics are allowed in the grounds.

When to do it

Since Hampton Court is as much about its manicured gardens, maze and riverside location as its interior, outdoorsy spring and summer suit it best. But it’s open all year round, seven days a week.

Busy holiday seasons – Christmas and Easter – often come with special events and decoration, and the palace is big enough to accommodate the crowds. An ice rink is added in December and January, too.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Hampton Court Palace Grounds Bike Tour

Hampton Court Palace Grounds Bike Tour

London

On this 3-hour small-group bike tour around the area surrounding Hampton Court Palace, you will be picked up by the guide from the Palace to...

£30 | Rating 4.97 / 5 [38 ratings]

Website >

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Hampton Court Palace private tour with an accredited expert guide

Hampton Court Palace private tour with an accredited expert guide

London

We will walk in the footsteps of kings and queens where history happened, from Henry VIII through to George II; see the magnificent State Ap...

£140 | Rating 5 / 5 [32 ratings]

Website >

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Hampton Court Palace Private Tour - Secrets of Henry VIII

Hampton Court Palace Private Tour - Secrets of Henry VIII

London

You can book palace entry tickets in advance on the Hampton Court website. Tours are non-costume and can be adapted for children, giving the...

£160 | Rating 4.97 / 5 [39 ratings]

Website >

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Hampton Court Palace 3hr tour: Henry VIII's & William III's intriguing Palaces

Hampton Court Palace 3hr tour: Henry VIII's & William III's intriguing Palaces

London

Hampton Court Palace, the home of England's most notorious king Henry VIII, has tales of ghosts, executions and his six wives!  Perfect if y...

£179 | Rating 4.97 / 5 [36 ratings]

Website >

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Richmond Harbour Hotel

London, United Kingdom (UK)

A colourful and stylish ‘countryside retreat’ atop leafy Richmond Hill, overlooking the Thames and just 20 minutes from the city centre. Kew Gardens and Hampton Court are virtually next door.

Official star rating:

Bingham Riverhouse

London, United Kingdom (UK)

A lovely, tranquil retreat for those who want to dip in and out of central London. Richmond Park, Hampton Court and The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are on your doorstep.

Official star rating:

Number Sixteen

London, United Kingdom (UK)

Dazzling design and local colour abound at this intimate, under-the-radar bolthole in a convenient, upmarket location.

Official star rating:

Sydney House

London, United Kingdom (UK)

A value-for-money Georgian townhouse hotel that offers a pleasingly tranquil feel, set on a refined residential street in the heart of Chelsea.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

London

Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)

World-class culture, fashion, music, food and history – and a mind-boggling array of bucket list experiences – packed into one extraordinary, incomparable destination. 

Website >
Overview >

Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Mercedez-Benz World

Weybridge, Surrey, United Kingdom (UK)

A great day out for car enthusiasts, with Mercedez-Benz cars dating back 100 years, driving displays, F1 and Concorde simulators and racing experiences.

Best for ages: 5+ | Free | 5 hours

Natural History Museum

London, United Kingdom (UK)

Dinosaur skeletons, blue whales and chunks of meteorite set in a Romanesque, cathedral-like building – the world’s biggest and best such museum is a treasure trove of natural history.

Best for ages: 4+ | Free

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Richmond Park

London, United Kingdom (UK)

Charles I’s deer-roamed royal park that remains little changed since the Middle Ages. Woodland, grassland, and cycleways make for a rural treat of a city retreat.

Best for ages: 4+ | Free

Happy and excited adults and children on Scorpion Express. It is a mine train themed roller coaster. Screaming, laughing and enjoying ride.
Experience

Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington, Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)

One of Britain’s best adventure parks, boasting thrilling rides, a sea life centre and an impressive zoo.

Best for ages: 4+ | £30 | 1 day

Website >
Overview >
Silhouette of people having fun on a roller-coaster in an amusement park at a golden pink and blue sunset
Experience

Thorpe Park

Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom (UK)

The UK’s second biggest theme park (behind Alton Towers). Main attractions include The Colossus, Nemesis and Inferno rollercoasters and the UK’s fastest rollercoaster Stealth.

Best for ages: 4+ | £35 | 12 hours

Website >
Overview >

Royal Academy of Arts

London, United Kingdom (UK)

An 18th-century mansion of masterpieces sitting pretty on Piccadilly, home to one of Britain’s oldest collections of fine art and regular blockbuster exhibitions.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

Round-ups that include this experience

101 World’s greatest historic buildings

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.

Website >
Overview >

15 Great palaces you can stay in

Multiple countries

A Sultan’s palace in Istanbul, a royal palace in Vienna, a Moghul fort-palace in India – authentic palace stays offer a taste of royal and aristocratic life from bygone eras. Here’s our round-up of 15 of the best.

Website >
Overview >