Kew Gardens: £10 Tuesdays, Ticket Prices and Which Gate to Use

Kew charges an adult £28 at the gate and £10 on a Tuesday. That is the whole page in one line, and the Tuesday deal runs out on 29 December.

£10 Tuesdays: every Tuesday from 8 September to 29 December 2026, adult entry is £10, or £11 with the voluntary donation. Valid for entry on Tuesday only.

Against the standard peak adult price of £25 online or £28 at the gate, that is £18 saved for choosing a weekday, or 64% off. For a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the glasshouses included, it is the best value day out in London this autumn.

A child ticket doubles at the gate

The gate penalty is not applied evenly, and the difference is startling.

Adult: £25 online, £28 at the gate. Twelve per cent more.

Child aged 4 to 15: £2 online, £4 at the gate. One hundred per cent more.

So turning up without booking costs an adult £3 and a child £2, which sounds similar until you notice the child’s ticket has doubled. Children under 4 are free. All children aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

For a family of two adults and two children: £24 booking online on a Tuesday, against £64 at the gate at a weekend in peak season. Forty pounds, for a click and a day of the week.

Every published price

Adult, peak (2 September to 31 October): £25 online (£27.50 with donation), £28 at the gate (£31 with donation).

Adult, £10 Tuesdays, 8 September to 29 December: £10 (£11 with donation).

Adult, after 4pm until 30 September: £10 online (£11), £11 at the gate (£12.50).

Child 4 to 15: £2 online (£2.50), £4 at the gate (£4.50).

Child under 4: free.

There is also a Young Person ticket covering ages 16 to 29 and students on the same rate, and a Universal Credit ticket, which is unusual enough to be worth knowing about.

For the student rate, only NUS and University cards are accepted, and they are checked at the gate. Proof of age may be required for the young person rate.

The Universal Credit ticket is £1, and it covers six people

Kew names this ticket on its price list without ever saying what it is worth. It is the biggest discount at any major London attraction.

£1, or £2 with the voluntary donation, in force from 5 October 2026. The standard adult is £25 online in peak season.

And it is not one ticket. Kew’s wording:

“Each benefit holder is entitled to one Universal Credit adult ticket each. Visitors may also bring one additional adult guest (16 years or older) and up to four children (4 to 15 years) for the same admission per person.”

So two adults and four children come to £6. The same group on standard online prices is £25 plus £25 plus four child tickets at £2, which is £58. Children under 4 need no ticket at all.

The proof is checked on arrival, and the accepted list is wider than the ticket name suggests:

“Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Child Tax Credits (CTC), Working Tax Credits (WTC), Income Support, Application registration card (ARC).”

An Application Registration Card, held by people in the asylum system, is on that list, which almost no other attraction includes.

Our guide to London days out on Universal Credit compares this with every other scheme in the city.

The local resident rate, if you live in one of six boroughs

Separate from the benefit ticket and easy to miss.

Eligible boroughs: Richmond, Kingston-upon-Thames, Hammersmith, Fulham, Wandsworth and Hounslow.

The rate is £23 online in peak season and £15 off-peak, against £25 and £17 standard. Proof of address is checked at the gate, and a driving licence, recent bank statement or utility bill will do.

It is a modest saving, so on a Tuesday the £10 promotion beats it comfortably.

The after-4pm ticket, and its catch

£10 online after 4pm, until 30 September. Same price as a £10 Tuesday.

Kew states the catch itself: many attractions close before the Gardens do. So the cheap evening ticket buys you the landscape and not necessarily the glasshouses.

If you want the buildings, the Tuesday ticket is the better £10, because it works all day.

Gift Aid changes the sums slightly

If you are a UK taxpayer and add a donation of at least 10%, Kew can claim Gift Aid on the whole amount you pay.

Which is why every price has a second figure beside it. The £27.50 adult ticket is £25 plus a 10% donation, and that extra £2.50 unlocks Gift Aid on the full £27.50 rather than on the donation alone.

Lion Gate closes on weekdays this winter

A detail that will send people the wrong way round a very large garden.

From 2 November 2026 to 29 January 2027, Lion Gate is open at weekends only and closed Monday to Friday. Victoria, Brentford and Elizabeth Gates stay open as normal all week.

The four gates and what each is for:

Victoria Gate, TW9 3JR. Pedestrian entrance, closest to Kew Gardens Underground station. This is the default for most visitors.

Elizabeth Gate, TW9 3AE. Coach drop-off and pedestrian entrance, closest to Kew Bridge station and the river cruise services.

Brentford Gate, TW9 3AF. The car park gate.

Lion Gate. Weekends only from 2 November to 29 January.

So if you are arriving by car in November, Brentford. By tube, Victoria. By boat, Elizabeth.

