Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

About Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew sits beside the Thames in Richmond, on the southwestern edge of London, and covers more than 300 acres of gardens, glasshouses, and woodland. It began in the 18th century and grew into one of the world's leading centres for plant science, with a living collection that runs into the tens of thousands of species. What most people come to see, though, is the landscape itself: wide lawns, formal gardens, a lake, and a set of Victorian glasshouses that are landmarks in their own right.

The two that draw the biggest crowds are the Palm House, a curved iron-and-glass structure from the 1840s filled with tropical rainforest plants, and the Temperate House, the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. Elsewhere you can climb the Treetop Walkway for a view from among the branches, cross the Great Pagoda, or walk through Kew Palace, a smaller Georgian royal residence on the grounds. The gardens shift a lot with the seasons, from spring bulbs and blossom to autumn colour, so no two visits really look the same.

Give yourself at least half a day, and a full day if you want to cover the far corners and the glasshouses properly, as the site is large and spread out. Paid entry applies, and booking ahead is sensible in spring and summer and around any seasonal event. Kew is easy to reach by Underground and by rail from central London, and there are cafes and places to sit on site, so it works well as a slower day out away from the busier city-centre sights.