What Travellers Say
What a wonderful and insightful experience!! Set in the grounds of Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace has a selection of incredible rooms, artwork, jewellery and exhibits charting royal life there throughout the years. As it was Christmas. They had a Queen Victoria's childhood Christmas exhibit which was fascinating, including a huge banquet, toys and dolls houses as well as living quarters. The King's Staircase was really impressive as were the highly ornate decoration of the King's State Apartments, including the King's Gallery, the Privy Chamber, the Presence Chamber, the King's Drawing Room, and the splendidly decorated Cupola Room. The Palace also has a cafe and a beautiful gift shop, offering a selection of unique Kensington Palace branded souvenirs, including homewares, tea, chocolate, trinkets, clothing and books. Definitely worth visiting!!
Kensington Palace is historically interesting and well presented, particularly if you enjoy royal history and period interiors. However, for me it felt quite familiar , similar in style and layout to many other palaces and castles I’ve visited before. While the gardens are pleasant, the interiors didn’t offer much that felt new or especially engaging. Worth a visit for first-timers or royal enthusiasts, but not a must-see if you’ve already seen several European castles. Two adult and child cost us 58 euros!
A beautiful well preserved historical palace. The childhood home of Queen Victoria which gives an impression of a real home. The gardens and entrance are majestic any time if the year. Have to visit again at twilight as the fairy lights will be twinkling. Always excellent exhibition. The dress code is small compared to past exhibitions but well designed. Worth becoming a member for entry to the exhibitions. Kensington Gardens is always a treat a vast open area with a pond.
Great palace to visit. The scheduled talks are absolutley amazing , i strongly recommend you take time out of your visit to listen to them. Most sections of the museum felt filled to the brim with interesting things to see. A few sections felt a bit empty but not many. Entry is slightly confusing with queues forming outside before the scheduled entry time. Great audio guide too.
Compared with Hampton Palace, the Kensington Palace is relatively small but still full of knowledgeable details. It exhibits valuable historical artifacts of Queen Mary and Queen Victoria. Besides, closing to the Kensington Palace allows people to enjoy time with greens and animals after the visit.
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Princess Victoria was born in the palace dining room on 24 May 1819 because hot water could be brought there more easily from the kitchens.
William Kent’s King’s Staircase contains 45 painted figures from George I’s court, but historians have only identified 12 of them with confidence.
Queen Anne built the Orangery as a greenhouse for her orange trees, but she also used it for balls.
William III died after catching a fatal chill in the King’s Gallery at Kensington Palace, days after a horse-riding accident at Hampton Court.
A guest at one of William and Mary’s palace balls reported that there were no fewer than 1,000 people, with dancing, gaming, supper and sweetmeats carrying on until dawn.
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