Hours

Checked on 5 October 2026: 10am to 6pm, last entry 5pm.

Note that last entry is a full hour before closing, which is longer than most London attractions allow, and that the attractions inside close earlier than the gardens themselves.

The main address is Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE, on 020 8332 5655.

Kew’s sister garden Wakehurst keeps the same 10am to 6pm hours with a later last entry of 5.30pm, and is a separate ticket.

How to plan it

Cheapest: a Tuesday before 29 December, £10.

Book online, always. The gate costs an adult £3 more and a child double.

With children: £2 each online. Under 4s free.

A family of four on a Tuesday, booked online: £24.

Aged 16 to 29 or a student: the Young Person ticket, with an NUS or University card for the student rate.

On a qualifying benefit: the ticket is £1, covering you, one adult guest and up to four children at £1 each.

Living in Richmond, Kingston, Hammersmith, Fulham, Wandsworth or Hounslow: ask for the local resident rate.

Arriving in November by tube: Victoria Gate, because Lion Gate is weekdays-closed until 29 January.

Wanting the glasshouses: go in the day, not after 4pm, because the attractions shut before the gardens.

Kew Gardens

Address

Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE. Victoria Gate TW9 3JR, Elizabeth Gate TW9 3AE, Brentford Gate TW9 3AF

Nearest

Kew Gardens Underground for Victoria Gate, Kew Bridge for Elizabeth Gate, and river cruise services to Elizabeth Gate

Hours

10am to 6pm with last entry 5pm as at 5 October 2026. Attractions inside close before the Gardens do. Lion Gate is weekends only from 2 November 2026 to 29 January 2027

Booking

Online for the best value. Any ticket type can be bought at the gate, but at a higher price. Adding a 10 per cent donation lets Kew claim Gift Aid on the whole amount

Price

Adult peak 25 pounds online or 28 at the gate. Ten pound Tuesdays every Tuesday from 8 September to 29 December 2026. After 4pm until 30 September, 10 pounds online. Child 4 to 15, 2 pounds online or 4 at the gate. Under 4s free. Young Person 16 to 29 and student rates, plus a Universal Credit ticket

Standing

A UNESCO World Heritage Site with the great Victorian glasshouses, and a sister garden at Wakehurst

How to get in

Ten pound Tuesdays run until 29 December 2026 against a 28 pound gate price, a 64 per cent saving for picking a weekday. A child ticket is 2 pounds online and 4 at the gate, so it doubles if you do not book, while the adult rises only 12 per cent. Lion Gate shuts on weekdays from 2 November to 29 January.

Where to go next

Christmas at Kew is the winter event, which is ticketed separately from daytime entry.

The parks page covers London’s free green space, and the Kyoto Garden is the best of the small ones.

Questions we get asked

How much is Kew Gardens?

An adult is £25 online or £28 at the gate in peak season, but £10 Tuesdays run every Tuesday from 8 September to 29 December 2026. A child aged 4 to 15 is £2 online or £4 at the gate, and under 4s are free. There are also Young Person, student and Universal Credit tickets.

What are £10 Tuesdays at Kew Gardens?

A promotion giving adult entry for £10, or £11 with the voluntary donation, on any Tuesday from 8 September to 29 December 2026. It is valid for Tuesday entry only and covers the landscapes, glasshouses and seasonal exhibitions.

Is it cheaper to book Kew Gardens online?

Yes, and especially for children. An adult pays £25 online against £28 at the gate, a 12% difference, but a child aged 4 to 15 pays £2 online against £4 at the gate, which is double. A family of two adults and two children pays £24 online on a Tuesday against £64 at the gate at a peak weekend.

What are Kew Gardens' opening times?

Checked on 5 October 2026, 10am to 6pm with last entry at 5pm. The attractions inside, including the glasshouses, close before the Gardens do, which matters if you buy the cheaper after-4pm ticket.

Which gate should you use at Kew Gardens?

Victoria Gate (TW9 3JR) is closest to Kew Gardens Underground station. Elizabeth Gate (TW9 3AE) is nearest Kew Bridge station and the river cruises, and takes coaches. Brentford Gate (TW9 3AF) is the car park. Lion Gate is open at weekends only from 2 November 2026 to 29 January 2027.

Is there a concession ticket for Kew Gardens?

Yes, several. A Young Person ticket covers ages 16 to 29 and students on the same rate, with only NUS and University cards accepted as student proof and checked at the gate, and there is a separate Universal Credit ticket.

Why does Kew show two prices for each ticket?

The second figure includes a voluntary donation of about 10%. If you are a UK taxpayer and add at least 10%, Kew can claim Gift Aid on the whole amount you pay rather than on the donation alone.