Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court was one of the highlights of our trip to London. We visited on September 10, 2015. After a relaxing train trip from London and breakfast in the town of East Molesey, exploring Hampton Court was great. This was the most relaxing day that we had on our trip and was really needed after the hectic days in London. The grounds of the palace are beautiful. Learning the history of the castle and life of Henry VIII is mind-​boggling.

Visited April 2015: «Glorious Gardens, and an enriched history for a mismatched castle. (apart of the London Pass)»
We went to Hampton Court Palace were King Henry VIII spent a great deal of his time during his reign. We got to see the kitchens, his earlier years, brief history of his reign and coming to power, and we walked to extensive grounds. The fountain in the middle of the gardens by the east gate, was huge until I observed the colossal pond behind it. There were some wooded areas, that were also fenced off, that were a part of the property. This estate also had the great grapevine, walled gardens — which it was one of the largest personal parks I have seen to date. I wonder if the acreage of this place is just as large as Central Park.
You are provided with an free audio guide, there are people onsite to assist you as needed, carriage rides in the garden, and so much more to see then capable in an hour. We spent roughly 3 hours there. I am glad that I watched the Netflix documentary on this location before going. You are also provided with 3 fold out maps: The Palace Map, Garden Map, and planning your day. I highly recommend that you look over those maps so you are not criss-​cross through the palace taking up your precious time, and not being able to fully enjoy the castle.

Totally beautiful and packed full of history. Lots to see and learn, make sure you allow quite a few hours as it is quite big. Includes a maze and well kept gardens. A must see on any tourist trip to London (easily accessible by train from Waterloo Station).

This is a splendid palace once owned and used by King Henry VIII about 19 miles from the city centre of London. The most convenient way to get there is to take the train from Waterloo Station to Hampton Court, which takes about 40 minutes. From Hampton Court Station it is just a 5 – 7 minute walk to the palace gate. The small village is right ahead from the station and has some nice pubs and restaurants where you chill after a visit to the palace.
I visited Hampton Court Palace twice, in 2013 and 2015. My latest visit was a miscalculation, since I did not expect the tourist horde to be quite so big. Not trying (but succeeding) to sound condescending, it was not a pleasure to walk through the corridors with, literally, thousands of people. It made it very hard to take decent photos, too — unless you want to end up with photos of dozens of people you don’t know standing in front of the paintings or furniture you are trying to capture. Which is my way of saying: Photography is allowed throughout the palace, with the exception of the painting collection. My first visit took place off-​season, and was much more pleasurable. Now, am I an arrogant prick or what?!
Anyway, there is a lot of stunning architecture (seemingly endless corridors, courtyards, gardens), which of course make it an attractive palace to visit on the weekend. Expect to spend at least 3 – 3.5 hours here. You can book tickets for the palace and gardens/​maze, or just for the palace. I booked the whole enchilada, but ended up skipping the maze. Because, mazes are stupid. And of course overrun with noisy children. And I’d already fulfilled my quota of killing noisy kids for that month.
Do not expect the same kind of lavish interiors that you will see at Windsor Palace. Hampton Court has very little of the original furniture left. It’s mostly the rooms themselves, some paintings, and all those courtyards. But what you WILL get is a nice impression of how the court at that time was being run: kitchen, wine cellar and all.
The garden is huge and will be of particular interest to families with children. There’s a horse-​driven carriage that you can use free of charge that will drag you around the gardens. Sunbeds are scattered around the gardens, too.
Audio guides are available, and in fact essential, as there is not always sufficient written information in the rooms (there are volunteers around though). Plus, they can come in handy if you want to bash somebody’s head in after he or she’s ruined your photo of the room for the third time.
All in all a splendid attraction, and not just for those who have exhausted the «standard» London sights or just want to get away from the perpetual city rush. Just follow my advice: If you want to visit, do it OFF-​SEASON!

