Three sites, one stretch of river
Richmond, Kew and Hampton Court get lumped together on maps because they sit within a few miles of each other along the Thames, west of central London. That proximity causes a real problem for first-time visitors: people assume they are one attraction, or that a single ticket covers all three. They do not, and they cannot be seen properly in one rushed afternoon. For a side-by-side look at what each one offers before you commit to a plan, our things to do in Richmond and Kew guide lays out the options in one place.
Kew Gardens (formally the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) is a paid, UNESCO-listed botanic garden with Victorian glasshouses, a treetop walkway and thousands of plant species. Richmond Park is free, unfenced and home to several hundred wild deer that roam across open grassland and ancient woodland. Hampton Court Palace is a paid royal palace, the former residence of Henry VIII, with Tudor state rooms, formal gardens and a famous maze. They share a train line and a stretch of towpath, and that is largely where the similarity ends. All three sit within the wider Greater London region rather than the historic centre, which is worth knowing if you are trying to fit them around a central London itinerary.
If your time is limited, pick one and do it properly rather than trying to tick off all three. Kew and Hampton Court in particular each deserve three to four hours minimum; rushing either one wastes the admission price.
Richmond town and Richmond Park
Richmond itself is a leafy town with a village-like high street, riverside pubs and a direct rail and Underground connection (District line) into central London, roughly 25-30 minutes from Westminster, covered by the same Oyster card or contactless payment that works on buses and the Underground everywhere else in the city. It is a pleasant base for walking rather than a major sight in its own right.
Richmond Park is the real draw here: at over 2,500 acres it is the largest of London’s Royal Parks and one of the biggest urban parks in Europe. It has been enclosed since the 1630s, which is why its red and fallow deer herds have grazed there for nearly four centuries, and why the grassland looks more like open countryside than a manicured city park. Entry is free and it stays open every day of the year, which earns it a regular spot on lists of free things to do in London. The deer are wild, not tame: keep a reasonable distance, especially during the rutting season in autumn and the birthing season in late spring, and never approach them for a photo.
Richmond Hill, at the park’s western edge, gives one of the only protected views in England by law: the sweep of the Thames curving through Petersham Meadows toward Windsor is the reason the viewpoint is protected from new building. It is a genuinely good, free thing to do, does not require booking, and turns up regularly on rankings of the best views of London.
For a change of pace, a guided walk through Richmond’s historic streets and green spaces covers the town’s Georgian architecture and river views with some local context that is easy to miss walking alone. Fans of the television series set partly around the town’s football ground might prefer a themed walking tour that follows filming locations around Richmond instead.
Kew Gardens: the botanic garden, not a park
Kew Gardens is easy to confuse with Richmond Park because the names sound similar and both are green space by the Thames, but Kew is a curated, ticketed botanic garden run by an independent charity, not a free municipal park. Expect to pay an adult admission fee in the £20s, with online booking usually a few pounds cheaper than paying on the gate; check the current price on the ticket page before you go, since it changes, and see our guide to money, tipping and costs in London for how one paid attraction like this fits into a wider day’s spending.
The garden’s highlights include the Palm House and Temperate House, two of the world’s largest Victorian glasshouses; the Hive, a large illuminated sculpture that hums with real bee activity; and the Treetop Walkway, an 18-metre-high steel walkway through the tree canopy. Kew Palace, a small red-brick royal residence within the grounds, is included in some ticket types and closed in others depending on the season, so check what your ticket covers.
Kew is large enough that a single visit rarely covers everything. Plan three to four hours as a minimum, longer if you want to see both glasshouses properly and walk to the pagoda at the garden’s southern end. A guided visit such as this ticketed tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is a reasonable way to see the highlights efficiently if you are short on time, since it builds in a route rather than leaving you to work one out on the spot.
Kew station (District line and London Overground) sits a short walk from the Victoria Gate entrance, about 30-40 minutes from central London depending on your starting point.
Hampton Court Palace: Henry VIII’s Thames-side residence
Hampton Court Palace is the furthest of the three from central London and the one most people underestimate for time. It was Cardinal Wolsey’s palace before he handed it to Henry VIII in the 1520s, and the Tudor sections (the Great Hall, the kitchens built to feed a court of hundreds) sit alongside a later baroque wing added under William III and Mary II. It is not a ruin or a shell: many rooms are furnished and dressed to represent specific periods, and costumed interpreters appear in the Tudor kitchens on many days. It is the closest thing London has to Windsor, another inhabited royal residence further out west, though the two make very different day trips.
The famous maze, planted in the early 1700s, is included in general palace admission and is genuinely tricky to solve, not a quick novelty. The gardens are extensive and free to walk if you only want the grounds, though the palace interiors and maze require a ticket. Admission is typically in the £25-£30 range for an adult, again worth checking against the current rate before booking.
A half-day visit is realistic if the palace is your only stop that day; a half-day trip to Hampton Court Palace with tickets included handles the transport and admission in one booking, which removes some of the logistics. Independently, the palace is reached by rail from Waterloo (around 35 minutes to Hampton Court station) or by riverboat from central London, which takes considerably longer but turns the journey itself into part of the day, an option covered in more detail in our Thames river cruises guide.
