Kew Gardens, Kew, London

Indulgently I took an extra week off work after New Year and decided to fill it, to the chagrin of my friends, with touristy things: one of which was a visit to Kew Gardens. Now, as my foreword suggests, I went on a week day so you may need an alternative source for a weekend review. My experience was PEACEFUL. The entry fee is £13.90 which feels reasonable for what you get (I went early). It’s really accessible – I went by tube but I think there is also an overground line. You are handed a cute map so, if you like structure-induced fun like me, you can plan your trip with horticulturally-excited precision (free spirits – you may toss your maps away with guilt-free abandon, I won’t be offended). I’ve never been much of a plant person. I like the RHS Chelsea flower show for reasons that continue to escape me but that’s about it. So not sure why I went, apart from an overwhelming desire for greenery that only long serving city-types may empathise with. I wasn’t disappointed. Loads of green. I went to the Palm House (which houses an underground aquarium bit), the Japanese Gardens (where I met a peacock), the Treetop walkway (where I met a fresh-air-sedated school trip), the Evolution exhibition with dinosaur sounds (weird. All I’m saying) and the Temperate House. The two ‘houses’ have high walkways, up spiral staircases, which are lovely unexpected treasures. DO spend time reading the info around you because it can be fascinating: there are cancer-curing plants, the type of tree Buddha sat under when he attained enlightenment, the largest indoor plant ever, a plant that is flowering itself to death and an interesting plant the Queen Mum planted (can’t remember for the life of me what it was though). I also saved parts of Kew Gardens unexplored (it’s huge) so that I have a reason to go back. Top tip: DON’T follow the meagre care instructions you get with the plants you can buy there – I bought a Livistona and the label said water once a month. I adhered religiously to said instructions. She didn’t make it the full month. She died. (Please do not write to me to tell me what the psychological condition is for someone who gives plants a gender). Top fact: Household pepper comes from its own plant and are nothing to do with the red, green or yellow things you get. Who knew.

Very attractive scenery at this park.. beautiful flowers great to sit and relax.. So special you may lose a few hours not wanting it to end!

Best to go during spring and autumn. Lovely place to spend the day

like kew gardens loving it in the summer, nice to just walk throu and relax

Hours & hours I have spent drawing in the
tropical palmhouse & the lily house …. heaven!
But this is only one of 6 magnificent glass-
houses set in 300 acres of lovely landscape.
You can see more from the new tree-top walkway

I so wanted to enjoy my first visit, having heard so much about it. However for me, there wasn’t that wow factor. It is expensive to enter, what is basically a Royal Park with five or six large greenhouses two of which have ferns and plants that look like each other. Actually found it boring. Not helped by the expensive cafe there and lack of service. My small wine was offered with a boiling hot glass, and asking for another or one which had not just come out of a hot dishwasher was a real problem it seemed for the catering assistant. Also paid exta to visit Kew House – not worth the £5 or so as 80% of the rooms look the same – and level three is basically a building site.

If all the greenhouses where in one location, would take 30 mins to look around, it is that they are all over the park, which makes it a whole day event. Parking at £6 is expensive also.

I should start my review of the Kew Gardens saying that I’m not interested at all in gardening, plants, wildlife or botany. I don’t visit gardens and parks often, and let alone paying almost £14. I’d never come here if so many people wouldn’t have recommended it to me. Surprisingly, I spent here almost 6 hours today, and even enjoyed a lot some parts. That’s something, right?

Kew Gardens must be paradise for nature lovers, it’s amazing the diversity and variety of plants, displays and exhibitions on offer here. I couldn’t appreciate all of them, specially not the glasshouses because of the hateful humidity, but I liked the People & Plants exhibitions and the Australia gardens, and in general walking for hours with nice landscapes in background. The best parts in my visit were the Marianne North Gallery and the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, absolutely incredible. Don’t miss them if you come, if they were standalone galleries they would be among my favourites in London.

As a tip, try to use the 2×1 offer on tickets when you travel by train. Be aware that Oyster is not accepted (not even travelcards on the Oyster), you have to present one of those orange tickets with the National Rail logo. We just took the First Capital Connect, one stop, from Essex Road to Highbury & Islington (purchasing two single tickets at £2.30 each, and then came back to Islington using Oyster) and that saved us £13.90.

nice to walk around – bit boring tho :/

Beautiful gardens! just can’t get enough of it in one day!!