GARDENS:
I love a manicured garden, and I visit this place 1 or 2 times a year. mainly because this garden is like alice in wonderland, its just pure unrelenting joy. The garden ticket is under £5, and I“m always surpassed that the maze is the same cost — (not worth it, I’ve done it before, I mean I would do it the once, but its kinda rude to have a gardens and maze ticket separate)
It is literally my favourite place! take a picnic, sit in the deck chairs (special for 500 years anniversary)

Love it! This is a definite must visit for everyone. I visit regularly and every-​time I see something new. The cherry on the cake is the beautiful gardens surrounding the palace.

A must visit spot when touring London! Love that you can explore the castle on you own and the café is delicious!

Great place but could use a remodel and some refurbishing.
Okay, jokes aside Hampton Court Palace is incredible. Tons of history and really informative guides along the way. Worth the trip!

Great visit. Audio guide was included in the price which gave me a great opportunity to learn about the palace. Moreover, I have found the narratives very interesting and easy to follow. To make things more entertaining, there were also short reenactments throughout the day in various parts of the palace to further immerse the visitors in the history of Hampton Court.
Beautiful castle ground and easy access from London.

The palace is beautiful. It’s one of my favorite places to visit. I wish we could stay there.

The palace itself is beautiful and well maintained. The audio tour (free with the ticket) is a must especially if you are a history fan as it goes into great detail regarding every room & with scholars interviews.
Of course the best parts are the actors re-​enacting historic scenes (different every time) so keep a eye out for them and make sure you follow them around as it will be more entertaining and insightful than heading on your own.
The gardens are a must see of their owns with some of the trees been there for over 500 years and of course the oldest & largest grape vine in the world. If you go in season make sure visit the rose gardens. There are usually actors walking around the gardens as well and are quite happy for you to take photographs with them!
For tennis fans the tennis court is not open every day so check the website before visiting.
If get a chance to find a table in the Fountain Court Café (North of the fountain court)!, try the traditional hot chocolate and their amazing desserts — just delicious!!! But for food options i would highly recommend getting something prepared before hand and go for a picnic on the gardens. Alternatively, there are lots of little shops and places to eat near the train station (5min walk).

Spent the day at Hampton Court… wow! An amazing place full of history, art, and a glimpse into the royal past. Enjoyed the maze, gardens are A-​mazing, the kitchens, and art, and displays. A must stop for anyone visiting London. Enjoyed the tune and train ride as well!

I was at Hampton Court Palace today for the Official Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon. Much of the route was inside the grounds and I have to say it was beautiful. I felt really privileged to be running round it. The grounds are really well kept and the palace buildings are stunning.
The entrance is a 5 minute walk from Hampton Court railway station and there’s a train from Waterloo which takes just over half an hour.
The grounds are huge so wear comfy shoes to name the most of it and there are also lots of walks along the Thames just outside.
I’ll definitely be returning to visit the palace and gardens properly soon. I’d also recommend the half marathon (the Palace one not the Original Hampton Court Half, which isn’t in the grounds at all).

We took a bus to Hampton Court and it was well worth the trip out of London. There was so much to do and see. We only saw about ²⁄₃ of the palace because we were more excited by the rest of the areas on the grounds. The large maze was super fun. It was a bit smaller than expected but did take us about 15 – 20 min to do and it was fun to do as a couple. We separated and competed for a bit and actually kept crossing with another couple doing the same thing.
We loved to walk through the vegetable garden but were disappointing that it was not a day where they actually sell the vegetables as they all looked so tasty.
We ate lunch at the kitchen and the food was pretty tasty, not the best food we ate in London but filling and a good price. Photos attached. Before we left we also had some ice cream which was super tasty.
My favorite part was the flower gardens. A large part of the main garden behind the palace was closed off for renovations but we still had plenty to walk through and see. It was beautiful weather and then we walked outside the grounds and down the along side the river which was also beautiful.
All in all it was beautiful location and a peaceful/​relaxing day.

