hampton court castle and gardens

I arrived at Hampton Court Palace just after 10am on a freezing cold February morning. First things first, I had an excellent espresso in the Kitchen Cafe which set me up for the rest of the morning. I used the audio guide which is included in the price of the ticket. The information is comprehensive but even so, the staff in each room were able to offer anymore detail required. Throughout the morning, little dramas were played out in different areas of Henry VIII's apartments. I enjoyed them thoroughly as did the younger generation of tourists. Cloaks were available in different sizes and colours for visitors of all ages, which further added to the feeling that visitors were part of the Palace's drama and history.I visited on my own which meant I could concentrate on the things which really interested me most. The way the tour is arranged, you can visit any room or area as often as you like. If you have children, you can skip any "boring" bits (can't actuallynthink of any though!!). Also, for children, the audio guide has a dedicated setting. I had lunch in the Tiltyard Cafe. Perhaps it's a little pricey, especially if you are paying for a family, but this is often the way when tourist attractions feel they have a captive audience. On the other hand, a very helpful member of staff showed me a table where I could charge my phone whilst I ate my very tasty wrap.I spent a very pleasant, informative 4 hours at the palace and enjoyed every moment.

I lived in the UK for 7 years and read about this in an obscure magazine and decided to do a quick day trip, since I was running out of things to see and do in London. This is one of my favourite places in the UK. It is beautiful and so full of history and heritage. It was summer when I visited with my family, and comparatively empty (didn't gave your typical tourist swarm). The grounds and gardens are pristine and very well kept, and everything feels so regal and open. It was a wonderful day trip for my whole family which comprised teenagers, uni grads and middle aged parents. We took our time to look around, and not once did we feel bored or 'it's just another old Castle'. Wonderful memories and can't wait to visit again.

These gardens are a true delight. I have been many times. Like all great gardens there are many different aspects and features. The Orangery tea rooms are superb. This is perfect in every way.

If you are a fan of the former show The Tudors, this is a fun place to visit. Even if you don't know about the show (which you should watch if not), the palace and gardens are amazing. It is amazing to see a palace that is this historic. It is a bit outside the city and you should plan it as a day trip. The trip is beautiful. We took the train out and a bus to the palace. Very easy to get around. The grounds are amazing. Worth the effort!

Amazing buildings and gardens. Enactment of history which is included in the cost of entry was an interesting concept.To really explore Hampton Court you need to allow a day to really see everything

Take some time to learn a little about the history of Hampton Court before coming, it made out trip much more interesting. The actors really get into character and it helps to bring some entertainment to the visit. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask the wardens, they were all very knowledgable and friendly. We didn't try for the ice skating, as neither of us can skate and it was crowded. The maze looked fun, but it was too cold to run through it so i can't comment on that. All in all, very enjoyable. Oh yea, be on the lookout for a sighting of Catherine....she begged for her life from Henry 8th has been seen wandering the halls !!

Went to Hampton Court Palace for several hours. The entry fee includes an audio guide and access to the royal gardens. There were several school classes there for a field trip and the youngsters seemed to really enjoy seeing how the royals lived two hundred years ago. So this would be fun for the whole family. The audio guide was fine and you can fast forward to any section you are visiting.There is access to the kitchen, wine cellar, dining area and the apartments. The gardens were also nice to walk through, just keep to the gravel paths. There are two cafes, you can go to, although I didn't visit them. My brother did and said the food was fine. To get to Hampton Court, take the train from Waterloo Station. Look up on the train board for times. The train usually leaves from track 2 and takes approximately 35 minutes as it makes a lot of stops, with Hampton Court the last stop.

