Opening and visiting safely

We are pleased to once again be opening the gates to some of the palaces in our care, starting with the gardens at Hampton Court Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. All our members and visitors will need to pre-book tickets and entry time slots via our booking pages.

Please remember to bring a face covering to wear in our indoor spaces, shops and cafes when they open. We can’t wait to welcome you and know you're going to have a great time.

Sites already open

From 31 March, our gardens and outside spaces will be open at Hampton Court Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, with interiors hopefully reopening in line with government guidance, from mid-May onwards.

Opening plans for other palaces

Kew Palace will open from 4 June. We will shortly be announcing reopening and tickets on sale dates for the Tower of London, Kensington Palace and interior spaces at Hampton Court Palace.

We have a wonderful line up of exhibitions and events taking place across the palaces this year, and have planned these with your safety in mind.

Staying safe at our palaces

We have produced this video so you can see for yourselves the measures in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and visitors at all times. Our fully trained team will be on hand to provide a royal welcome and to ensure the guidance is followed. We look forward to welcoming you back!

Planning your visit -

• Everyone must pre-book tickets in advance with a timed entry slot. We will announce ticket on sale dates in our e-newsletters. You can sign up at the bottom of this page
• We will be using non-contact print at home or mobile tickets so please make sure you have your ticket or ticket reference with you when you visit
• You can arrive anytime within your scheduled timeslot
• All visitors age 11+ are required to wear face coverings in our indoor spaces at the palaces, unless exempt
• Please only visit if you are feeling well. If you are unable to visit due to illness or government imposed travel restrictions, you can amend your tickets (subject to availability) for a new date within one year of your intended visit by contacting our Customer Service team. Please do not book new tickets before contacting us, as your original tickets will not be eligible for a refund.
• In the event of palace closures due to Covid-19 government restrictions, we will amend your booking to a new date within one year of your intended visit, or you can request a full refund.

A royal welcome on arrival

• Our fully trained team are ready and waiting to give you a royal welcome
• Visitor numbers will be limited each day to allow for 2m social distancing
• Tickets will be scanned from a 2m distance
• Maps, trails and audio/digital guides will be available for self-guided routes

5 star service within the palace walls

• Our knowledgeable staff will be on-hand to help you with any enquiry
• You can expect hygiene standards fit for a King or Queen with enhanced cleaning regimes in place and hand washing and hand sanitation facilities available throughout
• There may be one-way routes to follow and some palaces may have restricted access in place to maintain social distancing
• Contactless till points and payments will be in operation across the palaces
• You can expect a warm, welcoming and safe experience while you’re with us

We're Good to Go

We hold the Visit Britain industry standard, 'We're Good to Go' for our sites which means we follow government and industry guidelines for social distancing and cleanliness and have completed a risk assessment.

FAQs

Need further help? More information on reopening can be found in our Visitor FAQs.