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Kew Gardens, London

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Kew Gardens are the Royal Botanic Gardens having an area of 121 hectares. These are comprised of gardens and glasshouses between Kew, which is located in south-west of London and Richmond. The name of the organisation which runs this garden and Wakehurst gardens in Sussex is also called Kew. It is an internationally important scientific botanical research and educational institution with a staff comprising 700 people and an income of £56 million for the year ended 31st March 2008. It gets around 2 million visits per year. The Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is responsible for the world's largest collection of living plants. It employs more than 650 scientists and other staff. The herbarium, which is the one of the largest in the world, has over 7 million preserved plant specimens whereas the living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants. The Kew site includes four Grade I listed buildings and 36 Grade II listed structures in an internationally significant landscape.

 


Main Attractions at Kew Gardens


Garden attractions at Kew

Find out more about the many features of Kew and everything you can see during your visit. To help you plan your day we have picked out the top four most popular attractions, but there is lots more to see amongst Kew's 300 acres, and a wealth of history to explore.

Top attractions

 

Palm House pond at night
 

Palm House

Experience a tropical rainforest environment inside this, Kew's most iconic building.

Treetop walkway in the snow

Xstrata Treetop Walkway

Climb 18 metres into the tree canopy for a spectacular bird's-eye view of Kew.  

 

Temperate House
 

Temperate House

Our biggest public glasshouse, and home to the world's tallest indoor plant.

Princess of Wales Conservatory

Princess of Wales Conservatory

Containing ten climatic zones and a huge variety of plants, including orchids and cacti.

Kew Gardens attractions



Glasshouses  |  Kids' Kew  |  Kew's iconic plants   |  Museums, galleries & historic buildings  |  Formal gardens  | 
Gates, restaurants & visitor facilities  |  Themed plant collections  |  Vistas & landscape features  |  Water & wildlife  | 
Decorative structures  |  Behind the scenes at Kew

A-Z listing

Explore our A-Z guide for more information on everything there is to see at Kew Gardens.

A B C

Aquatic Garden | Arboretum Nursery | Azalea Garden | Badger SettBamboo Garden & Japanese Minka House | Bee Garden | Berberis Dell  | Bonsai House | Brentford Gate | Broad Walk | Cambridge Cottage | Caucasian elm | Cedar Vista  | Cherry Walk | Chestnut-leaved oak | Chilean wine palm | Climbers & Creepers | Compost Heap | Conservation Area | Corsican pine | Crocus Carpet

D E F

Davies Alpine House | Duke's Garden | Eastern Cape giant cycad | Evolution House | False acacia

G H I

Giant waterlilies | Glory of the snow  | Grass Garden | Holly Walk | Herbarium | Ice House | Indian horse chestnut

J K L M N

Jade vine | Japanese Gateway | Japanese Landscape | Japanese Minka House & Bamboo Garden  | Jodrell Laboratory | Joseph Banks Building | Kew Palace | King William's Temple | Library, Art and Archives  | Lion Gate | Lucombe Oak | Maidenhair tree | Main Gate | Marianne North Gallery | Marine Display | Monkey puzzle treeMuseum No. 1 | North American Tulip Tree |

O P Q R

Orangery | Order Beds & Rose Pergola | Oriental plane | Pagoda | Pagoda panorama | Pagoda tree | Pagoda Vista | Palm House | Palm House Parterre | Princess Walk | Princess of Wales Conservatory | Queen's Garden | Queen Charlotte's Cottage | Redwood Grove  |  Rhizotron & Xstrata Treetop Walkway | Rhododendron Dell | Riverside Walk | Rock Garden | Rose Garden | Rose Pergola | Ruined Arch |

S T U

Sackler Crossing | Secluded Garden | The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical ArtSir Joseph Banks Building | Stable Yard | Stag Beetle Loggery | Stone pine  | Sweet chestnut | Syon Vista | Temperate House | Temple of Aeolus | Temple of Arethusa | Temple of BellonaTemple of Imagination  | Titan arum | Treehouse Towers | Tropical Nursery | Turner's oak

V W X Y Z

| Victoria Gate | Waterlily House | Waterlily Pond & Woodland Glade | Wollemi Pine |

 


Ticket prices for Kew Gardens, London


It is BEST to purchase tickets at Kew Gardens on the day of your visit as online tickets might take upto 7 days to reach your door step.



 Royal Botanic Kew Gardens

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Tickets can be purchased online for Kew Gardens, but they are not yet available online for Wakehurst Place.
Entry Month     Details      
MARCH    Entry Valid Between 1st and 31st of March 2011    
APRIL    Entry Valid Between 1st and 30th of April 2011    
MAY    Entry Valid Between 1st and 31st of May 2011    

Adults £13.90, Concessions £11.90, Children FREE
Separate charges apply for Kew Palace.

