on the southwest side of London, between the towns of Kew and Richmond upon Thames, is one of the most famous botanical gardens in the world, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. The garden was founded by Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, widow of Frederick of Hanover, and was opened to the public in 1841.
As well as being a garden open to the public, the Kew Gardens is also a research center par excellence, maintaining its reputation as the most comprehensive botanical collection in the world.
The Kew Gardens are a fantastic place to learn about plants as well as learning about the wildlife and history of Britain.
PalmHouse
if you take the Underground to the Kew Gardens and travel through Victoria Gate, one of the first things you’ll see is the imposing Palm House. This is the most recognizable building of the Kew Gardens. The building has gained iconic status as the most important surviving Victorian-era building. The building was created specifically for the exotic palms that were collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times.
gingko biloba
the ancient Gingko Biloba is one of the oldest and most unusual trees in Kew Gardens. Also known as the Maidenhair Tree, the tree was planted in Kew in 1672, just 3 years after the start of Kew Gardens. It is a beautiful tree with deeply cracked brown bark and beautiful fan-shaped green leaves.
the Pagoda
the famous Chinese Pagoda is one of the oldest buildings in the Kew Gardens. It was built in 1762 for Princess Augusta. The pagoda is made of gray brick and consists of 10 floors, almost 50m high in total, with 253 steps to the viewing gallery
Marianne North Gallery
The gallery houses a permanent exhibition of 832 paintings by Victorian artist Marianne North. Restored in 2009, the paintings show more than 900 plant species, a perfect combination of beauty and science
tree walkway
Opened in 2008, the tree walkway is one of the most popular attractions at Kew Gardens. Walking at a height of 18m you have a beautiful view of the garden and trees. The walkway is 200m long and was designed by the same team that designed the London Eye.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is a fantastic place to visit with something for everyone.
opening hours
10am – 3pm
how do you get there?
Kew Gardens underground station. Kew Gardens is located in zone 3, from this station it is a 500m walk to Victoria Gate.