Getting between the three
This is where the geography helps rather than hinders, if you plan it deliberately. Richmond and Kew sit close enough together, with a passenger boat connecting them along the Thames, that a river boat service running between Richmond and Kew makes a scenic and practical link if you want to combine a park walk with a garden visit in one day. Hampton Court is further upriver again; a boat journey from central London out to Hampton Court can take most of a day on its own, so it suits travellers who want the river as the main event rather than a fast connector. For how these three compare to other excursions further from London, see day trips by train from London stations.
By train, the three points are not on a single simple line. Richmond and Kew are both served by the District line and Overground; Hampton Court has its own branch line from Waterloo and is not a direct rail hop from Richmond or Kew. Budget 20-30 minutes and a change if you want to move between Kew and Hampton Court by rail in the same day.
| Route | Typical journey | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Central London to Richmond | 25-30 minutes | District line or South Western Railway |
| Central London to Kew | 30-40 minutes | District line or Overground |
| Central London to Hampton Court | 35-45 minutes | Rail from Waterloo, one change possible |
| Richmond to Kew | 15-20 minutes by boat, less by train | River boat is seasonal and weather-dependent |
| Kew to Hampton Court | Around 30 minutes by train with a change | No direct riverboat link between the two |
Planning a realistic day
Combining all three sites properly in one day is not realistic once you account for opening hours, queueing and travel between them. Two workable patterns instead:
- Richmond Park in the morning, Kew Gardens in the afternoon. Both are on the same rail line, the park costs nothing, and the combination fits comfortably into one day without rushing either.
- Hampton Court Palace as its own day. Given the travel time and the size of the palace and gardens, treat it as a standalone half or full day rather than bolting it onto Richmond or Kew.
If your schedule only allows one stop, choose based on interest rather than convenience: Richmond Park for a free, outdoor, family-friendly morning that suits a trip built around London with kids; Kew for garden and design enthusiasts; Hampton Court for anyone drawn to Tudor and royal history. None of the three should be treated as a quick add-on to a central London itinerary, since travel time out and back already eats into a half day before you have seen anything.
Anyone wanting a fixed-mobility alternative to walking can rent a boat on the river near Richmond, though a kayak rental on the Thames backwaters near Richmond is a more active option for a warmer day rather than a way to reach Kew or Hampton Court itself. Visitors planning around mobility needs more broadly should also check our accessible London guide.
Money and tickets
Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace both sell timed-entry tickets online, and both are consistently cheaper booked in advance than paid for at the gate. Richmond Park needs no ticket at all. Membership schemes exist for both paid sites (Kew has an annual membership, Historic Royal Palaces runs an annual pass covering Hampton Court and several other palaces), which are worth considering only if you expect to return within the year.
Prices quoted above are ranges, not fixed figures: check the official site or your booking confirmation for the exact price on the day you plan to visit, since both attractions revise pricing periodically and sometimes vary by season. Anyone stretching a tighter budget across a longer trip may also find our London on a budget guide useful for prioritising which paid attractions earn their place.
Frequently asked questions about Richmond, Kew and Hampton Court
Are Richmond Park, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace all in the same location?
No. They are three separate sites strung along the Thames to the west of London, each with its own entrance and opening hours. Richmond Park is furthest west and free; Kew Gardens sits between Richmond and central London and charges admission; Hampton Court Palace is further out again and also charges admission.
Can I see all three in one day?
It is possible but rushed, and not recommended if you want to actually enjoy any of them. Two of the three (typically Richmond Park and Kew Gardens, which share a rail line) fit into a single day more comfortably; add Hampton Court and you are moving fast with little time inside any site.
Do I need to book tickets in advance for Kew Gardens or Hampton Court Palace?
Advance booking is not strictly required for entry at either site, but it is usually cheaper than paying on the gate and it avoids queueing at busy periods, particularly weekends and school holidays. Richmond Park needs no ticket at all.
Is Richmond Park safe to walk through given the deer?
Yes, for visitors who keep a sensible distance. The deer are wild, not tame or fenced, and can act unpredictably if approached too closely, especially during the autumn rut. Stay several metres away and do not attempt to feed or touch them.
How do I get from Richmond to Kew without a car?
A District line or Overground train covers the distance in around 15-20 minutes, and a seasonal river boat runs between the two along the Thames when weather and river conditions allow, taking a similar amount of time with a much better view.
Is Hampton Court Palace suitable for children?
Largely yes. The maze is a genuine highlight for most children, the Tudor kitchens include costumed interpretation on many days, and the gardens have space to run around. The formal state rooms hold less interest for younger children, so pace expectations accordingly.
What should I do if it rains?
Kew Gardens’ glasshouses (the Palm House and Temperate House) and Hampton Court’s palace interiors both work well as wet-weather options, since the bulk of each visit is indoors or under cover. Richmond Park has far less shelter, so it is the least forgiving of the three in poor weather, worth keeping in mind when planning a rainy week in London.
Which is better for a first visit: Kew Gardens or Hampton Court Palace?
It depends on interest rather than which is objectively “better”. Choose Kew for gardens, plant collections and Victorian architecture; choose Hampton Court for Tudor and royal history, furnished interiors and the maze. Neither is a quick stop, so pick based on what you actually want to see rather than trying to fit in a version of both.
For onward planning, see what else sits within Greater London beyond the centre, how the wider Underground, Overground and river network connects these sites to the rest of the city, and how Hampton Court and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour compare if you are choosing between a west London day trip.