If you are at all interested in Henry VIII or British Royal history, this castle tour is excellent. The rooms and grounds are exquisitely decorated. Rich tapestries hang from the walls, gold and silver serveware is displayed, lavish furniture and beds show how the elite lived. The bedroom of Anne Boleyn is lovely, gorgeous ceiling murals and fancy furniture show her quarters were quite comfortable. The dining halls, one for royalty and one for soldiers, great to see, the taxidermy from hunts Henry and his friends would have killed proudly displayed. There are character actors from all levels of the court, dressed in the type of garments Henry and Katherine, his last wife, would have worn. The grounds are well manicured, the stone hallways to and from other apartments and living quarters whisks you back in time. The café has a fairly decent selection, I think I had some sort of creamy root soup (carrot and parsnip?) with bread and a salad, the kids had pot pies. The gift shop has a lot of good things that pertain to Hampton Court, but a lot of the same British items all the museum and landmark gift shops offer, as well. You can drive out there or take the train from one of the underground stops out past Wimbledon, then grab a cab or if you don’t mind a 15 minute walk, you could walk over.

This is a review for the gardens, not the house as we only bought tickets for the outside. But without a doubt, I’ll be going back to check out the inside as it Blew. Me. Away.
Hampton Court is all the way out in zone 6 so is a bit of a trek to get to, but as it’s one train straight from Waterloo and the Palace is two minutes from the station, I think we can deal.
The first view of it is ruined slightly by the massive ‘Car Park this way’ sign right in front of the drive and it’s difficult to get a nice shot of the whole Palace because of it. I get why it’s there, but c’mon people, just move it to the side, yeah?
Once you’ve stepped past that small thing, the sight is STUNNING.
The house is steeped in history, having housed multiple monarchs and you can see just from the outside of it that it’s a well-​loved and well-​taken care of house. The brickwork is clean, the drive and gardens are neatly maintained and they’ve kept all the ticket offices off the main house so you can deal with all that outside and enjoy your experience wholeheartedly.
So, as I’ve already said, I only did the gardens and not the house, but it was worth every penny.
It was a beautiful sunny day when we went and the flowers were all in bloom, bursting from every flower bed in a riot of colour and perfume. Wherever you turned, there was a different type of flower and it was astounding. They really take care of the place too. You can see that in every leaf.
The trees were beautifully sculptured, the ponds, fountains and rivers were all clean and teaming with life, including koi and swans, and there were plenty of places to sit and just enjoy the view and the birds tweeting.
That’s right, the gardens are so secluded that you can’t hear ANYTHING, even with the giant road just the other side of the house. I think it acts as a sound barrier or something.
They also had some actors wandering around discussing the fish and they stayed in character throughout our picture taking, which was pretty impressive. The women refused to be photographed without the ‘King’ for instance, because it was disrespectful and all attention had to be on the king. Pretty damn cool.
If you’re going to visit, make sure you check the weather forecast and pick a nice day. There aren’t many shelters and the weather plays a BIG part in how much you’ll enjoy it. But for £6, it’s a bargain. Bring some lunch and a picnic blanket, settle down and enjoy the atmosphere. You won’t regret spending the day in London’s Garden.

There are three tickets to consider buying when you visit Hampton Court Palace: a ticket for the main house, a ticket for the gardens and a ticket for the maze. So far, we’ve done two of these and will hit the maze another time. Last weekend, we visited the gardens on a hot day, and, like the roses, we wilted through most of it, desperate for shade!
Aside from the lack of sun shelter, these are wonderful gardens, full of all sorts of colourful flowers, herbs, wild plants and gorgeous trees. You can take a slow ride on the shire horse carriage if you don’t fancy walking, but then you’d miss some of the smaller gardens and the hidden places, where you can switch off and listen to the birds singing.
I was particularly impressed with The Great Vine, which is supposed to be the Guinness record holder for being the largest grapevine in the world. The fountain is great if the breeze picks up and sprays you with a welcome, cooling mist, but we were unable to fully explore all areas at the weekend because preparations are being made for the annual flower show.
The house itself is good for historians like my partner, but as much as I like history, I found it less interesting than other places I’ve visited. I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for dusty four-​poster beds at the time!

