Hampton Court Palace Entrance Ticket: A Tale of Two Palaces, Tudor and Baroque

521 Ratings

East Molesey

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Explore Hampton Court Palace’s Tudor and Baroque wonders. Discover royal kitchens, grand halls, and stunning gardens. Experience history’s grandeur firsthand.

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Hampton Court Palace - The grandiose Henry VIII is closely linked with this splendid palace, which he expanded and enhanced after acquiring it in the 1520s. The palace’s numerous royal residents have ensured it is adorned with exquisite furnishings, tapestries, and paintings. It is surrounded by stunning formal gardens, featuring the renowned maze…

Hampton Court Palace - The grandiose Henry VIII is closely linked with this splendid palace, which he expanded and enhanced after acquiring it in the 1520s. The palace’s numerous royal residents have ensured it is adorned with exquisite furnishings, tapestries, and paintings. It is surrounded by stunning formal gardens, featuring the renowned maze and the Great Vine.

Hampton Court offers a designated Family Room, where parents and young children can take a break from the palace’s hustle and bustle. The play equipment is designed for children under five. Family Trails, which guide children around the palace, are available at the Information Center.

The palace is stroller-friendly, and a lift is available for those who wish to access the upper floor without using the stairs.

Hampton Court is conveniently located just half an hour from Central London by direct train, making it an ideal spot for a relaxing afternoon away from the city!

A visit to Hampton Court is best enjoyed over at least three hours.

Interested in exploring more Royal sites?

Consider upgrading to the Royal Palaces Pass, which includes the Tower of London, Hampton Court, and Kensington Palace. This pass allows one visit to each attraction and is valid for two years. You’ll have ample time to delve into the stories and intrigues at each site at your own pace, as part of your personalized itinerary.

ITINERARY

Things to See and Do

Palace Gardens: Explore over 60 acres of gardens at Hampton Court, including the Maze, the Great Vine, and the recently restored Privy Garden.

Courtyards and Cloisters:

Hampton Court Palace spans 6 acres, offering numerous courtyards and cloisters to discover.

Henry VIII’S State Apartments:

Henry VIII was the first royal owner of Hampton Court, and his splendid public rooms remain intact today.

The Tudor Kitchens:

If you can handle the heat, step into the new Tudor kitchens! Experience the authentic smells, sounds, and large roasting fires that provide a glimpse into Tudor life.

The King’s Apartments:

King William III’s Apartments are among the finest and most significant Baroque state apartments globally.

The Queen’s State Apartments:

These rooms took 30 years to complete and showcase a diverse range of styles. Some of the palace’s most breathtaking interiors are found here.

Costumed Guides

Every day, free tours and presentations by costumed guides are available in the State Apartments. Discover life at court and the vibrant personalities who resided here.

What's Included

Entry ticket to Hampton Court

What's Not Included

Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop off

Additional Information

Hampton Court Palace is a story of two palaces: an impressive Tudor palace initially constructed by Cardinal Wolsey and later expanded by Henry VIII. Complementing the Tudor grandeur is the Baroque palace crafted by Sir Christopher Wren for William III and Mary II in the 17th century.
Guests can explore the extensive Tudor Kitchens where Henry VIII’s…

Location

Hampton Court Palace

A308,

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.3

(521 Ratings)

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Esthertheguineapig

Feb 2, 2026

A wonderful experience and helpful volunteers/ staff - I visited on my own on the 24/01/26 have wanted to visit for a long time. The exhibits are well laid out and I enjoyed wandering around. All the staff and volunteers I interacted with were very helpful especially Jeff who was an object explainer he was very helpful and knowledgeable. I spent over 4 hours visiting. I enjoyed my visit and hope to go again.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sisu87

Jan 19, 2026

A must do! - We had an incredible time here at the castle. Theres so much history here we could have stayed all day. The castle is enormous so make sure to plan this for your entire day. A definite cant miss if youre visitng!!

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Ankur_s

Jan 4, 2026

We had no issues using... - We had no issues using Viator tickets and grabbing our headsets. Prices were slightly cheaper than the website.

Review provided by Viator

Yuyan_l

Jan 3, 2026

Peter is a very... - Peter is a very experienced tour guide. He knows everything about when to go for each activity. Recommend.

