Kensington Palace is a resplendently exquisite royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, London, England. Built in 17th century, it is the official residence of the British Royal Family and the current Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Highlights

• Immerse in the history of the British Royalty as you tour the grand residence.
• Explore the rich state apartments of the King and Queen which were used by them in private as well as to receive eminent personalities and friends.
• Marvel at the King’s State Apartments which includes The Staircase - one of the jewels of the Palace. The magnificent staircase’s walls and ceiling are covered with frescoes painted by William Kent and depicts a lively 18th-century court of George I
• The largest and longest of the state apartments at Kensington Palace, the King's Gallery, looks almost exactly as it did when it was transformed for King George I in 1725.
• Witness the wonderful spectacle as you walk through the beautiful Palace Gardens and soak in the awe-inspiring vista of the Sunken Garden.

Recommended For

• Children and Adults

Inclusions

• General admission 

About

Once a small and suburban villa known as Nottingham House, New monarchs William III and Mary II chose this modest mansion in 1689 to be their country retreat. Over the years, Stuart and Georgian monarchs transformed the palace into a fashionable home for Britain’s young royal families. The birth place of Queen Victoria, the Kensington Palace is immersed in rich history showcasing marvellous paintings and objects from the Royal Collection.

The palace has opened several sections to general public for a spectacular tour which includes splendid extravagant rooms and wide array of paintings and artefacts.

The Queen’s State Apartments

A Royal home of William III and Mary II, take a tour to get a peek of Queen Mary’s apartment which comprises of the beautiful staircase leading to the gardens, the stunning gallery brimming with artefacts including Turkish carpets, embroidered silk hangings and oriental porcelain, the closet, the dining room with beautiful panelling from the 17th century and a private space for William and Mary to dine together, the drawing room filled with splendid pieces of porcelain from China and Japan and the bedroom where she entertained her friends.

The King’s State Apartments

The opulent state apartments contain many sculptures and works of art, such as the terracotta busts of George II and his wife Queen Caroline, made by Michael Rysbrack in 1738 and 1739. The tour comprises of the King’s Staircase, the Presence Chamber with limewood carvings where the monarch received courtiers, ministers and foreign ambassadors, the Privy Chamber which was one of Queen Caroline's favourite entertaining spaces and features a magnificent ceiling painted by William Kent in 1723, as well as some impressive tapestries made in the Mortlake Tapestry workshop founded by King Charles I, the Cupola Room which is the most ornately decorated room in the palace and has the magnificent eighteenth century musical clock on display, The King's Drawing Room which showcases the painting of Venus and Cupid by Vasari and The King's Gallery.

The Palace Gardens

Explore the beautifully manicured gardens which is an intimate, tranquil and secluded oasis:

The Sunken Garden - The beautiful Sunken Garden was planted in 1908 and is terraced with paving and ornamental flower beds, surrounding an ornamental pond with fountains. The garden is a vibrant colourful paradise with myriad of flowers blooming in the spring and summer seasons. Vivid colours and exotic plants are on display from April to October. In the spring, tulips, wallflowers and pansies bloom while in the summer geraniums, cannas, begonias and many more add to the splendour.

Cradle Walk - An arched arbour of red-twigged lime, the walk surrounds the Sunken Garden with arched viewpoints equally spaced along the sides.

Formal Gardens - Mary commissioned a palace garden of formal flower beds and box hedges. When Anne became Queen in 1702, she created an English-style garden. From 1728, Queen Caroline began to transform the 242 acres of Kensington Gardens into what is the current park. She created the Serpentine boating lake and the Long Water, as well as the Broad Walk and round pond.

The Kensington Palace is a must visit to admire the majesty and grandeur, discover the Royal history and the intriguing lives of its inhabitants.

Address

• Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX, UK 

Timings

• Summer (01 March - 31 October)
• Monday-Sunday: 10:00 am - 18:00 pm, Daily
• Last admission: 17:00 pm

• Winter (01 November - 28 February)
• Monday-Sunday: 10:00 am - 16:00 pm
• Last admission: 15:00 pm

Price (in INR approximately)

* Peak rates are applicable to all weekend bookings, and weekday bookings before 14:00. Off-peak rates are applicable to all weekday bookings from 14:00 onwards.

Interesting Facts about Kensington Palace

• Prince William and Harry were brought up in Apartment 8 at Kensington Palace by Princess Diana. Apartment 1a — which has 22 rooms and two kitchens is the current residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
• Queen Victoria’s historic events took place in Kensington Palace – birth, ascension to throne and marriage. Post marriage she moved residence to Buckingham Palace.
• Queen Victoria saved the palace from neglect and disrepair persuading Parliament to foot the bill of its restoration. In 1899, the State Apartments were opened to the public.
• Princess Margaret has held some of the most dazzling parties at Kensington Palace along with her husband Lord Snowden.
• Nestled within the gardens is the elegant Orangery, which has been home to banquets and entertaining for 300 years.
• The Kensington Palace was originally a mansion called Nottingham House that was built during the Jacobean era (1567-1625) for Sir George Coppin, one of London's wealthy businessmen. In 1869 it was bought by Queen Mary due to King William’s asthma issues staying in Whitehall Palace.
• A reigning monarch hasn’t lived here in 250 years
• More than one million bouquets were left at the palace gates after the tragic death of Princess Diana and her apartment has laid empty ever since.

How to get to Kensington Palace

By Tube

• High Street Kensington station: Circle and District lines (10-15 minute walk)
• Queensway station: Central line (10-15 minute walk)
• Notting Hill Gate station: Central, Circle and District lines (20-25 minute walk)

By Bus

• Routes 70, 94, 148, 390 (to Bayswater Road)
• Routes 9, 10, 49, 52, 70, 452 (to Kensington High Street)

Location

• Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX, UK

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