Frequently asked questions about school visits to our palaces
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens: Tuesday – Thursday during term time.
Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace: Wednesday – Friday during term time.
Tower of London: Monday - Friday during term time.
Pre-booking is essential for all school or home educator visits. For full planning and booking information including full term dates and booking forms, follow the links below:
As a result of the pandemic, we have adjusted our opening days of the week. We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause. We will offer select dates for schools only visits on Tuesdays at Hampton Court Palace. Please check this page for dates.
We do have school lunchrooms at our sites and will aim to allocate as many schools as we can a lunchroom. Lunchrooms will be allocated by prioritising the youngest groups first and we will send confirmation of your lunchroom booking two weeks prior to your visit. Groups are always welcome to picnic on site in our designated outdoor areas.
Our school visits are popular, and we have a set allocation of sessions and tickets per day to ensure a good experience for all. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
Due to reduced staffing levels, we may not always be available to answer your telephone call. Rest assured that we are aiming to open our phone lines Monday-Friday 09:30-16:30 during UK term time when we are expecting school visits onsite. If you need a swift response, we always recommend email and if you would like to speak to a member of the team you can request a call back.
School visits phone number: 020 3166 6646
Email addresses by site:
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens [email protected]
Tower of London [email protected]
Hampton Court Palace [email protected]
Kensington Palace [email protected]
Due to reduced staffing levels in the team it may take us longer to reply to emails than normal. It is our aim to reply to every email within 7 working days. This may take longer at busy times of year, such as summer term. If you have not had a response within this timeframe, please do get in touch via telephone: 020 3166 6646. We are aiming to open our phone lines Monday-Friday 09:30-16:30 during UK term time.
Please check our closures and notices pages before you visit. We will endeavour to notify groups about major planned closures and special events in advance of your visit.
The Historic Royal Palaces Access Fund for Schools offers your school the opportunity to have a high quality, immersive learning experience at the iconic sites of the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace. Please see the Access Fund page for details about how you can apply.
In your booking confirmation you will receive a teacher planning pass for two teachers to come onsite and plan your school visit. You do not need to pre-book this, but we recommend checking our opening times before travelling as the sites may be closed on certain days of the week. We are unable to provide teacher planning passes in advance of a visit being booked with us.
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