Hampton Court Palace Tickets

Hampton Court Palace is a Tudor royal palace in Richmond upon Thames, famous for its connection to Henry VIII, the Great Hall and the famous maze. It suits families, history lovers and anyone wanting a full day out beyond central London. Allow several hours.

What Is The Palace Known For?

Hampton Court Palace is best known for its Great Hall, the soaring timber-roofed banqueting hall built for Henry VIII, and its famous hedge maze in the gardens. The palace combines Tudor state rooms with later baroque wings, set in extensive grounds beside the River Thames in Richmond upon Thames. It is one of Britain's most visited historic royal palaces.

The Great Hall is the room people remember. It is the largest medieval-style hall ever built for an English monarch, with a hammerbeam roof carved from oak and walls hung with Abraham paintings commissioned by Henry VIII. Walking through it gives the clearest sense anywhere in London of Tudor royal display, the sort of space where courtiers, musicians and ministers would have gathered while the king dined in state. The hall sits at the heart of the Tudor route through the palace, which also takes in the Great Kitchen, the Haunted Gallery and the Chapel Royal.

The maze is the second star. Planted in the late seventeenth century for William III and Mary II, it covers roughly a third of an acre of yew hedging, and it still defeats plenty of adults. It sits inside the larger gardens, which include the Privy Garden, the Pond Gardens and long riverside walks. Between the maze, the Great Hall and the kitchens, the palace delivers a genuinely varied day rather than a single exhibit.

Henry VIII dominates the story. He took the palace from Cardinal Wolsey in the 1520s and expanded it into one of the most impressive residences in England, the setting for key moments in his reign and the Tudor court's entertainment. Later monarchs left their mark too: William and Mary commissioned Christopher Wren to rebuild whole wings in the baroque style, which is why the palace today has two distinct architectural faces. The official Historic Royal Palaces page covers the current visitor routes in detail.

What You Actually See Inside

Inside, you follow routes through Henry VIII's Tudor state apartments, including the Great Hall, the Great Watching Chamber and the vast Tudor kitchens, then cross into the baroque King's and Queen's State Apartments designed under Wren. Add the Chapel Royal, the Haunted Gallery, costumed interpretation and the gardens with the maze. Everything is included with standard admission.

The Tudor side is the emotional core. The Great Watching Chamber, where courtiers waited for an audience with the king, still carries its ceiling painted by Holbein's workshop. The kitchens are a surprise for many visitors: they were built to feed a court of several hundred, and the working displays of roasting spits and copper pans give a vivid picture of Tudor catering at industrial scale. Costumed guides appear throughout the year, and on event days there may be jousting, cooking demonstrations or Tudor music in the courtyards.

Cross the Fountain Court and the mood changes completely. The baroque apartments of William III, with their painted staircases, gilded detailing and perspective views, show royal display a century and a half later. The Chapel Royal, used continuously for centuries, has a stunning vaulted ceiling. The Haunted Gallery, said to be haunted by Catherine Howard, is one of the palace's most retold legends, whether or not you believe it.

Outside, the gardens reward as much time as you can give them. The Privy Garden has been restored to its 1702 appearance, the Pond Gardens are beautiful in summer, and the Broad Walk runs beside the great Long Water. The Great Vine, planted in the 18th century and still fruiting, is one of the largest grapevines in the world. The Home Park stretches beyond, and the riverside setting makes the palace a rare historic attraction that feels green and open rather than hemmed in.

Tickets, Prices And What They Cover

Standard adult admission is £29 off-peak, rising to £32 at peak times until 27 November 2026, with prices rising from 28 November 2026. Children aged 5 to 15 pay £14.50 off-peak or £16 peak, and under-5s go free. Advance online booking is recommended, though it is not compulsory. Concession prices are on the listing.

One ticket covers the palace interiors, the gardens and the maze. There is no separate charge for the maze or the main routes, so the standard admission genuinely is the full experience price. Timed entry means you choose a slot when booking: you arrive within that window, and once inside you can stay until closing. Slots can fill up for weekends, school holidays and event days, which is why booking ahead rather than turning up on spec is the sensible move, and you can secure your slot through the booking panel on this page before you travel.

The peak pricing applies on the busiest dates, so if your visit is flexible an off-peak weekday is both cheaper and quieter. Family tickets and other combined options may be available; check the current price on the museum's own site for anything beyond the standard figures below. Optional donation amounts are separate from the standard prices shown here.

