A Perfect Day Trip To Kew Gardens

If you’re looking to escape the hustles and bustles of London, why not consider a day trip to Kew Gardens? Whether you go there to admire the botanical spectaculars or dine in their award-winning restaurants, Kew Gardens has a lot to offer.

The Kew Gardens, also known as the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew, is located in the Richmond area of London and it’s just a short ride on the District line of the London Tube or London Overground.

The garden is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a popular destination for visitors from the UK or overseas. It houses 50,000 species of plants stretched across 300 acres of land.

Whether you walk along their perfectly manicured gardens, breathe in the gorgeous fragrance from the rose bushes, dine in some of the top restaurants or just simply sit in a quiet spot with your picnic rug to watch the world go by.

The Kew Gardens will keep you busy all day long with plenty of things to do. Let’s not forget the world’s most beautiful greenhouses in the world is right here and free to enter.

Furthermore, if you don’t want to hassle of carrying picnic supplies on the tube. They have a huge supermarket selling local produce. Alternatively, take food away from the many restaurants and cafes to eat on your picnic rug.

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An elegant lady in a blue dress sitting on her Fortnum & Mason picnic rug in front of the Temperate House in Kew Gardens — We laid out a picnic rug in from of the Temperate House to enjoy a quiet moment in the shade. When the cool wind blew, it was a bliss.

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Must-see things to do in London Kew Gardens

One thing to note, unlike all the other gardens and parks in London, Kew Gardens is ticketed. It’s £17 per person (peak season) and £12 (off-peak) if you book in advance, which is a small price to pay for tranquillity and low-density London attraction.

I mean, maintaining a world-renowned garden doesn’t come cheap!

Therefore, you’d want to make the most of your entry fee and plan your day properly. Here are a lot of must-see things here.

The Palm House

Apart from the hundreds and thousands of exotic plants and flowers, Kew Gardens is also home to the most aesthetically beautiful glasshouses I’ve ever seen! The first place we hit after we got in was the Palm House. I’ve seen so many photos of it, so I had to go and see it with my own eyes.

Does it look like a ship? Apparently, the architect used some of the techniques from the shipbuilding industry. They originally built it with green glass as they thought it would provide some shield from the sun. However, the plants didn’t like it. So it was changed to clear glass. Did you know that the staff who work here gets to eat the fruits bear by the plants? How awesome is that?!

These are just some interesting facts about this Victorian glasshouse… and you can find out more here.

A perfectly manicured garden that greets its guests on their way to the Palm House.

The Palm House in Kew Gardens with manicured garden in the front drop

Inside the Palm House is as close as you’re gonna get to a tropical rainforest in the UK. It houses many many rainforest treasures. Many are endangered or even extinct in the wild. This is the first time I saw a real-life Bodhi tree!! The next time my parents come to visit, I will bring them here to show them.

It was such a unique experience. And the bonus was that the humidity actually made my skin feel amazing!

A lady walks along the path within the Palm House, wearing a royal blue linen midi dress from Sandro. Paired it with a Chloe handbag and sneakers. — Dress: royal blue line midi dress from Sandro (sold out) but they now have the same linen dress with elegant floral print! Similar here (currently 30% off!!). Bag: Chloe Bracelet Nile. Shoes: Sneakers.

The famous spiral stairway inside the Palm House

Top of the spiral staircase surrounded by all sorts of palm trees

A Lady walks on the top floor of the Palm House surrounded by exotic tropical plants. — The top of the Palm House provides a gorgeous aerial view of the glasshouse and all the exotic tropical plants in one place.

Lady in blue dress standing on the top floor of The Palm House, a must do on day trip to Kew Gardens

Plant inside the Palm House with yellow flowers

Exotic plants with purple flower from the glasshouse

View of the Botanical Restaurant from top floor of the Palm House of Kew Gardens

Enjoy an afternoon tea at the Botanical Restaurant

After a big sweat in the glasshouse, we desperately needed some cold drinks and air conditioning! So we ventured across the Botanical Restaurant on the other side of the lake.

We got an iced coffee and some scones. They were a little small but it was one of the best scones I’ve had in a long time!

Lady sitting in a restaurant having afternoon tea. She is stirring a glass of iced latte and some scones after a hot tour in the glasshouse. — Chilling out in an air-conditioned restaurant with a big glass of iced latte and some scones after a hot tour in the glasshouse. Dress: dress from Sandro (sold out), the same style with muted floral prints here

Super soft and fluffy scones and iced coffee from the Botanical Restaurant

The Great Pagoda

After we cooled down and rested our feet, we made our way to the Great Pagoda. This is not covered by the entry fee. So to go up, you’d need to purchase another ticket for £7.

Tip: If you have tickets to go in, make sure you go there first. As the last admission is at 4 pm. Sadly we got there just after 4 so we didn’t get to go in!

Lady twirling in a royal blue dress enroute to the Great Pagoda — Enroute to the Great Pagoda

En route to the Great Pagoda. Wearing a royal blue linen dress from Sandro, comfy sneakers and my Chloe Bracelet Nile bag

Close-up photo of Janey's blue dress showcasing the movement in the Sandro linen shirt dress

Photo of the Great Pagoda with people lining up to get in.

Take a walk around the rose garden and breathe in the perfume

After we missed out on the pagoda, we went around the rose gardens, smelled the roses. My favourite scent in the world! When I have a house with a garden, I’ll plant myself an English rose garden!

Pink roses of Kew Gardens with the Glass House in the background

Pink and purple flowers trailing down from a wooden shelf

We then found a quiet spot under a shady tree to lay down our picnic rug and watched the world go by.

Crossed legs of man and woman on picnic rug having a snooze — Alan had a snooze whilst I read

Glass House at the Kew Gardens with sun ray bursting through the tree leaves — Picnic with a view

Before we knew it, the sun started to set. It was time to pack up and call it a day.

A sunset view of the glasshouse in front of the lake with Janey standing on the stairs, next to a lion statue admiring the view — I can’t get enough of this view!

Final thoughts on our Day Trip to Kew Gardens

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the gardens. There are still so many things we didn’t do. So I am definitely going back at the next opportunity!

Have you been to Kew Gardens? If so, what was your experience?

And if you are looking to do a day trip somewhere in London this summer, away from crowded tourists, then I highly recommend the Kew Gardens. They also have events and activities throughout the year, so be sure to check out the Kew Gardens website to find out the latest information and help you plan your trip.