Richmond Park is 2,500 acres, the largest of London’s Royal Parks and big enough to hold six Hyde Parks, with a 630 strong herd of red and fallow deer roaming it freely. Entry is free and so is the parking.
The thing that catches people is none of that. The vehicle gates close at dusk, not at a published time, which means the hour you have to be out by is different in December from what it was in June, and nobody checks twice.
Opening times
There are two sets of gates and they run on completely different rules.
| Gate | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian, most of the year | Open 24 hours | Does not close |
| Pedestrian, during the culls | 7.30am | 8pm, except Friday and Saturday nights |
| Vehicle, British Summer Time | 7am | Dusk |
| Vehicle, winter | 7.30am | Dusk |
The pedestrian gates are open 24 hours a day for most of the year. The exception is the two six week deer culls, which run from November to early December and from February to early March. During those weeks the pedestrian gates shut between 8pm and 7.30am, on every night except Friday and Saturday.
The vehicle gates are the ones to worry about. They open at 7am during British Summer Time and 7.30am in winter, and they close at dusk. Dusk in late June and dusk in mid December are more than eight hours apart, so a time that was safe on your last visit may not be on this one.
Richmond Park
- Address
- Richmond, south west London, TW10
- Nearest
- Richmond, North Sheen or Norbiton, each a 15 to 25 minute walk to a gate
- Hours
- Pedestrian gates 24 hours outside the culls. Vehicle gates from 7am in summer and 7.30am in winter, closing at dusk
- Price
- Free to enter, and all seven car parks are free
- Standing
- 2,500 acres, the largest Royal Park, with over 630 red and fallow deer
How to get in
Richmond is on the District line as well as the rail network, which makes this the easiest of the big outer parks to reach without a car. From any of the three stations it is a 15 to 25 minute walk to a gate, so allow for that rather than assuming the station is at the entrance.
Getting there, and parking
Parking is free. There are seven main car parks spread around the park, none of them charge, and disabled parking is available at all of them plus a disabled-only area at the Isabella Plantation.
The exception worth knowing is Kingston Gate. From 3 March that car park does not open until 9am on weekdays, which is a deliberate measure to stop commuters using it as free parking for the trains. If you are arriving early on a weekday, go to a different gate.
By train or tube, the nearest stations are Richmond, North Sheen and Norbiton, each a 15 to 25 minute walk from a gate. Richmond is on the District line. There are buses to several gates, and the park runs its own free accessible minibus, which from 26 October finishes at Richmond Gate at 3.10pm rather than running the full route.
You can drive through the park, but only on two routes and only between the gate times above: Richmond Gate to Kingston Gate at all times, and Richmond Gate to Roehampton Gate on weekdays. Every other park road leads to a car park and no further, so this is not a shortcut worth planning a journey around.
The deer, and the 50 metre rule
The Royal Parks put the herd at 630 red and fallow deer, roaming freely as they have since 1637. They are not fenced, not tame and not managed for your convenience.
The Royal Parks ask visitors to keep at least 50 metres away, and never to touch, feed or attempt to photograph them at closer range. That is the number in their guidance for the rut as well, and it does not move.
The rut starts at the end of September and runs to early November. The Royal Parks put a red stag at around 25 stone and 30mph, and compare being hit by one to being hit by a motorcycle. They are direct about the risk: all incidents almost exclusively happen when people get closer than the recommended 50 metres.
Where to find them: the deer range across the whole park rather than living in one spot, which is why nobody can point you at a field. The open grassland away from the roads is the usual answer, and a pair of binoculars solves the problem properly, because the correct viewing distance is further than most people expect.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome and mostly off lead, with real exceptions that are worth knowing before you arrive.
Leads are required near the deer and in the skylark protection zones all year round, which are Lawn Field by Pen Ponds, Crown Field and The Bog. Dogs on leads are allowed in the Isabella Plantation and not allowed in Pembroke Lodge Gardens at all. During the deer birthing season, 1 May to 31 July, every dog must be on a lead everywhere in the park.
Separately, through the rut they advise keeping a dog on a lead near deer or walking it elsewhere entirely, and they note that it is an offence for a dog to chase deer here, which can end in prosecution.
What to actually do here
The Tamsin Trail
- Address
- The perimeter of Richmond Park
- Nearest
- Roehampton Gate for the car park and the bike hire
- Hours
- Walkable whenever the pedestrian gates are open
- Price
- Free
- Standing
- Just over 7 miles, or 11km, all the way round the boundary
How to get in
Two to four hours on foot depending on pace and how often you stop. It is the one route that shows you the whole park rather than a corner of it, and it is shared between walkers, runners and cyclists. Bikes can be hired from Parkcycle at the Roehampton Gate car park, which is the sensible way to do the full circuit in an afternoon.
