Blenheim Palace

A truly magnificent palace, situated amongst beautiful Formal Gardens within acres of landscaped parkland. Blenheim Palace is of such architectural quality and historical significance it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace is enormous, housing spectacular state rooms rich with ornate decoration and furnishings, well equipped kitchens and an exquisite chapel. Visitors can see the room in which former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born. For me, the grounds were a highlight. They offer tremendous variety, from the elegant Water Terraces overlooked by the palace, and the neat Rose Garden, to the Churchill Memorial Garden, and 18th century Capability Brown landscape. A pleasant walk around the lake is rewarded with views of the Grand Cascade, which could almost pass for a natural waterfall. Other features of interest include the picturesque Grand Bridge, and nearby Cedar of Lebanon, which featured in Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. Onsite facilities are comprehensive, and include a café, restaurant, large gift shop with an extensive range of premium and locally sourced products, and well maintained toilet facilities. Everything is presented to a very high standard, reflected in the ticket prices. At the time of writing, adult tickets were £31, which could be upgraded to an annual pass for an additional £10. I can imagine this would be worthwhile for locals as the park and gardens change through the seasons. Considering the extent of the estate, which easily occupied a full day, the price delivered value for money. The palace roof was undergoing restoration at the time of our visit, meaning part of the property was clad in scaffolding and protective sheeting. Rather than this simply impacting certain views of the property, it actually presented a unique opportunity to view the roof structure from the maintenance platforms. A commendable effort which meant essential site maintenance didn't detrimentally affect the visitor experience. There's free onsite parking for ticket holders, and bus services connecting Woodstock with Oxford. Dogs are allowed in the parkland but not the Formal Gardens or palace itself.

Absolutely massive property! The Palace is beautiful. The conservation work they are taking on are of epic proportions. Myself and my daughter loved the trip to the rooftop, you will never be able to do that again, to see the workers doing intricate and traditional work on the roof area was so interesting and to see the stone work that you usually see from the ground was so good. The Dukes apartment tour was so interesting and we got to see a very large silver table piece close up as it was down in the old butlers area while work was being completed upstairs. The rooms were so nicely and traditionally decorated that you almost forgot they are still in use by the family (the mod cons soon remind you, but not in a bad way!) The garden buggy tour was fab and full of interesting tales, very knowledgeable guide. Sorry I'm bad at remembering names! The lady doing the buggy transfer was lovely, the man who did the 1st garden tour of the day was great, the Dukes tour guides were great, all staff we meant were fab and seemed to love thier jobs! Need to come back a few more times as we couldn't do it all and take it all in in a day! My only small gripe is that it's cashless, it's nice to spend cash sometimes especially when travelling from outside the UK.

Beautiful estate with fantastic amenities. Your ticket is valid for an entire year! I'm so looking forward to seeing the gardens in May and the outdoor play areas for children. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Their hospitality is second to none. Woodstock is also worth your time to drop into a shop or pub for a pint.

Just beautiful! It’s well worth the charge to get into the grounds and for Harry Potter fans, there are some places on the grounds where filming took place. It’s quite pricey here but a beautiful place to walk around.

The palace is very nice. If you're passing through Woodstock and have the time go in and visit the place. Beside visiting the inside of the palace you can have a nice walk around the place. For Harry Potter fans if you cross the Vanbrugh's Grand Bridge and turn left you'll come across The Harry Potter Tree from the 1st movie in the series. In the park you'll find The Column of Victory. The staff are nice and can answer your questions. Best is to buy tickets in advanced. In the summer be prepared for large groups. The parking lot is big, coaches can also park inside. The inside is very nicely decorated, you'll find many paintings, sculptures. Beside seeing how the upper folks lived, the palace is also very famous for beeing the birthplace of the 1st Duke's famous descendat, Winston Churchill. The back grounds offer a nice view over River Glyme. The cafeteria looks nice but the prices are too high.