Travel bucket list idea:
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Although founded officially in 1840, these renowned, UNESCO-listed botanical gardens have been around since the 1750s. They now showcase 30,000 species of plant over around 300 acres – and paired with Wakehurst in Sussex forms the largest botanical garden in the world.
It’s not just for visual enjoyment, there’s a strong conservation purpose here too. The gardens are a world leader in plant science and conservation. The Herbarium and Fungarium contain over 8 million preserved plant and fungal specimens from all over the world.
The Victorian Palm House is a centrepiece, alongside energy-efficient modern hothouses, an aquarium in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, and a raised treetop walkway (200m long and 18m high) through a woodland glade. Also look out for ‘The Hive’, a 17m-high, multi-sensory experience to highlight the extraordinary life of bees.
The gardens offer a year-round programme of tours and talks plus stunning site-specific art exhibitions – all adding up to a memorable, nature-inspired day out for anyone.
It’s a brilliant day out for kids – highly educational, with plenty of space for running around and secret tunnels for exploring. They’ll love The Hive and the raised walkway, but there’s also now a special children’s garden, an interactive space the size of 40 tennis courts. Next door is the ‘family kitchen’ serving kid-friendly meals.
Kew Gardens is 10 miles south of central London, an easy 20-minute journey by tube (District Line) or overground train. It’s a five-minute walk from Kew Gardens Station to the gardens’ Victoria Gate. The gardens have an excellent app guide for Android/iPhone (free).
For a tasty treat before or after your visit, try Maids of Honour, a bakery with a pie-making heritage stretching back to Henry VIII’s era, located just outside the Kew Gate.
The gardens are open all year, seven days a week. Opening hours usually run later at the weekend between April and August.
With 14,000 trees, Kew is perennially pretty, but spring (April-May) brings gorgeous displays of prunus blossom and flowering bulbs; autumn (September-October) blazed with a riot of maple, red oak and sweet gum.
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