What a huge, amazing palace. I came here for the first time back in January out of sheer determination to see it one day, but the weather was cold, rainy, windy, and miserable. (Once I set my mind to something, I generally do it, even if it doesn’t make sense.) This weekend’s visit was much better, on a warm, sunny spring Sunday. The many gardens were in colorful bloom.
Make sure to get the free audio guide — I didn’t notice it the first time I was there, but it is a very good guide, for most areas of the palace — my favorite was probably the kitchens. Lots of intriguing history to explore, and I also encountered costumed actors putting on shows in Base Court and throughout Henry VIII’s state apartments — they get you involved in the little scenes, which is fun. My first visit, I attended an evensong service in the beautiful Chapel Royal, which was interesting, as I’d never been to an Anglican service before.
So you can enjoy the inside parts in inclement weather if needed, but I recommend going on a pleasant spring or summer day when you can happily explore the many gardens. I spent the entire day wandering around the place! The maze would probably be fun if you have kids, but it’s not very big or challenging so I wasn’t very excited about it.
The café food is not super tasty, but I also got ice cream (the redcurrant was delicious, chocolate not so much). But you don’t go to Hampton Court Palace for the food, do you? You go for the history and splendor of it all.

Ich liebe den Hampton Court Palace, dort wird die Geschichte wieder zum Leben erweckt!
Der Palast ist riesig, ebenso wie die Gärten, und sehr schön hergerichtet. Der Eintrittspreis ist ziemlich hoch, aber gerechtfertigt, denn der Palast ist wirklich etwas Besonderes. Die Audioguides sind im Preis inbegriffen, ebenso wie der Eintritt in den Irrgarten. Die Audioguides lassen einen zwischen verschiedenen Touren wählen, man kann aber auch alle machen. Die Touren sind schön aufbereitet und sehr spannend mit vielen separat zu wählenden Extrainformationen, wenn man immer noch wissensdurstig ist.
In den Küchen gibt es auch live Kochen wir zu Zeiten Henry VIII. Die Köche kann man mit Fragen löchern, während sie Gänse über dem offenen Feuer rösten und Hühnchen kochen — und das alles in authentischer Kleidung.
Leider gibt es recht wenig Information zu den Gärten, die vor allem im Frühjahr eine wahre Blütenpracht sind. Als wir Anfang April dort waren, leuchteten die Gärten in den schönsten Farben.
Ich war bisher zwei Mal dort, 2007 und 2014, und ich kann es jedem Londonbesucher nur empfehlen, einen Trip aus der Stadt raus zu machen, wenn er mal genug von der City hat.
Zeit: man sollte 4 – 6 Stunden für den Besuch einplanen und eine Pause bei Tee und Scones im Palastcafé machen.

Need a break from all of the tourists of the crowded London streets? Then head over and hang with the tourists at Hampton Court, in England’s countryside.
There is so much to see, both indoor and out. I recommend picking up one of the free audio tours at the information booth so that you’re not wandering around aimlessly. You learn so much from it, and it really puts you in the mind frame of a royal. There are actors wandering about, depicting the life of King Henry and his court. I think there is a schedule, but as you’re touring the castle, there are lots of shows going on throughout the day.
I like places that are haunted, and I really think this place is filled with ghosts. I was looking at a fireplace, bent down to look at something, and I felt as if someone pushed me towards the fireplace. I was standing by myself, and no one was behind me. Perhaps, back in the day, the peasants were pushed in the fireplace for punishment. I think a ghost really had it in for me! Or maybe one of the King’s many boo thangs tried to push me in. Either way, it was beyond creepy, but exciting at the same time.
The gardens are beautiful. The maze leaves a little to be desired, but you have to visit it.
The price is more than worth it, and this is a sight worth seeing. Now, I can consider myself a cultured American. Sort of.

