Welcome
Hampton Court Palace - managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity - is in south-west London and has over 500 years of history to discover. The home of Henry VIII, his wives and children, the palace is the greatest and most authentic Tudor experience in the world.
But Hampton Court isn't just a Tudor Palace. Explore our Baroque Palace, built for William III and Mary II. Its spectacular views and decorative interiors provide a fascinating glimpse of Stuart and Georgian privilege.
The palace grounds and gardens are equally stunning. From the world famous maze and grape vine to the ornamental gardens, exploring outside is a magical treat too.

Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Henry VIII's ApartmentsPre-purchase desk in the Ticket OfficeBase Court accessible toiletsTiltyard CafePalace ShopHenry VIII's KitchensWilliam III's ApartmentsThe Georgian StoryThe Kitchen GardenThe Formal GardensThe Magic Garden (April to October only)There is level access from the car park to:
Tiltyard and Wilderness GardensAccess with steps
There are steps from the main entrance to:
Privy Kitchen CafeHearing
Visual
General
Getting here
Travel by public transport
Hampton Court Palace is in travelcard zone 6.
Parking
There is a car park on site which has nine disabled parking bays. Parking is currently free for blue badge holders; the cost is £1.60 per hour for those without a blue badge. All car parking bays are available on a first come first served basis and cannot be booked in advance.
- Additional parking is available on Hampton Court Green - where there is a coach park as well as car park - and at Hampton Court train station.
- Cars and taxis may pull in next to the Ticket Office to drop off if the car park is full. Minibuses too large to fit into the palace car park may do the same before going off-site to park in the coach bays on Hampton Court Green. Motorhomes and caravans should also use the coach bays on Hampton Court Green.

Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
The gate will be open whenever the palace is open. The approach is tarmac and bonded gravel but entry is straight onto cobbles once inside.
Getting around inside

Lift
Lift to the first floor


Ticket/ information desk
Pre-purchase desk in the Ticket Office
The desk has an induction loop wired into it for hearing aid users.
- Although primarily there for people needing to collect pre-purchased or online tickets, it can also sell day tickets to anyone who enters the Ticket Office.
Things to See and Do
Henry VIII's Apartments
Although our displays don't have flashing lights, visitors are allowed to take personal photographs - which means there will often be camera flashes, and sometimes a lot of them.
- Henry VIII's Apartments are the most popular part of Hampton Court Palace and can often be very crowded. They include the Great Hall, Great Watching Chamber, Processional Route, Council Chamber and Haunted Gallery.




Public toilet
Base Court accessible toilets
There are five accessible toilets inside the palace and three more in the palace gardens. Two of the accessible toilets inside the palace (off Base Court) have a small lip at the entrance.
- There is also an accessible toilet on the first floor near the Queen's Stairs.
- Hampton Court Palace does not have a Changing Places Toilet. The nearest are at: HFT Kingston Resource Centre, New Malden, KT3 3LJ; Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Chessington, KT9 2NE; Kew Gardens, TW9 3AB.

Shop
Palace Shop
The Palace Shop is opposite the Ticket Office, so visitors do not need an admission ticket to browse or shop in it.

Place to eat and drink
Privy Kitchen Cafe
The Privy Kitchen Cafe offers soup, pies and sandwiches along with cake and crisps, and hot and cold drinks.

Place to eat and drink
Tiltyard Cafe
The Tiltyard Cafe offers hot meals and salads, as well as sandwiches, cakes and drinks (hot and cold).

Henry VIII's Kitchens
Henry VIII's Kitchens are all on the ground floor. Most of the floor surfaces are cobbles and there are some very small rooms which can easily get congested. There is also a real fire in the final room and cooks dressed in historic costume working in there during the summer.

William III's Apartments
William III's State Apartments are on the first floor, so accessible via the staff-operated lift.
- His Private Apartments are on the ground floor.
- Together they are William III's Apartments and part of the 17th century Baroque building at Hampton Court Palace.


The Georgian Story
The Georgian Story is about when George I and George II lived at Hampton Court Palace in the early 18th century.

Getting around outside
The Kitchen Garden is a one acre vegetable garden. It has wide paths around the sides but narrow paths through the vegetable beds which can have plants spilling over them at the height of the growing season.

Rose Garden
The Rose Garden is next to the palace car park. It has benches on the paths around the edges but visitors can sit on the grass between the rose beds if they wish.

Picnic Area
Tiltyard and Wilderness Gardens
Visitors may picnic in any of the palace gardens. There are benches, deckchairs (summer months only) and some picnic tables, and visitors can sit on the grass.

The Formal Gardens
The Formal Gardens can only be reached via the palace so visitors will need to have a palace entrance ticket.
- There are three gates from the East Front into the Formal Gardens. Visitors can also reach them from Base Court via the entrance to the Mantegna Gallery.
- The Formal Gardens consist of the Great Fountain Garden, the Privy Garden, the Pond Gardens and the 20th Century Garden. The Great Vine and the Royal Tennis Court are also in the Formal Gardens.



The Maze
The Maze is included in palace admission tickets, but anyone who doesn't have a palace ticket can buy a Maze only ticket at the entrance.
- The world famous Hampton Court Palace Maze has a third of a mile of narrow paths and 2 metre high hedges. The aim is to get to the centre, from where there is a short cut to the exit.
The paths are only 1-2 feet wide so are too narrow for mobility scooters.

The Magic Garden (April to October only)
The Magic Garden is included in palace admission tickets, but anyone who doesn't have a palace ticket can buy a Magic Garden & Maze only ticket at the entrance.
- The Magic Garden is an enclosed children's play area near the Kitchen Garden, themed to represent the history of Hampton Court Palace. It is aimed at primary-school-aged children, but famlies are encouraged to play together and all equipment is suitable for adults.
- It is very popular and queues can build up during the summer; a timed exit system using wristbands is in operation on these occasions.
We have periodic relaxed sessions - called 'Rise and Roar' - when capacity is reduced and external noises removed as much as possible. These start at 9am (so an hour before the Magic Garden usually opens) and participants get one and half hours before other visitors are allowed in. All attendees MUST register in advance (even if they don't need to buy an admission ticket e.g. they are Members) so that we can ensure the number of people in the Magic Garden does not exceed the reduced capacity during the 'Rise and Roar' session. Please see our website for dates.

Customer care support
There are seats in most rooms and we have a number of objects in Henry VIII's Apartments and Henry VIII's Kitchens that can be handled.
Emergency evacuation procedures
Our alarm system is a sounder but all visitors should follow the instructions of the Front-of-House Staff, who will be able to guide them to the nearest safe exit.
- Please follow any instructions from the staff as it is possible that an evacuation may be required but the alarm doesn't sound.
- All our accessible toilets have pull-cord alarms that link back to our Control Room, but they don't flash.
Customer care support
We provide some additional services for visitors with disabilities to help them get the most from their visit but most require staff or volunteer assistance so must be pre-booked well in advance.
- However, our guidebook is available in Braille and can be borrowed at any time from the Information Centre. We also have audio tours in versions suitable for partially sighted visitors.