Hampton Court Palace Gardens Are Free This Weekend

Hampton Court Palace Gardens are free to enter this weekend, and you don't need to book anything. Just turn up between 10am and 4pm on Saturday or Sunday, walk straight in, and you've got access to 60 acres of formal gardens plus 750 acres of parkland. No ticket desk, no faff. It happens again in September, October, November, and December, but this weekend's your first shot at 2026.

What you get

Free entry to the gardens and parkland. That's it, you're not paying a penny. The palace itself, the maze, and the Magic Garden all need separate tickets (adults £29 off-peak, higher during peak season), but the gardens themselves are completely free on these open days. Hampton Court Palace, Hampton Court Way, Molesey, East Molesey, KT8 9AU. Opening hours are 10am-4pm or whenever the palace closes, whichever comes first. No pre-booking required, just arrive.

How to get it

1. Head to Hampton Court station (National Rail, not the Tube). It's about a 20-25 minute walk from the station, or grab a taxi if it's raining. 2. Follow signs toward the palace entrance. You'll see it, it's enormous. 3. Tell the gate staff you're here for the free gardens open day. They'll point you through. 4. Wander around. There's a 16th-century restored Privy Garden with plants Henry VIII would've actually recognised, a record-breaking grape vine that's older than most of London, and the Thames running alongside if you fancy a walk. 5. Check the official Hampton Court Palace website before you go, these dates can shift, and they occasionally add extra open days.

What the TikTok didn't mention

• Go early or go late. The middle of the day (noon-2pm) gets rammed with school groups and families. 10:30am or 3:30pm is when you'll actually enjoy it without queuing at every gate.
• Bring a coat. The parkland's massive and exposed. May sun can be proper warm, but there's basically no shelter once you're past the formal gardens.
• Skip the palace if you're just after greenery. The maze and Magic Garden are brilliant, but you're paying extra for those. The gardens alone are worth the trip, the Privy Garden especially is the sort of place you don't expect to find free in London.

The catch

The palace, maze, and Magic Garden all cost extra, they're not included in the free gardens entry. And these open days only happen six times in 2026 (9-10 May, 12-13 Sep, 10-11 Oct, 21-22 Nov, 26 Dec, plus January and March dates), so you can't just rock up whenever you fancy.

If you're after a proper free afternoon in London that's not a park and doesn't involve tourists shoulder-to-shoulder, this beats most of what's on offer.