For context on how it fits a London itinerary, it sits in a similar historic category to the Tower of London and Kensington Palace, both also run under the Historic Royal Palaces umbrella. If you plan to visit more than one, look at membership or combination options on the official site before booking individually.

How Long To Allow And When To Go

Allow at least half a day for the palace and gardens, with a full day the realistic figure if you want the Tudor apartments, the baroque wings, the maze and the gardens at a proper pace. Timed entry means you should arrive for your slot with margin to spare. Spring to autumn shows the gardens at their best, though the interiors are an all-year attraction.

The realistic pattern for a first visit is three to four hours inside the palace and another hour or more outside. The Great Hall, kitchens and Haunted Gallery alone take over an hour if you use the audio guide, which is included in admission. Families with children tend to move faster through the interiors and slower in the gardens, where the maze reliably eats half an hour and the riverside walks invite lingering.

Weekday mornings outside school holidays are the calmest window, and off-peak weekdays also carry the lower admission price. Weekends and summer holidays are busy at weekends, the maze can queue, and popular slots sell out first, so book earlier for those dates. Winter visits have a different charm: shorter days, the fireplaces in the Tudor kitchens lit on event days, and far thinner crowds in the gardens, though you trade away the flower displays.

Check the palace's own site for current opening hours and any closed dates before you set out, as seasonal hours and event closures change through the year. Special events, from Tudor Christmas festivities to garden festivals, are listed there too and can be worth building a trip around.

Know Before You Go

The palace is in Hampton Court, Richmond upon Thames, about half an hour by rail from London Waterloo to Hampton Court station, which is a short walk from the entrance. Timed entry requires your booking for a set arrival window. The site is largely step-free via lifts and ramps, with details on accessibility on the official site, and large parts of the visit are outdoors.

Rail is the straightforward route: frequent trains from London Waterloo serve Hampton Court station, and the walk from the station to the palace gates takes only a few minutes across the bridge by the river. Check current timetables with National Rail before travelling, since engineering works are common at weekends. Buses also serve the area, and there is parking on site, though it carries a separate charge; check the current price on the museum's own site. On summer weekends the car park fills early.

Accessibility is genuinely good for a building of this age. Historic Royal Palaces publishes an access guide covering step-free routes, lifts to the upper floors, accessible toilets and the maze, which can be entered via a gate rather than the puzzle itself, useful for anyone who needs a direct route out. Assistance dogs are welcome. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters can usually be borrowed, but availability should be confirmed directly before your visit.

A few practical points. Wear comfortable shoes: the distances between courtyards, gardens and the maze add up, and paths are a mix of gravel and cobbles. Large bags are best left behind, as security checks apply at the entrance. There are cafes and a picnic area, but the gardens are extensive, so carry water in summer. Photography for personal use is generally fine, but flash and tripods are restricted inside, so confirm current rules on the official site. An official visitor information page answers most of these questions in one place.

What Is Nearby Worth Pairing It With

The strongest pairing is Kew Palace and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a short journey down the Thames and a natural companion given the shared royal and garden heritage. Bushy Park, immediately beside the palace, is free to enter and belongs to the same historic royal parkland. Central London options include the Tower of London and Kensington Palace for more royal history.

Because Hampton Court sits south-west of the city, pairing it with attractions in the same corner of London makes the travel time work harder. Kew Palace, the modest Georgian royal retreat inside Kew Gardens, is the obvious twin: both are Historic Royal Palaces properties, both are surrounded by remarkable gardens, and Kew is easily reached from Hampton Court by rail with one change, or pleasantly by river cruise in summer. Kew Gardens themselves need several hours, so treat the pairing as a two-day plan rather than one crammed afternoon.

Bushy Park is the underrated neighbour. It adjoins the palace grounds, it is free, and its deer herds and chestnut avenue give the area the feel of open countryside rather than outer London. A morning at the palace followed by a walk through Bushy Park to Hampton Wick is a classic local itinerary. The riverside stretch by Hampton Court Bridge is pleasant for an ice cream or a pub lunch in warm weather.

If royal history is the theme of your trip, finish the set with the Tower of London, where Henry VIII's own prisoners and executions give a darker counterpart to his palace, and Kensington Palace, which carries the royal story on through the Georgian era and up to the present family. Any of the three makes a full day on its own, so spread them across a longer stay rather than doubling up in one afternoon.

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