Lady’s Guide to a Hampton Court Palace Day Trip

Today I want to share my guide to a Hampton Court Palace day trip with you. This stunning Tudor palace in London is a great place to spend a day out in the UK capital.

Hampton Court Palace Day Trip

There’s nothing more English than a garden. When I first moved to London, I became obsessed with the idea of growing all kinds of things in my back yard, from green peas to summer roses.

But my travel schedule got in the way, and I decided to leave gardening to the experts. This week some of those experts invited me to visit the Royal Kitchen Garden at Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace.

Royal Kitchen Garden at Hampton Court Palace

The kitchen garden itself isn’t a new concept for the palace. In the 17th century, William and Mary saw Henry VIII’s former jousting grounds as a potential site for a garden that could provide the royal palaces with fresh produce throughout the year.

From 1689 until 1842, Hampton Court Palace’s Royal Kitchen Garden did just that. But the garden was eventually converted into other things, and over the years the flower beds grew into cafes, restaurants, and shops.

In recent years, one sixth of the original garden was rededicated as the site of a new Royal Kitchen Garden. Unlike many other areas of Hampton Court Palace, the garden offers free entry to the public.

I received an invitation from the palace to tour the garden with Vicki Cooke, the Kitchen Garden Keeper, and I took a Hampton Court Palace day trip to see them.

After passing through the amazingly fragrant Rose Garden, I found myself under sunny skies in the Royal Kitchen Garden.

The design of the garden stays true to its original plan, prioritizing ornamentation and formality in its geometric flower beds and regimented rows of lettuces and peas.

Colorful flowers line the edges of the beds, and rows of manicured fruit trees surround the perimeter.

While some of the garden beds are still sprouting, others are in full bloom. Checkerboard patterns of green and red lettuces blanket the ground, while tall stalks of sweet peas with bright pink flowers stretch towards the sun.

The overall effect of the Royal Kitchen Garden at Hampton Court Palace is both pleasing to the eye and tempting to the stomach. It makes this place one of the best garden day trips from London.

Not far from the garden are Henry VIII’s famous kitchens. Vicki explained that some of the produce features in their vast labyrinth of rooms, which used to showcase supermarket vegetables.

Some of the garden’s herbs also appear in the food at Hampton Court Palace’s cafe, and other plants are sold in the shop.

Hampton Court Palace Grounds

But the gardens are only one part of the royal residence, and the grounds are extensive enough to take up an entire Hampton Court Palace day trip from London.

One of the highlights is a famous maze from the 1690s, which I stumbled through and managed to make my way out of before starving to death (this is a serious fear of mine; I’m sure there’s a long Greek word for it).

Additionally, the formal Privy Garden, with its perfectly manicured 18th-century lawns and huge fountain, is a beautiful part of the palace.

As I walked through, the pink roses were in full bloom along the hedges, and the whole space looked gorgeous in the sun. It reminded me of my time at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

Hampton Court Palace has 60 acres of gardens and 750 acres of parkland, and even at a fast pace, I could never have seen it all in a day. That’s not least because the palace itself deserves a visit in its own right.

Hampton Court Palace State Apartments and Interiors

And the palace is larger than life. This comes as no surprise given it once belonged to Henry VIII. His apartments, including the stunning Great Hall—with its elaborate ceiling and rich tapestries—are highlights.

As is the Chapel Royal, which has a stunning Tudor ceiling replete with golden stars and gilded cherubs.

Elsewhere, the Queen’s State Apartments show off the palace’s sumptuous interior decor and art. Temporary exhibitions come complete with music, performances, and olfactory tours.

Hampton Court Palace Chocolate Kitchen

Back outside, I wandered through the Fountain Court and stumbled upon the 18th-century Chocolate Kitchen, a little cocoa-inspired Hanoverian cooking space.

I loved the idea of a dedicated chocolate kitchen, and when I’m a billionaire I will have one in my palace. I will.

It’s hard to top a chocolate kitchen, so I decided to make the room the last stop on my Hampton Court Palace day trip.

Day Trip to Hampton Court Palace

Back out front, I came full-circle to the Royal Kitchen Garden as I made my way to the train station to travel back to London.

The gardeners were hard at work making the beds look as impeccable as all the palace’s other gardens, and as they receded into the distance, I couldn’t help but revisit my desire to pick up the English passion for gardening.

If only I ever stayed in England long enough to keep a garden growing…

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