Kew is worth the trip for gardens, landmark Victorian glasshouses and a spacious half-day in London—provided you can give it at least 3–6 hours and are happy to walk several kilometres. It is a poor fit for a rushed 90-minute stop or visitors who do not enjoy gardens.
Buy online before you go
Book standard daytime admission on Kew’s official ticket page for the lower online fare (£25 adult peak or £17 off-peak); you can still buy at the gate if needed, but it costs more.
MoreChoose a £10 Tuesday
If visiting between 8 September and 29 December 2026, book the £10 adult online Tuesday ticket rather than standard admission.
MoreUse Victoria Gate from the Tube
For most visitors, take the District or Mildmay line to Kew Gardens station and walk about 10 minutes to Victoria Gate, which puts the Palm House close to your entrance.
MoreArrive at 10am and allow hours
Start at opening, see the Palm House before crowds build, and allow at least 3 hours—ideally 5–6 hours—for the Palm House, Temperate House, Princess of Wales Conservatory and wider grounds.
More| Monday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Friday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Sunday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
Hours from Google; check before you go.
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is a 320-acre public botanic garden on the south bank of the Thames in southwest London. Founded in 1759 as Princess Augusta’s nine-acre royal garden, it grew into Britain’s national botanic garden and a major centre for plant taxonomy, conservation and economic botany. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003, it combines historic landscapes shaped by William Kent, Capability Brown and William Chambers with landmark glasshouses including the Palm House and Temperate House, and a living collection of more than 50,000 plants.
Kew is one of London’s best half-day escapes for garden lovers, architecture fans, photographers and anyone interested in plants: its Victorian glasshouses, ten-climate Princess of Wales Conservatory and extensive landscaped grounds offer far more than a conventional park. It also works in poor weather or winter because major indoor collections and galleries provide shelter. Skip it if you dislike gardens, cannot comfortably walk several kilometres, have fewer than about three hours, or want a densely programmed historic-house attraction rather than a spacious landscape experience.
Before you go
No. Daytime tickets can be bought at any gate, but online tickets are cheaper. For example, adult daytime entry is £25 online versus £28 at the gate in the published 2 September–31 October 2026 peak period; 1 November 2026–31 January 2027 is £17 online versus £20 at the gate. Buy online if your date is fixed; otherwise arrive and pay the walk-up fare. Halloween at Kew and Christmas at Kew are separate timed events and should be booked as soon as your date is firm.
Visit on a Tuesday between 8 September and 29 December 2026: adult daytime tickets cost £10 online or £11 at the gate. This ticket is Tuesday-only. Qualifying Universal Credit or Pension Credit visitors can pay £1 from 5 October 2026, subject to Kew’s proof requirements.
Allow at least 3 hours for the Palm House, Temperate House, Princess of Wales Conservatory, a gallery and one outdoor circuit. A good first visit is 5–6 hours including lunch; keen gardeners can easily spend 7 hours or more. If you have only about 90 minutes, Kew is unlikely to justify the admission price or travel time.
For the remainder of October 2026, the Gardens are open daily 10am–6pm, with last entry at 5pm. From 25 October–11 November they are open 10am–4pm, last entry 3pm; from 12 November–3 January, 10am–3.15pm, last entry 2.30pm. Glasshouses currently run daily 10am–5pm, subject to maintenance or safety changes. Check the official opening page immediately before travel.
Use Victoria Gate (TW9 3JR) for the simplest Tube arrival and an efficient first visit: it is about a 6–8-minute, 500 m walk from Kew Gardens station and is near the Palm House, café and shop. Use Elizabeth Gate (TW9 3AE) from Kew Bridge station, Kew Pier, Waterloo or Clapham Junction; it is about a 10–12-minute walk from Kew Bridge. Drivers should use Brentford Gate (TW9 3AF, Ferry Lane), where the car park is located. Lion Gate is useful for the Pagoda end, but is weekend-only from 2 November 2026–29 January 2027.
Yes, but use the limited first-come, first-served car park at Brentford Gate, Ferry Lane. It costs £10 per day; Blue Badge parking is free. Do not rely on nearby residential streets because restrictions apply. Kew is outside the Congestion Charge zone but inside the ULEZ.