My husband and I took our young grandson yesterday thinking this would be a lovely, Christmassy experience for the little one to see. It's wasn't. It was just full of people milling around, people selling and.....nothing else. We couldn't even sit outside in the (albeit cold) sunshine and have a coffee as the lovely seating area was cordoned off. I expect to see and feel some Christmas magic, but there want any, not even for a two year old who looks at new things in amazement....there wasn't even a Father Christmas. I object to paying 'to buy' and yes, £3.50 each is reasonable I suppose but all we saw were stalls. What a shame. I have many friends who have taken their children to Hampton Court in years gone buy, who have always enthused about the Christmas experience, I wanted this for my grandson ( and me) so I was disappointed. The gardens were not open.

Two years ago we'd never been inside Hampton Court until the Xmas fair. The rooms where the fair is held are stunning and access to the grounds and gardens included in the price of £3.50 is an absolute bargain.So we visited yesterday for our third year's visit and a walk by the riverside.The stalls are very interesting and varied with all kinds of upmarket but reasonably priced goods and overall it's an extremely pleasant couple of hours. If you are planning to walk in the grounds, wellingtons or boots are advisable.If you're just looking for lights and wrapping paper it's probably better to go to B&Q.

Today was the first day of the Christmas fair at Hampton court, the fair was fine. the orangery restaurant staff are not fine. They take an order write it down pick your cakes put on to plates and then get completely confused who's cake is who's , then start to make drinks but not in any order, the line of waiting frustrated people is getting longer and longer. this experience is not cheap either.The staff need training, after all this is not rocket science is it thousands of Costa's manage it every day.

This was a really good day out. £3.50 to get in I thought was really reasonable. The stalls were lovely, lots of handmade items for all ages, lovely atmosphere. Prices of items on stalls very good. Lots of people there even though it was a Friday. Be prepared to wait 30 minutes if you want anything to eat or drink in the Orangery between 12 pm and 2 pm as the queue is very long! You can get refreshments in other places within the castle as well. I really enjoyed it.

Excellent for garden enthusiasts; history buffs; children - the whole family can enjoy a variety of enjoyment. Great for walking along the river and in the woods or find your way out of the maze. Regular special attractions throughout the year. Cafe and toilet facilities; ice cream shop too.

I have just returned from Hampton Court Castle in the beautiful countryside of Herefordshire. The Castle is beautiful from the outside and once inside the venue, my room was immaculate.We took a wonderful and entertaining tour of the inside of the Castle on arrival and the tour guide Susan was very entertaining about the site's colourful history. The staff were very friendly and gave great advise on the Castle, the grounds and the surronding area. If you are looking to get married, then I suggest you give this location a visit. The gardens and in particular the Maze would give hours and hours of pleasure. A special thank you to the staff...

So much to see, wonderful audio tour and inside/outside attractions. Top quality history, exhibits and staff!

We arrived at a car-park in a field with very large ruts and puddles which should have alerted me to what was ahead,. went through a homemade gate and the path way was completely under water so but I had no choice but to go through the middle of it. Arrived at the gift shop where you buy your ticket. asked for house only as I can't walk round the gardens but informed you have to walk through the gardens to get to the house but its not far.So we paid the large entrance fee. Everyone's view on distances is different, when you are on crutches (left wheelchair in car thinking it would be easier around the house) it took me about 10/15 minutes to get to the house which was more than enough for me. The path way also runs out after the formal gardens and then you are expected to walk across grass for the last 200 metres. At least when you get there the first thing you are greeted with is a tea room, so more money but a well deserved rest. We were booked onto a tour of the house so we finally found our guide in a small court yard. We started a slow walk around the house which I have to say was wonderful, full of character but strangely decorated, The guide was lovely, I asked if there were any stairs as I couldn't manage them, she said normally there would be but the bedrooms were being occupied so we would see a folder with some photos of the rooms. Felt a little bit cheated as this should have been said to us at the ticket counter. But a good tour and again at the end we ended up in the tea room and had some lunch and a rest ready to tackle the long walk back to the car, If I had known how far it was to walk to the house, I have to say I would have turned around and not visited. I think the staff could have been a little more informative,