Kew Palace

Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court


The smallest of the royal palaces, red-brick Kew Palace in Kew Gardens is a former royal residence once known as Dutch House, built in 1631. It was the favourite home of George III and his family; his wife, Queen Charlotte, died here in 1818. Next to the palace, the Royal Kitchens have been reopened after lying dormant for two centuries.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court attractions

1. Orangery

0.05 MILES

Designed by Sir William Chambers, this elegant Grade I listed plant house in Kew Gardens is home to a cafe.

2. Princess of Wales Conservatory

0.25 MILES

The angular Princess of Wales Conservatory in Kew Gardens houses plants in 10 different climatic zones – everything from a desert to a mangrove swamp…

3. Great Broad Walk Borders

0.29 MILES

Stretching north from near the Palm House in Kew Gardens, the 320m-long and well-tended Great Broad Walk Borders constitute the longest double herbaceous…

4. Waterlily House

0.29 MILES

The tiny and irresistibly steamy Waterlily House in Kew Gardens shelters a gigantic Victoria cruziana water lily, with gourds of all shapes and sizes…

5. Palm House

0.31 MILES

The enormous and elaborate 700-glass-paned Palm House in Kew Gardens is a domed hothouse of metal and curved sheets of glass dating from 1848, enveloping…

6. Marianne North Gallery

0.68 MILES

This gallery in Kew Gardens displays the botanical paintings of Marianne North, an indomitable traveller who roamed the continents from 1871 to 1885,…

7. Treetop Walkway

0.69 MILES

In the Arboretum, the fascinating Treetop Walkway first takes you underground and then 18m up in the air into the tree canopy.

8. Queen Charlotte’s Cottage

0.86 MILES

This idyllic, thatched cottage in the southwest of Kew Gardens was popular with ‘mad’ George III and his wife; the carpets of bluebells around here are a…