Kew Gardens in London

Located in Southwest London, Kew Gardens is a botanic garden that is home to the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world.

What is Kew Gardens, London?

Kew Gardens was formally known as Royal Botanic Gardens and was the site of a former royal estate in the London Borough. Royal Botanic Gardens was founded by Princess Augusta in 1759, however, in 2003, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation declared Kew Gardens a World Heritage Site due to the acknowledgement of its unique history.

They are a world-leading organisation that showcases the biggest living collection of plants and fungi in their botanic gardens when early botanists collected different specimens from around the world to keep them in that one designed location.

Over time this has developed and Kew Gardens is now recognised as the global centre for the study of plants and fungi, which has led to collaborations with almost 100 other countries to strive for the identification of new species. It is due to this that you can now find over 50,000 species of native and exotic plants across the 326 acres of land.

They have voiced their commitment to protecting plants and fungi in their manifesto for change, which explores their 5 commitments to making a contribution to talking global challenges. These are as followed:

1. Deliver science-based knowledge and solutions to protect biodiversity and use natural resources sustainably

They have declared that their scientists identify and strive to protect their plants and fungi, as well as those that are constantly being discovered. They also pledge to reveal those that are new sources of food, medicine, fuel and materials.

They have a science strategy 2021 - 2025, which you can access here: Kew's Science Strategy

They also have a Science Collections Strategy, which you can access here: Science Collections Strategy

2. Inspire people to protect the national world

They promise to promote and provide access to knowledge, ideas and beautiful gardens which in turn will motivate individuals to be advocates for nature. You can access their sites and visit Kew Gardens. They are creating a new public science engagement centre as well as bringing together scientists to transfer knowledge regarding sustainability and biodiversity.

3. Train the next generation of experts

Kew Gardens have committed to training students from the United Kingdom and around the world to become the next generation of brilliant scientists and horticulturists. They have programmes courses that include PhD, MSc and diploma courses, as well as apprenticeships and shorter courses.

They offer new learning experiences through learning centres located on-site to expand visitor knowledge and skills.

To find out more about their courses, click here: Growing Our Programmes

4. Expand our reach

Kew Gardens are a public body that has a charity from global contributions, collections and influences. They state that they must be for everyone to offer a wider global benefit. They declared that they intend to increase the number of visitors from under-represented communities and extend the reach of their community far beyond the gardens.

They have said that there is time to re-examine the history of their gardens through their current collections.

To find out more about their community access scheme, click here: Community Access Scheme

5. Influence nation and international opinion and policy

Kew Gardens advocates for policies that align with the rest of its missions. They want to lead by example in regard to environmental responsibility and they want to exceed net-zero emissions and become Climate Positive by 2030.

They have a sustainability strategy, which you can access here: Sustainability Strategy

How to Book Tickets to Kew Gardens

To book your tickets to Kew Gardens, you need to access their website which can be found here: Kew Gardens Tickets & Prices

From here, you are able to select Book Tickets, which takes you to a screen of tickets and their prices. You will be invited to select a time slot. Upon clicking this option, you will be directed to state whether you a visiting a member or not.

Both options will take you to the same initial screen. You can find a calendar, with available dates. From here select the day that you would like to visit. This will then bring up the time slots that are available for that day and you are prompted to pick the time slot you desire.

This will bring up a ticket selection page, where you will pick the number of tickets you want and what type, for example:

   Ticket Type                    Cost                    Quantity

Standard Adult               £19.50                      1

Whilst this is just an example, you can input as many tickets as you need. They have options for General Admission, The Children's Garden Admission or The Great Pagoda Admission.

Following this confirmation, you will be asked if you can donate. This is not compulsory, though they could benefit from your donations. Once your selection has been made, you can decide to protect your tickets or not and then your payment process will start. Enter your details and receive your confirmation.

Ticket prices to Kew Gardens

Tickets can be brought for the following different categories:

• Adults
• Child (4 to 15)
• Child under 4 (FREE)
• Young Person (16 to 24) and students - proof will be needed for students
• Family
• Concessions
• Universal Credit and Pension Credit
• Emergency service workers and Military Personnel (blue light card)
• Local resident
• Member tickets - Adult and Additional Guest Child
• Registered Blind and Partially sighted visitors (FREE)
• Essential Carers (FREE)

You can also choose to become a member, which means you are allowed to enjoy unlimited visits, get exclusive access to events and discounts, and support the vital science and conservation work. For a more in-depth breakdown of individual prices, visit the website here: Ticket Prices

Membership Prices

As of April 2022, the membership prices are as followed:

Adult: from £74 per year

Family (2 adults): from £114 per year

What You Need to Know Before You Visit

Before your visit to Kew Gardens, ensure that if you are booking as a member you have your membership card with you or your email confirmation. You will be provided with a time slot ticket, but this can be either via email, shown on your phone or printed.

