Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace sits 23km southwest of London in East Molesey, Surrey, one of the closest and easiest day trips from the capital at just 35 minutes by direct South Western Railway train from Waterloo. A scenic alternative is the seasonal Thames riverboat service from Westminster Pier, which takes around 3 hours each way and suits visitors who want the journey itself to be part of the day, typically returning by train. Mornings are best spent inside the palace's State Apartments, once home to Henry VIII, where the Great Hall and Tudor kitchens recreate the scale of 16th-century royal life, alongside the Georgian-era rooms added under William III and Mary II. Costumed guides in several rooms bring Tudor court history to life for family visitors. By midday, the famous Hampton Court Maze, the UK's oldest surviving hedge maze, planted in the 1700s, offers a lighter activity before lunch at the palace's on-site cafes or a picnic in the gardens. The afternoon suits the Baroque Palace Gardens, home to the Great Vine planted in 1768 and still producing grapes, and a walk along the Thames riverfront and the Long Water canal. Families with young children often add the Magic Garden, an adventure playground themed around the palace's history. Spring and summer bring the gardens to full bloom and the best weather for the riverboat journey, while a quieter, shorter visit is equally viable in any season given the palace's status as a year-round attraction close to London.