Kew Palace Reviews Summary

Kew Gardens and Palace Experience

Pros:

• "Lovely spot for a day out, lots of different elements to explore and different ways/walks to experience it."
• "Had a wonderful day strolling around the different areas! So diverse so many different types of plants trees and greenhouse greenery. Amazing."
• "Breathtakingly beautiful, very large with different sections of very old trees, amazing plants in different greenhouses, lakes."
• "A lovely day spent here, lots to do for kids and lovely walks and history."
• "So much to see and explore in this beautiful place. You must have strong feet to cope with walking all day."
• "Loved it. Beautiful place with variety of plants and things to do."
• "Absolutely wonderful gardens."

Cons:

• "Would have given five stars but feel that, with new technology, a more interactive experience could be possible."
• "So I don’t usually leave bad reviews because I believe that everyone should be allowed a second chance. But my sister in law and my family were judged by the way we were dressed and the staff here assumed we were on benefits."
• "There is no lift in this building so if you have pushchairs or similar, this building may be one to skip."
• "This was a bit of a low point in the park to me. The gardens around the palace are lovely, but the palace itself is a little flat and unengaging."
• "Big queues for food so if you bought anything hot it would be cold by the time you had paid and got a seat."
• "Closed 4pm which is far too early given you have to queue up to 40mins or longer (due to Covid) to visit the glass houses."
• "The beginning of our visit was poor. Scanners not working, parking badly organised, having to walk around to different gates."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Run by a separate charity and they rely on donations. The staff welcome you in period clothes which is very amusing."
• "Fantastic visit to this Palace, didn't know it was part of Kew. Really helpful guides in period dress."
• "The home of George lll, lovely old building with lots of information and very knowledgeable staff."
• "Rubina the staff at Kew Palace she was very knowledgable and she made our trip today a memorable one."
• "Grounds are phenomenal and staff were so helpful in tellus us about it (from the dolls house to the history!!)"
• "The guides are so lovely and helpful."
• "THE STAFF ARE SO LOVELY TOO! They are so passionate about their job and I love it."

Cons:

• "It was a little unorganised when we arrived, and directions to get to the actual car park and disabled entrance were rather poor!!"
• "On leaving Brentford gate, unfortunately there wasn't much in the way of customer service."
• "Signage is poor, two out of three hand dryers not working in the gents."
• "This page is wrong!! Travelled across London tt visit the Palace as Google said open today till 5.30, only to find it closed for winter."
• "Little interest for the young."
• "The speakers telling you George and Charlotte's stories are no longer there."
• "We have been here before but this time only the ground floor was open. Not much to see and people were whizzing through not really looking at things."

Accessibility and Facilities

Pros:

• "Gorgeous! Thank goodness for the tram."
• "Very accessible for those that need it with a lift installed."
• "Wheelchair accessible."
• "Plenty of water refills available at fountains situated all over the gardens so bring your own bottles and food to have a picnic."
• "Toilets are clean and places to eat."
• "Parking is £7 for all day at brentford gate and is empty around 9.30 so get here early and enjoy the view of river thames."
• "Very family and disabled friendly place to visit too."

Cons:

• "Travelled a long way to see the last day of the Orchid exhibit. Only arrived to Kew at 3pm. More than an hour queue, which seemed the norm with signs showing the waiting time."
• "Expensive so take plenty of money or take a picnic."
• "Lots of cafes/restaurants on site, but be warned they are very expensive."
• "Basically, if you want to go there, you will need to cross the Kew Garden. It means you will pay the Garden's ticket and, then, the Palace's one."
• "I remember it's more than £20 for adult. Yes, it's a beautiful park, but there are many beautiful parks in London, and free."
• "Children were free, you now have to pay for them."
• "It is also very dark inside even during daylight so if you have poor vision, you may not be able to fully appreciate it."

Historical Significance and Education

Pros:

• "Fantastic day out, loved everything about Kew."
• "A great historical building shining a light into the life of King George the third."
• "We really enjoyed our visit to this palace as there are rooms that haven't been renovated which gives a view of real historical backgrounds of decorating and re-structure of the rooms within the palace."
• "I liked learning more about the history of the royals and how Kew played a part in it."
• "Very interesting history of the building connected with King George III, the so-called 'mad' King because he was incarcerated in solitary confinement in an upstairs room there because of his mental health issues."
• "Really interesting to read the story behind King George 3rds home and how the treatment of mental illness has changed."
• "Beautiful red brick building built 1631 situated within Kew Botanical Gardens overlooking The River Thames."

Cons:

• "The only reason this is a 4-star rather than a 5-star review is because when we went there was a lot of renovation and construction going on at the time."
• "The Palace was included in our Kew garden ticket. Very dark and small, king George's refuge and hideaway during his depression and bouts of mental ill health, it definitely had a sad melancholy feel about it."
• "Whilst This was interesting and informative, I didn't like the last part on the 2nd floor where it deals with current mental health issues."
• "It was okay. Disappointing that when we toured the Palace that a few areas were off limits due to them not being in viewing condition."
• "The house has many floors, the top is not restored and has an eerie vibe to it but still very interesting."
• "All a bit overpriced. Maybe spend less on marketing giving visitors a more relaxed experience with similar profits."
• "The beginning of our visit was poor. Scanners not working, parking badly organised, having to walk around to different gates."