Kew Gardens

You will definitely need the whole day to visit everything! There are so many things to see and do. Remember to buy tickets in advance! I just wish they had more variety in the cafes because all three cafes serve the same stuff.

My new favorite place in London. No matter the season, it’s always beautiful and full of life, with so much space to explore and unwind. My personal favorite is the Princess of Wales Conservatory, where you get to see stunning orchids and unusual plant species. It brought out my inner child who loves water, tropical fish, and that feeling of quiet wonder.

It is one of the most famous and important gardens in the world. It is a historic landscape garden in southwest London, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Charles Darwin’s contributed to Kew Gardens significantly, mainly because Kew houses a large part of the plant specimens he collected during his famous voyage aboard the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836. Around 450 of the approximately 1,400 plant specimens Darwin gathered are preserved at Kew, with these collections still actively studied and digitized. Great experience with really a lot of different impressions: - areas with plants from all over the world - treetop walkway Kew Gardens is renowned for its extraordinary glasshouses, which house diverse plant collections from across the globe. The key glasshouses include: - The Palm House: Built between 1844 and 1848, the Palm House is one of the most iconic Victorian glasshouses. It features a tropical rainforest environment and hosts many rare and endangered tropical plants, including the oldest potted plant in the world, - Temperate House: The largest Victorian glasshouse in the world, the Temperate House houses around 10,000 plants of 1,500 species from regions including Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas. - Water Lily House: Built in 1852 and designed by the same architect and ironmaker as the Palm House, the Water Lily House shelters aquatic plants including tropical water lilies. - King George III‘s house King George III’s house in Kew Gardens is known as Kew Palace, also called the Dutch House. Originally built in 1631 as a silk merchant’s mansion, it became the smallest royal palace and served as the summer home of King George III in the 18th century. George III and his wife Queen Charlotte spent many happy summers there with their large family. The palace and its gardens provided a private, intimate retreat from public life, where the king could live more normally without the usual royal ceremony. Really a great experience and you have to plan enough time - or even several visits.

Spent a lovely few hours in Kew Gardens. Even in early October, many flowers in bloom. Colours were just starting to turn on the trees, lovely vistas everywhere, interesting conservatories. Nice lunch in in Orangery. Highly recommend a visit. Need a few hours.

The autumn colours at Kew are simply spectacular and worth the visit alone. The foliage was at its peak, and the landscape was incredibly beautiful. Do dress warmly though, as it gets cold in the late afternoon. One drawback for evening visitors: the shop closes considerably earlier than the advertised time. Staff began asking people to leave at 5:40 PM, and the shop was completely closed by 5:50 PM. So, if you're counting on buying gifts at the end of your trip, make sure you visit the shop with plenty of time to spare.