Wenn es 10 Punkte zu verteilen gäbe, dann würde ich 11 geben ;-)
Hampton Court Palace & Gardens gehören zu den Tophighlights bei einem Besuch in London. Besonders fasziniert haben mich die Räumlichkeiten aus der Tudorzeit. Der riesige Küchenbereich aus der Zeit Heinrich VIII und natürlich die große Halle. Ich weiß gar nicht wo ich aufhören soll. Der Eintritt ist zwar nicht billig, dafür bekommt man aber viel geboten. Die Audioguides sind inkludiert und beinhalten Audioerklärungen für Kinder und Gruppen. Man sollte viel Zeit mitbringen.
Hier ein kleiner Eindruck der grossen Halle

Having been to Hampton Court a few times, the place just gets better & better.
Fabulous self-​guided tours that you could spend a few days fully listening to, beautiful gardens, fun re-​enactors at certain times, and demonstrations of life in Tudor times. As it’s located in suburban London, there’s no reason *not* to take a day out to Hampton Court. Be it for the Garden Show or just because, it’s 100% worth it.
The garden maze is a little less-​than-​exciting, but being the only downfall of a whole castle complex, that’s of little consequence. Wander, breathe it in, and really enjoy this fabulous royal home. It’s quite worth it.

Toller Tag bei britischem Regen. Von London aus sind wir ab Waterloo für 15 Pfund für 2 Personen (Return Tickets) mit dem Zug gefahren, der hier endet. Am Ticket Schalter Waterloo Station gibts bis April 2010 den 2for1 Flyer. Coupon auf der Rückseite ausfüllen und man bezahlt in Hampton Court unter Vorlage der Zugtickets lediglich 14 Pfund für 2 Personen, der reguläre Preis ist derzeit 15,40 Pfund pro Erwachsenem.
Da im Winter früher geschlossen wird, haben wir uns zuerst The Maze, das Labyrinth angeschaut. Wir haben uns nicht verirrt und naja, wenn man bedenkt, dass man sich früher so vergnügt hat, ich war da nicht so begeistert.
Das Schloss selbst ist imposant, aber im Winter auch eher kalt. Es gibt eine Audio Führung mit Kopfhörern, aber wir konnten damit irgendwie nicht spielen, es hat eher abgelenkt. War auch ein bischen wie ein Hörspiel gemacht, das war nicht so mein Ding.
Vom Schloß aus kann man sich auch nur ein kleines Bild von der Gartenanlage machen, da muss man eher mal im Sommer herkommen. Für Besucher gibt es zum Ausruhen einen Raum und auch ein Café, haben wir aber nicht genutzt. Mir hat am besten die königliche Kapelle gefallen, ansonsten find ich’s bei Königs nicht so gemütlich.
Im Sommer sind die Gärten wahrscheinlich fantastisch, aber die Schlossbesichtigung kann man gut bei Regenwetter machen. Lohnt sich auf jeden Fall für einen Tagesausflug, im Sommer kann man von London aus auch mit dem Boot über die Themse bis hierhin fahren.

Vorm Haupteingang bleibt einem die Spucke weg. Ein riesiges Schloß stellt sich vor und man möchte vor Ehrfurcht einen Diener oder Knicks machen. Wieder keine Zeit für das Schloß, aber der Garten ist hier wichtig, schließlich gibt es hier den großen Weinstock, der 1768 von dem berühmten Gartenbaumeister Lancelot «Capability» Brown gepflanzt wurde … ja richtig gelesen … 1768. Die Trauben werden noch heute im Shop verkauft und als Beleg hier die Fotos.
(Siehe Foto unten)
links sieht man den riesigen Stamm und auf dem nächsten Bild die Reben
(Siehe Foto unten)
Nur ein kleiner Teil des Schlosses ist auf dem nächsten Bild zu sehen, eine Fassade von vielen. (Siehe Foto unten)
Anhand meiner Bilder erklärt sich die Gesamtheit der Anlage nicht, da müßt ihr euch schon selber hinbemühen, wenn ihr mehr wissen wollt.

