Two things about Hampton Court are worth knowing before anything else, and neither is near the top of the ticket page.
It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. A royal palace shut two days a week is not what anyone expects, and it is the most common wasted journey here.
And a day ticket costs 1 pound if you are on certain benefits. Against a 30 pound adult ticket, that is the largest discount published by any major London attraction, and it covers up to four people in a household.
The 1 pound ticket
Historic Royal Palaces publishes this plainly and almost nobody repeats it.
A 1 pound day ticket is available to anyone receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance.
You can claim up to four 1 pound tickets per household, and only one person in the household needs to show proof. So a family of four gets into Hampton Court for 4 pounds rather than 90.
One oddity: the peak version of the 1 pound ticket is 1.10 pounds. The weekend surcharge is applied even here, which is either admirably consistent or slightly absurd depending on your mood.
What everyone else pays
Prices split by day. Peak means weekends and bank holidays. Off peak means weekdays that are not bank holidays. Off peak first, peak second:
Adult, 18 to 64: 30 pounds, or 33 at peak.
Child 5 to 15, and young people 16 to 17: 15 pounds, or 16.50. Children under 5 go free and need no ticket. Children aged 5 to 15 must be with an adult.
Senior 65 and over, full time students 18 and over, and disabled concessions: 24.30 pounds, or 26.30. A carer or companion goes free.
Groups of 15 or more: 27.60 pounds a head, or 30.40.
All of those are the prices excluding the donation. Historic Royal Palaces asks for an optional 10 per cent donation at checkout, and the word is optional. You can decline it, and the figures above are what you pay if you do.
When membership is worth it
Membership starts at 65 pounds a year and gives unlimited entry, plus discounts in the shops and cafes.
Against a 30 pound off peak adult ticket, that pays for itself on the third visit. If you are going at a weekend, where entry is 33 pounds, it pays back on the second visit plus a cup of tea. It also covers the other Historic Royal Palaces sites, which is the part that actually settles it: the Tower of London is in the same membership.
The hours, in full
Palace and gardens: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5.30pm, with last admission at 4.30pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
The Magic Garden runs slightly later, 10am to 5.45pm, with last admission at 5pm.
That hour between the palace’s last admission and the Magic Garden’s is the useful gap: arrive at four and you have missed the palace but not the playground.
Route closures and temporary palace closures happen through the year and are published in advance, so check before travelling rather than on arrival.
What the ticket covers
One ticket gets you all the open public areas of the palace, the gardens, the courtyards, the Maze and the Magic Garden. There is no separate charge for the Maze, which people often assume there is.
The grounds run to 60 acres. The palace is really two buildings stitched together: Henry VIII’s Tudor palace, with the Great Hall and the Tudor kitchens, and the baroque palace built for William III and Mary II.
Dogs are not permitted in the palace, the courtyards or the gardens unless they are trained assistance dogs.
Getting there, and the train home
Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU. The entrance for pedestrians and cars is Trophy Gate, on the A308.
Hampton Court station is a five minute walk, it is in Zone 6, and Oyster is accepted on the route. Trains run from London Waterloo every 30 minutes, calling at Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, New Malden, Berrylands, Surbiton and Thames Ditton.
The detail worth writing down: trains back to Waterloo leave Hampton Court at 23 and 53 minutes past the hour Monday to Saturday, and at 05 and 35 minutes past on Sunday. Knowing that turns the end of the day from a guess into a plan.
South Western Railway engineering work closes this line some weekends, with replacement buses from Surbiton, so check before a weekend visit.
The Winter Palace, 28 November to 3 January
From 28 November to 3 January 2027 the ticket covers Hampton Court and the Winter Palace, at its own set of peak and off peak prices.
If you are deciding between a winter and a summer visit, that is the thing that tips it: the same journey buys more in December, and the palace is at its best indoors anyway.
How to plan it
On benefits: the 1 pound ticket, up to four per household, with one person showing proof.
Cheapest for everyone else: a weekday, at 30 pounds rather than 33, and decline the optional donation.
Going more than twice: membership at 65 pounds, which also covers the Tower of London.
Never a Monday or Tuesday.
For the other royal sites, the Tower of London is on the same membership and Buckingham Palace is the other one people pair it with.
Hampton Court Palace
- Address
- Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU. The entrance is Trophy Gate on the A308
- Nearest
- Hampton Court, a five minute walk, Zone 6, with Oyster accepted. Trains from Waterloo every 30 minutes
- Hours
- Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5.30pm, last admission 4.30pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday. The Magic Garden runs to 5.45pm with last admission at 5pm
- Booking
- Online in advance is recommended, though tickets are sold at the ticket office on the day. Membership from 65 pounds a year
- Price
- Adult 30 pounds off peak and 33 peak. Child 5 to 15 and 16 to 17s 15 pounds or 16.50. Under 5s free. Seniors, students and disabled concessions 24.30 or 26.30, with carers free. Groups of 15 or more 27.60 or 30.40. All excluding the optional 10 per cent donation
- Standing
- Henry VIII’s Tudor palace and the baroque palace of William III and Mary II, in 60 acres of gardens
How to get in
A 1 pound day ticket is available to anyone on Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance, for up to four people per household, with only one person needing to show proof. The ticket includes the Maze and the Magic Garden. No dogs except trained assistance dogs.
Where to go next
The Tower of London is covered by the same membership, and Buckingham Palace is the other royal visit people pair with it.
Day trips from London cover the rest of what is worth the train, and Richmond is the nearest good dinner on the way back.
Questions we get asked
How much is Hampton Court Palace?
An adult ticket is 30 pounds on a weekday and 33 pounds at weekends and on bank holidays, excluding the optional 10 per cent donation. Children aged 5 to 17 are 15 or 16.50 pounds, under 5s are free, and seniors, students and disabled visitors pay 24.30 or 26.30 with a carer going free.
Can you get cheap tickets to Hampton Court Palace?
Yes. A 1 pound day ticket is available to anyone receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance. You can claim up to four per household and only one person needs to show proof.
Is Hampton Court Palace open on Mondays?
No. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The palace and gardens open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5.30pm, with last admission at 4.30pm.
Does the Hampton Court ticket include the Maze?
Yes. One ticket covers all the open public areas of the palace, the gardens, the courtyards, the Maze and the Magic Garden. There is no separate charge for the Maze.
Is Hampton Court Palace membership worth it?
Membership starts at 65 pounds a year for unlimited entry, which pays for itself on the third weekday visit or the second weekend one. It also covers the other Historic Royal Palaces sites, including the Tower of London, which is usually what settles it.
How do you get to Hampton Court Palace by train?
Hampton Court station is a five minute walk from the palace, in Zone 6, and Oyster is accepted. Trains run from London Waterloo every 30 minutes. Going back, trains leave Hampton Court at 23 and 53 minutes past the hour Monday to Saturday, and at 05 and 35 minutes past on Sunday.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 225 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