Group Visits (10 or more people)

Book Kew Gardens tickets

 


Kew Gardens opening hours


Kew Gardens      9.30am    until      5.30pm (Last entry 5.00pm)   
Glasshouses      9.30am    until      5.00pm    
and Galleries           
 
Xstrata Treetop
Walkway              9.30am    until      5.00pm  (Last entry 4.45pm)   
Climbers and Creepers      10.30am   until  5.00pm   
Kew Palace      Closed      The Palace is open between 2 April - 25 September 2011   

Kew Restaurants and Cafes       
Open    Early spring closing times:
Sunday 6 Feb 2011 to Sat 26 March 2011

Orangery Restaurant      10am    until  4.30pm
White Peaks Cafe      10am    until  4.30pm
Pavilion Restaurant      10.30am until  4.30pm
Victoria Gate Cafe      9.30am  until     5.00pm

Kew Shops       
Open    Early spring closing times:
Sunday 6 Feb 2011 to Sat 26 March 2011

White Peaks Shop    10am   until      5.00pm
Victoria Plaza Shop    9.30am   until  5.30pm

All other opening times for 2010 / 2011


Address (Location) of Kew Gardens


Royal Botanic Gardens

Kew, Richmond,

Surrey, TW9 3AB

 
Journey Planner
 

Contact Kew Gardens


Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5655 
Email: [email protected]

 


Travel to Kew Gardens


Kew is situated on the London Underground, 10 miles from central London and next to the River Thames.
 

Royal Botanic Gardens is located at Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB.  We encourage you to visit Kew Gardens via public transport.

By London Underground

Kew Gardens station (District Line, London Overground) is the closest London Underground station, and is in zone 3.

From Kew Gardens station it is a 5 minute walk to Kew Gardens (Victoria Gate entrance). Exit the station through the row of shops and walk down Lichfield road (opposite) to reach Victoria Gate.

Please always check the Transport for London website for service disruptions before making your journey.

To find out the best route to Kew by public transport, use the Transport for London Journey Planner

By train

Train services (South West Trains) from Waterloo, via Vauxhall and Clapham Junction, stop at Kew Bridge station. From Kew Bridge station it is a 10-minute walk to Kew Gardens (Main Gate entrance). For more information call +44 (0)8457 484950 or visit the National Rail Journey Planner.
 

By bus

Routes 65 and 391 stop close to the entrance gates. Routes 237 and 267 stop at Kew Bridge station.
 

By car or coach

Kew Gardens is well signposted from all the major local roads. The South Circular (A205) passes the north-east corner of Kew Gardens and Kew Road (A307) forms the eastern border.

Please note that Kew has no coach park, however coach parking is free on Kew Road (A307) after 10am. Groups are advised to arrive at either Victoria Gate or Main Gate, but note that only Main Gate has a designated coach drop off point. See our groups pages for more information.

From the west :

  • take M4 (exit Junction 2) or A4
  • upon reaching the Chiswick roundabout, follow signs to Kew Gardens to join the A205 and cross the River Thames at Kew Bridge
  • turn right immediately after the bridge on Kew Green, and then right down Ferry Lane to reach the Kew Gardens car park

From north London:

  • follow the North Circular until you reach the Chiswick roundabout, then follow directions from here as above

From the south or west:

  • from the M3 continue on the A316
  • upon reaching the Richmond roundabout, fork left on to Kew Road (A307)
  • you will then see the Pagoda to your left and then the wall on your left which is the boundary to the Gardens
  • there is limited parking along the Kew Road here after 10am, closest to Victoria Gate and Lion Gate
  • alternatively, to reach the car park, continue along this road and upon reaching Kew Green turn left and follow the signs

From the South Circular Road:

  • follow the South Circular Road past Kew Retail Park and under a railway bridge
  • at the next traffic light junction, where the A307 joins from the left, go slowly through the junction and immediately turn left into Kew Green (NOT sharp left into the A307, as this is no left turn)

 

Which gate?

There are four entrances to Kew Gardens:

  • Victoria Gate
  • Main Gate
  • Brentford Gate
  • Lion Gate


To find more, see our which gate to use guide
 

Car Parking

The directions above are to the Kew Gardens car park, near the Brentford Gate, which is reached via Ferry Lane, a narrow turning off Kew Green (TW9 3AF). The car park takes 300 cars so parking is limited. Parking has a flat fee of £6. There is no charge for motorcycles and mopeds. The car park closes half an hour after the Gardens close.

There are disabled parking spaces in the car park and further spaces are available adjacent to Main Gate on Kew Green.

Free parking is also available on Kew Road (A307) after 10am every day. From here the nearest entrance is Victoria Gate. This road is congested at peak times, so it may be easier to come via public transport. Please note that parking restrictions apply on most of the residential streets around Kew and on parts of Kew Road, please check parking restrictions carefully.

 

Coach Parking

Coaches are advised to arrive at Victoria Gate and park on Kew Road (A307). Coaches are not allowed to park around Kew Green.

 

By Bicycle

Bicycle racks are available at Victoria Gate and Brentford Gate entrances. The racks at Brentford Gate are located in the adjacent car park, and is a covered shelter. There are also bike racks situated outside Main Gate.

 

Visitor Information Map

Our current Visitor Information map is available from ticket offices on arrival, or you can download a pdf here.


Journey Planner


Gates and restaurants and other facilities


Find out where you can eat, drink and shop during your visit to Kew Gardens.

Brentford Gate

Brentford Gate

The present entry point for Brentford Gate opened in 1847. It has a pair of simple cast iron gates supported on Portland stone pillars.


Lion Gate at Kew Gardens

Lion Gate

Located at the southeastern tip of the Gardens, Lion Gate opened in around 1845. It comprises the original single wrought-iron gate supported by pillars of yellow London brick.


Main Gate

Main Gate

Kew’s Main Gate stands beside Kew Green on the northern edge of the gardens. It is now a Grade II Listed building.


Orangery

Orangery

The Grade I listed Orangery is Kew’s only surviving plant house designed by Sir William Chambers.


Victoria Gate from Kew Road

Victoria Gate

Kew’s Victoria entrance comprises a pair of imposing double gates with flanking single side gates designed by William Eden Nesfield.

 
References