The Isabella Plantation
- Address
- Inside Richmond Park, south of Pen Ponds
- Nearest
- Kingston Gate or Ham Gate are the closest
- Price
- Free
- Standing
- A woodland garden inside the park, with its own disabled parking area
How to get in
Late April and early May is the point of it, when the azaleas and rhododendrons are out, and it is the single best thing in any London park in those two weeks. Dogs must be on leads inside. Go on a weekday if you possibly can, because it is small and word has got out.
Cycling is allowed on the larger roads where it is signed, including Queen’s Road, Sawyer’s Hill and Broomfield Hill, and off road on the Tamsin Trail. Not everywhere else.
Everything here was taken from the Royal Parks’ own published information and rechecked on 28 September 2026. Gate times move with the season and the culls, and the dusk closing is not a fixed hour. Confirm before a late finish.
Hyde Park is the central opposite: a third of the size, no deer, and a three mile perimeter you can walk in an hour.
London’s lidos includes the heated outdoor pool at Pools on the Park in Richmond, held at 25 degrees and floodlit after dark.
Where to go next
The best parks in London covers the other eight and which one suits which afternoon, including Bushy Park, which has the same deer and a fraction of the crowd.
The park holds a view that planning law exists to defend. King Henry’s Mound, in Pembroke Lodge Gardens, is a Bronze Age burial chamber later used as a hunting viewpoint, and it looks east through a tree framed gap at the dome of St Paul’s, ten miles away. The Royal Parks state that generations of landscapers preserved that sightline and that it is now protected, with no new building allowed to impede it. The best views in London puts it first, ahead of both free towers.
Richmond restaurants covers lunch at the other end of the park, where the best kitchen stops seating at 3pm on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and does not serve dinner until Thursday.
Free things to do in London covers the rest of what costs nothing, and the day trips cover going further out than Richmond.
Questions we get asked
What time does Richmond Park close?
The pedestrian gates do not close for most of the year. During the six week deer culls, from November to early December and February to early March, they shut between 8pm and 7.30am on every night except Friday and Saturday. The vehicle gates close at dusk rather than at a set time, so the deadline changes through the year.
What time does Richmond Park open?
The pedestrian gates are open 24 hours a day outside the cull periods, so there is no opening time to wait for. The vehicle gates open at 7am during British Summer Time and 7.30am in winter. Kingston Gate car park is the exception and does not open until 9am on weekdays from 3 March.
Is Richmond Park open today?
Almost certainly yes, on foot. The park does not close to pedestrians except during the two six week culls in November and February, when the gates shut overnight between 8pm and 7.30am. Vehicle access runs from 7am or 7.30am until dusk every day.
Is Richmond Park free?
Yes, entry is free, and so is the parking. There are seven main car parks in the park and none of them charge. Disabled parking is available at all seven plus a separate disabled only area at the Isabella Plantation.
How big is Richmond Park?
2,500 acres, which makes it the largest of London's eight Royal Parks by a wide margin and close to three times the size of Central Park in New York. Walking the perimeter on the Tamsin Trail is just over 7 miles and takes two to four hours.
Where are the deer in Richmond Park?
Everywhere, which is why nobody can send you to one field. Over 630 red and fallow deer roam the whole park freely rather than living in an enclosure. The open grassland away from the roads is the usual place to look, and binoculars are the right tool, because the Royal Parks ask you to stay at least 50 metres away and never to approach for a photograph.
How many deer are in Richmond Park?
Over 630 red and fallow deer, according to the Royal Parks. They are free roaming and unfenced across all 2,500 acres. Visitors must keep a minimum of 50 metres away, rising to 100 metres when the animals are active, and must never touch or feed them.
Can you drive through Richmond Park?
Yes, on the through roads, and only while the vehicle gates are open: from 7am in British Summer Time or 7.30am in winter until dusk. Because the closing time follows dusk rather than a clock, it is considerably earlier in December than in June, and a car left inside after the gates shut is a genuine problem.
How do you get to Richmond Park?
The nearest stations are Richmond, North Sheen and Norbiton, each a 15 to 25 minute walk from a park gate, and Richmond is on the District line as well as the rail network. Buses serve several gates. If you drive, all seven car parks are free, though Kingston Gate does not open until 9am on weekdays from 3 March.
How long does it take to walk around Richmond Park?
Two to four hours. The Tamsin Trail runs the full perimeter at just over 7 miles, or 11km, and the range depends on pace and how often you stop. It is shared with runners and cyclists, and bikes can be hired from Parkcycle at the Roehampton Gate car park if you would rather ride it.
Are dogs allowed in Richmond Park?
Yes, and mostly off lead, with real exceptions. Leads are required near the deer, around lakes and ponds, in the Isabella Plantation and in skylark protection zones all year. Every dog must be on a lead throughout the park during the deer birthing season from May to July, and the Royal Parks advise walking dogs elsewhere entirely during the rutting and birthing seasons.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 67 in the guide.
Last checked 28 September 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
