Hampton Court Palace is Henry VIII's great Tudor palace on the Thames in south-west London, about half an hour by train from Waterloo. One ticket covers the palace, its huge Tudor kitchens, the gardens and the famous hedge maze; an adult pays £29.00 on weekdays and £32.00 at weekends (September 2026).
The palace was begun by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII's chief minister, who started rebuilding an older house here in 1514. When Wolsey fell from favour in the late 1520s, Henry took the palace for himself and made it one of his favourite homes. He enlarged it with the Great Hall, vast kitchens and lodgings for his court, and all six of his wives knew the palace.
About 150 years later, King William III and Queen Mary II asked Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild part of it in the fashionable Baroque style. That is why Hampton Court looks like two palaces joined together: red-brick Tudor courtyards on one side and elegant stone-and-brick state apartments on the other. Around them lie formal gardens that run down to the river, and the maze, planted around 1700.
Hampton Court Palace: key facts
- Adult ticket (18-64)
- £29.00 off-peak (weekdays) / £32.00 peak (weekends and bank holidays), until 27 November 2026
- Child (5-15)
- £14.50 off-peak / £16.00 peak; under-5s free
- Included
- Palace, gardens, courtyards, the Maze and the Magic Garden
- Hours (summer 2026)
- 10:00-17:30, last admission 16:30
- Train
- Waterloo to Hampton Court, every 30 minutes, about half an hour
- Fare zone
- Zone 6: contactless and Oyster accepted
- Address
- East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU
Inside Henry VIII's palace
The Tudor half of the palace is what most people come for. You enter through Base Court and Clock Court, big brick courtyards with Tudor chimneys and an astronomical clock made for Henry VIII in 1540. From here you follow separate routes through different parts of the palace, so pick up a map and the free audio guide at the start.
The highlight is the Great Hall, where Henry dined with his court under a spectacular carved hammerbeam roof, its walls hung with Tudor tapestries. Beyond it lie the Watching Chamber and the Haunted Gallery, where legend says the ghost of Catherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife, runs screaming towards the chapel. The Chapel Royal, with its brilliant blue and gold ceiling, is still a working chapel, so it can close for services.
The Tudor Kitchens
Henry's kitchens were built to feed a court of several hundred people twice a day, and they are among the most enjoyable rooms in the palace. You walk through the huge kitchens with their open fireplaces, and through store rooms for meat, fish and wine. The scale is the point: this was an industrial operation in a world without refrigerators, and it helps explain Tudor court life better than any portrait.
The Baroque palace of William and Mary
The second route takes you into the state apartments built by Wren for William III and Mary II. The rooms are grand and formal, with painted ceilings, tapestries, carved woodwork and fine furniture. The King's Staircase, painted with gods and heroes, is the showpiece. After the dark, heavy Tudor rooms, these bright rooms show how much taste changed in 150 years.
The gardens, the maze and the Great Vine
The gardens cover a very large area, and on a fine day they are the best part of the visit. Allow at least an hour or two for them.
- The Maze. Planted for William III around 1700, it is often described as the oldest surviving hedge maze in Britain. Finding the centre and getting out again is harder than it looks, and children love it.
- The Magic Garden. A themed adventure playground with towers, a dragon and Tudor-inspired play areas. It is included in the ticket and, in June 2026, was open from 10:00 to 17:45 with last admission at 17:00.
- The Privy Garden. William III's formal garden between the palace and the river, with clipped shapes and statues.
- The Great Vine. Planted in 1768 by the garden designer Lancelot "Capability" Brown, this grapevine is still producing grapes in its own glasshouse.
- The Great Fountain Garden and the Long Water. Wide lawns, giant clipped yew trees and a long canal stretching away from the east front.
- The Kitchen Garden. Planted with fruit and vegetables that would have been grown for the palace.
Dogs are not allowed in the palace, courtyards or gardens, except trained assistance dogs. Cycles are also not allowed in the gardens; there are cycle racks near the entrance.
Ticket prices for Hampton Court
Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that runs the palace, sells tickets online and at the ticket office on the day, and recommends booking ahead. Prices change with the day: off-peak on weekdays, peak on weekends and bank holidays. The prices below are without the optional donation, which adds about 10%.
| Ticket (until 27 Nov 2026) | Off-peak (weekdays) | Peak (weekends, bank holidays) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18-64) | £29.00 | £32.00 |
| Child (5-15) | £14.50 | £16.00 |
| Young person (16-17) | £14.50 | £16.00 |
| Senior (65+), full-time student, disabled concession | £23.50 | £25.50 |
| Under 5 | Free | Free |
A family of two adults and two children aged 5-15 pays £87.00 on a weekday and £96.00 at the weekend. A couple saves £6.00 by coming on a weekday. Carers of disabled visitors go free. Check the latest prices on the official tickets page.
A weekday visit is cheaper and calmer. Off-peak tickets cost £3.00 less per adult and £1.50 less per child, and weekdays outside school holidays are usually quieter in the Tudor rooms and the maze. Just check that the palace is open on your chosen weekday first.
Winter Palace prices from 28 November
From 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 the palace becomes the "Winter Palace", a festive programme included in the ticket. Prices rise: an adult pays £32.00 off-peak and £35.00 peak. Off-peak prices apply only on a few term-time weekdays in December (2-3, 9-10 and 16-17 December). Standard Winter Palace hours are 10:00 to 16:30, last admission 14:30; on extended evenings it stays open until 19:30, last admission 17:30. For more festive ideas, see our guide to Christmas in London.
Opening days and how long to spend
In summer 2026 the palace and gardens were open from 10:00 to 17:30, with last admission at 16:30. The palace does not open every day, however. In June 2026, for example, it was closed on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 June. Some rooms and routes also close from time to time for conservation work, so check the opening times and route closures before you travel.