If you have booked a ticket which requires you to bring your ID, ensure this is with you.

There is a lot to know about your visit to Kew Gardens. They have multiple different attractions that you are able to see during your visit. They have over 30 different attractions, some of which we have explored below.

Rock Garden

The rock garden was originally constructed in 1882 and takes place over an acre of land. It is one of the largest and oldest rock gardens in the world and is vital to their research. Over 70% of their plants in this area have grown from wild-collected seeds making it the largest outdoor area dedicated to horticulture.

The planting combinations that can be seen here are meant to resemble those seen in nature. The garden plays an active role in the living collections within it. If you are wanting a magical garden experience, this is definitely the place to visit.

For more information on the Rock Garden, click here: Rock Garden

Japanese Landscape

The Japanese landscape is made up of a Garden of Peace, a Garden of Activity and a Garden of Harmony. It is created as the ideal spot for quiet reflection and relaxation. The Japanese landscape resembles the traditional Japanese tea garden.

A key feature of the gardens is the Japanese Gateway, Chokushi-Mon. It is a near replica of the Gate of Nishi Hongan-Ji in Kyoto, Japan. It is finely carved woodwork that is embellished with specifically stylised flowers to produce a delicately manicured landscape.

For more information on the Japanese Landscape, click here: Japanese Landscape

Palm House

This is an incredible feature within Kew Garden as you can travel to the depths of the rainforest inside the Palm House. Some of the plants within this space as endangered in the wild and some of extinct. They are of big value to societies around the world and whilst these plants only consist of 2% of the world's surface, they make up 50% of species.

The Palm House is essential for research into medicine. First built in 1844, it resembles the upturned hull of a ship due to architects borrowing techniques from the shipbuilding industry.

For more information on the Palm House, click here: Palm House

Treetop Walkway

Towering 18 meters above the ground, the treetop walkway is an above the ground attraction that takes you closer to the ecosystems of the trees and the wildlife living inside of them. 

This provides a magical view of the trees that you would otherwise be unable to see. This gets you much closer to nature as you walk through the branches.

For more information on the Treetop Walkway, click here: Treetop Walkway

Lake and Crossing

The lake at Kew Gardens covers 5 acres of water and was created in 1856, but to provide gravel for the original Temperate House. However underground channels connect the lake to the Thames and so it was filled in 1861.

The Lake crossing was created and opened in 2006 which allowed people to cross the lake and provided access to other areas within the gardens. One of the best times to visit this attraction is during the autumn as the Chinese tupelo trees turn a deep red colour and the Black tupelo trees glow red, orange and yellow.

For more information on the Lake and Crossing, click here: Lake and Crossing

Library and Archives

The library and the archives at Kew Gardens hold over 2,000 years' worth of knowledge and discovery on the classification and use of plants, plant ecology, conservation and wild plants. The collections found in these locations provide a vast amount of information, with their oldest items dating back to 1370.

They regularly maintain publications for their collection and seek maps, expeditions reports and ancient texts to develop their knowledge of plants. You are able to visit the libraries and the archives, but terms and conditions will apply. This can be found on their website.

For more information on the Library and Archives, click here: Library and Archives

Waterlily House

Waterlily house is a small attraction that features a square greenhouse to showcase the giant amazon waterlily. Completed in 1852, it is now home to aquatic plants and tropical fruit.

Its pond is over 10 meters and the fish, along with the black water dye (are perfectly safe to all aquatic life!) stop algae growth. Alongside the feature, you will find Cruz Waterlillies and their pads can grow 2 meters in size.  

Parking for Kew Gardens

There are a number of different ways that you can get to Kew Gardens, from the train and tube to the bus, but if you are travelling by car, then it is important that you consider parking. Kew Gardens state on their website that Parking around Kew is extremely limited and the spaces in their garden car parks are on a first come first serve basis.

They note that there has been an increase in visitors travelling by car over the past year meaning that those who arrive later in the day may struggle to find a place to park either in their car park or more locally.

It is due to this reason that they advise you to come by public transport, you cycle or walk. They understand this may not be applicable in some situations.

Kew Gardens Car Park, Ferry Lane, TW9 3AF

This is located near Brentford Gate and there is limited parking available. It costs £7 each day and you can pay either through the app on your phone or on-site. If you are riding a moped or a motorbike, there is no charge (2022). 

Alternatively, if you hold a blue badge, you can park for free in the disabled access areas. Note that the car park will close 30 minutes after the gardens close.

There are other locations around that allow parking, but no parking is allowed on Kew Road, but you can pay to park in other visitor locations that can be found on the Just Park App.