Ein netter Ausflug von London aus. Von Waterloo Station aus dauert die Bahnfahrt ca. 35 Minuten. Das Schloss (oder soll man sagen der Komplex?) ist sehr interessen — auf der einen Seite Tudor und Heinrich der VIII., auf der anderen Seite georgianisch. In den Gärten lässt sich bei gutem Wetter gut picknickenl.

Der berühmteste Bewohner von Hampton Court Palace war der für seine Launenhaftigkeit bekannte englische Monarch Heinrich VIII. Er lebte hier mit jeder seiner 6 Frauen und machte Jane Seymour (Ehefrau Nummer 3) hier den Heiratsantrag. Im Palast erwecken kostümierte Fremdenführer 500 Jahre königlicher Geschichte, denen der Palast Zeuge wurde, wieder zum Leben. Anschließend kann man sich draußen in den förmlich gestalteten Gartenanlagen im eindrucksvollen Labyrinth verirren.

Der größte Palastkomplex Englands ist definitiv einen oder mehrere Tagesausflüge wert.
Hampton Court liegt ausserhalb Londons, in Surrey, ist aber sehr gut mit öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln erreichbar — von der zentralen Waterloo Station fahren halbstündlich Regionalzüge (liegt noch in der Zone 6 des Londoner Verkehrsbereiches! Also nur entsprechendes Ticket nötig). Zumal das Parken auch noch 3 Pfund kostet, lohnt sich das. Ausserdem kann man so wunderbar aus der Ferne die Sicht auf Palast und Parks geniessen, über die Brücke spazieren und die Gartenanlagen durchqueren. Vorsicht, die sind riesig.
Wer noch mehr Zeit hat, kann eine wunderschöné Schifffahrt von Westminster hierher auf der Themse machen, die ist aber gezeitenabhängig und dauert bis zu 4 Stunden! Lohnt sich aber, denn man passiert illustre und schöné Plätze wie Kew und Richmond (hier bin ich mal zur Schule gegangen.). Ausserdem fahren hier einige Buslinien — als damaliger Bewohner von Wimbledon habe ich gern die Linie von dort über Kingston genommen.
Der Palast selbst ist — wie die Gemarkungen — ebenfalls gigantisch, wurde im 16. Jahrhundert errichtet und von Henry VIII. und vielen folgenden Königen bewohnt, bevor er Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts der Öffentlichkeit übergeben wurde.
Wunderbar ist, dass bis auf eineige typische Veränderungen durch den notorischen Christopher Wren im 17. Jahrhundert, der Stil der Zeit im Bauwerk und grossen Anteilen der Innenausstattung erhalten geblieben ist.
Und noch besser: Man wandert nicht nur endlos allein und staunend durch die riesigen Hallen und Gemächer mit ihren prachtvollen Dekorationen und Möbeln, nein, es gibt hier wirklich ganz phantastische Führungen durch kostümierte Guides, die überhaupt nicht englisch-​steif sind, sondern äußerst lebhaft und authentisch die Gebräuche und vor allem lebensphilosophischen Besonderheiten der jeweiligen Perioden erklären — das sollte man in keinem Fall verpassen! Kinder werden gerade hierbei aktiv einbezogen!
Überhaupt nicht verpassen sollte man auch das Maze, das Heckenlabyrinth, in dem sich viele Touristen verirren und das immer zu Heiterkeit beiträgt. Ich habe mich schon als Kind hier enorm vergnügt (vor allem über die orientierungslosen Erwachsenen.)
Für all das sollte man mindestens 3 – 4 Stunden einplanen. Und Geld mitbringen, leider kostete das Ganze bisher runde 12 Pfund pro Person — aber das war es mir immer wert!