Review provided by Viator

B2212jhkayj

Nov 16, 2025

Wow - So beautiful, the palace has been well preserved. The staff on site were lovely and helpful. So much history here. Loved our visit.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Lunchtimefriends143

Nov 9, 2025

Excellent Customer Service in the Shop - We had a fabulous day at Hampton Court Palace. My family and I would particularly like to commend the excellent staff in the shop, namely Nicole, Noleen and Wendy. We were bowled over by their wonderful customer service, professionalism and friendliness especially with my 6 year old daughter. They made her day by their genuine kindness and interest, and are a genuine asset to the Palace. With many thanks and kind wishes

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Amandan96

Dec 1, 2025

Great place to visit - use the audio guide - it’s great! - Visited about 15 years ago but had a small child with us so I didn’t get the chance to experience the Palace as much as I wanted to so this was a very much awaited return visit. We arrived just before opening time and had pre-bought tickets on line - we went to the ticket office but there was no need to do so. I think it would be helpful if you could get audio guides from the ticket office instead of the shop - we ended up getting them from the Undercroft Shop so had to double back on ourselves. The only other negative was that there were some large school groups which were spending a lot of time in some small rooms (not on a schools booked visit as no guide with them) and it would have been helpful if there were some Palace staff around to keep the flow of people moving. We didn’t do the gardens as it was raining but can see how you could spend a full day there if the weather was fine. We listened to all of the recordings on the audio guide and they gave an excellent insight into the building and the history that took place within it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Daisy270609

Dec 27, 2025

Ruined by time: a barren palace - As a history enthusiast, I was very excited to visit the palace. I have a special interest in the Tudors and have read many books which feature Hampton Court, so I wanted to experience the palace for myself. Unfortunately, my son and I feel it has been stripped of all character and is exceedingly baron. Many of the rooms are empty or with tatty replicas- not feeling royal at all or like I imagined it to be. I expect to see a lot more in Henry VIII’s kitchen but it really was just big empty rooms with a few tatty notes stuck to the wall. The apartments were mainly empty rooms too. I had the audio-guide so it kept me slightly more interested, but my son was thoroughly disappointed and disengaged and commented on other historical sites we have seen which have been much better. We only stayed just over an hour in the palace. It really was not worth it and we won’t return. However, the festive ice skating was brilliant and made our visit. This was clean, smart, well organised and thoroughly enjoyable. The cafe was marvellous as well with gluten free food available.

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Global41537879227

Nov 16, 2025

Not much to look at - I went on a school trip to Hampton court there wasn’t much and just wasn’t what I thought it would be and an 2 hour drive no thank you wouldn’t recommend

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Charlottaluisamaria

Nov 22, 2025

Save your money - more like an art gallery - Dear Sir or Madam, Huge dissatisfaction with my recent visit to Hampton Court Palace. Having long anticipated an engaging and historically immersive experience, I was disappointed to find that the visit did not meet the standard one would reasonably expect from such a significant heritage site. Firstly, the lack of artifacts, period costumes, and interpretive material was striking. Many rooms felt sparse and devoid of the elements that would help convey the lived reality of the palace’s history. Instead, the experience appeared to rely predominantly on paintings, giving the impression of an art gallery rather than the richly layered royal residence Hampton Court Palace is known to be. Furthermore, there was a noticeable absence of ambient features that might have brought the environment to life. In areas such as the kitchens, the use of sounds, props, or activity-based displays would have greatly enhanced visitors’ understanding and engagement. As presented, the spaces lacked atmosphere and a personal, human touch. This was particularly evident in the Chocolate Kitchen, which consisted merely of a bare table and some old pots and pans, offering very little sense of its historical purpose or significance. Clear visitor navigation also seemed to be an issue. Signage was limited or insufficiently visible, making it difficult to determine the appropriate route through the palace and which areas were accessible. The lighting throughout several rooms was also below standard, affecting both visibility and the overall quality of the visitor experience. I must additionally raise my concerns regarding staff conduct. Many staff members appeared disengaged, but the incident at the ticket area was particularly troubling. Although the staff member who laughed at me had not served me directly, she overheard me raising my concerns. When the staff member I was speaking to went to fetch the manager, the other staff member walked over to a colleague, made a remark, and both turned and laughed. The staff member speaking had her back to me, but she deliberately looked over in my direction during the exchange behaviour that strongly suggested their conversation was about me. This felt unprofessional, disrespectful, and wholly inappropriate for a public-facing heritage site. When I later explained this to the on-site manager, her response only compounded the situation. She immediately told me that she “works with these people every day,” implying that her familiarity with the staff was reason enough to dismiss my account. I made it clear that this should not matter, as she had not witnessed the incident herself and staff will naturally behave differently with their manager than with members of the public. Nevertheless, she continued to side with the staff without carrying out any meaningful enquiry. This left me feeling further dismissed and reinforced the impression that visitor concerns are not taken seriously. Not worth £30 each!

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Check Availability

From $39

up to 9 guests

1 - Adult