The history of Kew Gardens stretches back many decades and has had many looks and influences over the years and has inspired the green fingers in all of us.

It has many historic buildings, this includes the stunning Palm House, built 1844-1848 by Richard Turner to Decimus Burton’s designs.

The Palm House is Kew’s most recognisable building, having gained iconic status as the world’s most important surviving Victorian glass and iron structure.

It was created specifically for the exotic palms being collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times.

As a first time visitor, I was blown away by the amount of love and work that goes into the gardens and displays and you really need a whole day to really take it all in and appreciate what you are looking at.

A nice bonus is that you can bring in a picnic and you will have no problems finding a beautiful spot to lay out your rug and kick off your shoes.

If you’ve never been to Kew Gardens, I would highly recommend it for a romantic afternoon with a loved one or a fun day out for all the family.

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As a rule I don’t enjoy meticulously disciplined nature. I find it a bit peverse. The precision trimmed crown bowls pitch does not offer me any chance to commune with nature.

I generally like sprawling wildernesses which you can get lost in and I can feel at home in.

Therefore Hampstead heath is pretty much my favourite place in London.

So I wasn’t really expecting to like Kew gardens as much as I did.

There are a lot of well manicured lawns. Which is why it gets 4 stars not 5. But it is insanely beautifull. And there is an obvious love of nature throughout.

And its soooo big. Expansively enourmous. And very varied. Exhibiting tropical flowers and british ones.

The aquarium is rubbish. The sea life centre it is not.

But the exhibition on climate change called “A hard Rain” is so moving it left me weeping and devestated.

Huge Kudos to Kew for hosting this.

I will definitely be going back. And I know there will be plenty there for me that I didn’t get to see the first time.

Wonderful place. There’s no where else like it in London. Go!

what a wonderful place to see all the rare plants in the massive green house . plently of space for the kids to run around

I adore Kew Gardens and can't wait to go again. It's heavenly and 10x better than the Eden Project.... The photographs I took on my last visit bring back such lovely memories. It's so relaxing and a perfect way to spend a day. You can forget your troubles and throw away your cares here.

I have to admit that I’ve lived in London for 10 years and all that time I’ve been a Kew Garden virgin. There was always a reason not to go: too expensive (even though it’s cheaper than a round in the pub), it’s too far (not knowing about the direct train from Clapham Junction), there will only be plants there (I had no idea there would be fish, iguanas and butterflies to name but a few) or just too much of a gamble because of the weather. But I’ve been now, I’ve made it, the huge, mysterious Walled Garden has been discovered and holds no more secrets....at least not until I’ll revisit it again in Spring when all the flowers come out. This place holds so many things, but for me it was just the sheer dream-like quality of being there on a sunny September Saturday, after a hard week’s work. Chilling out in a dozy way, strolling along, the plants and wonders of the world scrolling gently by. And oh yes, Sea Horses rock!

lthough a bit of a journey from the city
Kew gardens is worth at least one visit. Beautifully laid out with a large variety of different environments to explore, it is something special.

Kew Gardens is a fantastic day out.
a range of the new exotic plants to 100 year old trees, painting and displays
a great way to lose your day
if it rains there are a selection of restaurants to eat at a mini shopping area at the entrance.

its amazing how the park looks and changes from season to seasons.

Very expensive and there are plenty of comparable gardens for an afternoon out - Chelsea Physic, Holland Park. My recommendation, don't pay the exorbitant price.

It really is lovely and the views are delightful, however the plane noise is horrible, as they pass directly overhead at approx. 1 1/2 minute intervals. If there are days that you could go without that degree of noise intrusion it would probably be a much more enjoyable experience.

Had such a lovely day here on Saturday, I took the Man who had never been before, I stupidly thought he would be slightly bored, but we both greatly enjoyed the large glass houses, and the park.

The tree top walk way isn't great, it would be more interesting if the trees were. The walk around the top of the Palm House however is amazing. My favourite was looking down into the centre of a massive palm which really couldnt be appriciated from the ground. The waterlily house was also wonderful, the lilies just seem so unreal.

The visit was made more interesting as there were two photographic exhibitions on: one by a proffessional, and the other the wildlife photographer of the year competition. The photos were awesome and it was interesting to see a different view on the nature around us.

Late in the afternoon we went and got ice creams from one of the cafe. I for some unknown reason decided that I was going to treat him. The tiny little pots were £2.50 each! No matter, the day was wonderful all the same, and we left by the Brentford gate and walked home along the Thames.