Hampton Court is a full day out, not a quick stop. With the journey from central London, two routes through the palace, the kitchens, the maze and a walk in the gardens, most people leave in the late afternoon. If you arrive after lunch, go straight to the Tudor rooms and the kitchens, and leave the maze and the gardens for the end.
Food is available at the Tiltyard Café, which has indoor and outdoor seating and hot and cold meals, and at the Wilderness kiosk for ice creams and snacks. Visitor toilets are inside the ticketed area; the nearest public toilets outside are at Hampton Court station.
Getting there by train from Waterloo
The train is the simplest way. South Western Railway runs trains from London Waterloo to Hampton Court every 30 minutes. They call at Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, New Malden, Berrylands, Surbiton and Thames Ditton. Hampton Court is the end of the line, and the palace is about five minutes' walk from the station, just across the bridge over the Thames.
The journey takes about half an hour; TfL's Journey Planner showed 31 minutes for a sample weekday morning train in September 2026. Hampton Court is in fare Zone 6, so you can simply tap in with a contactless card or Oyster. A pay as you go single from Waterloo costs £8.50 at peak times and £5.20 off-peak, and the Zones 1-6 daily cap of £16.30 limits your total for the day. Our guide to Oyster and contactless payment explains how capping works.
Trains back to Waterloo leave Hampton Court at 23 and 53 minutes past the hour from Monday to Saturday, and at 05 and 35 minutes past on Sundays, according to Historic Royal Palaces. Waterloo is also covered in our overview of London's main railway stations. For a detailed comparison of every route, including driving and buses, the route guide London to Hampton Court on our sister site Viamo is useful.
Weekend engineering works can close the Hampton Court branch. On some weekends trains start from Surbiton, or replacement buses run instead. Check South Western Railway or National Rail on the day before you set off, especially on Saturdays and Sundays.
By bus, car or bike
There is no Underground station nearby. From Kingston, buses 111, 216, 411, 461 and 513 serve the palace; routes 111, 216 and 411 accept Oyster, and so does the R68 from Richmond. Richmond and Wimbledon are the nearest Tube stations with connecting buses.
Driving is possible but parking is limited: the palace car park costs £1.80 an hour, payable by card, on a first come, first served basis. The palace is inside the London-wide ULEZ, and although the car park and private roads are not charged, the road you exit onto is inside the zone. Check your car on TfL's website, and read our guide to the Congestion Charge and ULEZ first. Cyclists can follow National Cycle Network route 4 along the river.
Arriving by boat along the Thames
In summer you can travel to the palace by river, landing next to the palace. According to Historic Royal Palaces, the public riverboat takes about four hours from Westminster, about two hours from Richmond and about 45 minutes from Kingston. The service is run by Westminster Passenger Services, whose sailing times vary from day to day with the tides, so check their timetable before you plan the day.
Four hours is a long time on a boat, so most people do only one direction by water and take the train the other way. A boat from Richmond or Kingston, with the train back to Waterloo, makes a more relaxed combination. Our guide to Thames river cruises compares the operators. Note that the Uber Boat river bus does not go this far west.
Combining Hampton Court with Richmond, Kew or Bushy Park
Right next to the palace, Bushy Park is a large royal park with herds of deer, about 15 minutes' walk away. A little further, Richmond has a pretty riverside and a famous view from Richmond Hill, and Richmond Park is London's largest royal park; keep at least 50 metres from the deer.
Historic Royal Palaces also suggests a long riverside walk from Hampton Court to Kew along the Thames Path: about 11 miles (17 km), taking three to four hours, on mostly flat paths. At the end you reach Kew Gardens. Kew Palace and the other Historic Royal Palaces buildings at Kew close from 28 September 2026 until spring 2027, but the gardens stay open.
If you enjoy royal palaces, Hampton Court pairs well with the Tower of London, where Henry VIII's story continues, and with Kensington Palace, where William and Mary lived when in central London. For another royal castle outside the centre, a day trip to Windsor is a good alternative. Families will find more ideas in our guide to London with children.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Hampton Court Palace from central London?
Take a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo to Hampton Court. Trains run every 30 minutes and take about half an hour, and the palace is a five-minute walk from the station. The station is in Zone 6, so contactless and Oyster are accepted.
How much are tickets for Hampton Court Palace?
Until 27 November 2026 an adult ticket costs £29.00 on weekdays and £32.00 at weekends and on bank holidays, without the optional donation. Children aged 5-15 pay £14.50 or £16.00, and under-5s go free. Tickets include the maze and the gardens.
Is the Hampton Court maze included in the ticket?
Yes. A palace ticket includes the Maze, the gardens, the courtyards and the Magic Garden playground as well as the open parts of the palace. Check route closures before your visit, as some areas can close for conservation or events.
How long should I spend at Hampton Court?
Plan on a full day, including travel from central London. The palace has several separate routes, including the Tudor rooms, the kitchens and the Baroque state apartments, and the gardens and maze deserve at least an hour or two.
Can you get a boat to Hampton Court Palace?
Yes, in summer. Public riverboats run by Westminster Passenger Services sail from Westminster (about four hours), Richmond (about two hours) and Kingston (about 45 minutes). Sailing times vary with the tides, so check the timetable before you go.
Sources
- Historic Royal Palaces - Hampton Court Palace tickets and prices (checked September 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces - Getting to Hampton Court Palace (checked September 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces - Visit Hampton Court Palace (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Single Fare Finder (Waterloo to Hampton Court) (checked September 2026)
- Westminster Passenger Services - River cruises to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court (checked September 2026)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - Getting here (checked September 2026)