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Royal Botanic Gardens Kew: Traveller Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #1 of 3 attractions in Richmond
Show Attraction DetailsHide Attraction Details
Activities: walking, picnicking, ice skating, viewing foliage
Attraction type: Garden, National park, Reservation, Nature reserve
E-mail: info@kew.org
Address: Richmond TW9 3AB, England
Phone: 44 020 8332 5655
Fax: 44 020 8332 5197

TripAdvisor Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

( 5-9 of 10 )
“Beautiful botanical gardens and glasshouses.”

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

25 May 2008

Kew gardens. As a lad it was popular with the Blue Peter television programme, they always seemed to be there forcing nature down at you like it was some sort of cough medicine that was good for you. Kew always seemed a faraway place to me even from Preston.

As I started to visit some botanical gardens around the world with a more benign climate where exotic plants flourish, I decided to pay a visit to Kew. Just out of curiosity as to what we can conjure up here with the British weather.

Ah the British weather, I went there in July 2007, it was a lovely summer's morning went I entered the park, but looming clouds were gathering and soon it was dodge the rain.

To summarise Kew is a In July 2003 it became a UNESCO world heritage site.

After admiring some Henry Moore sculptures, placed for a forthcoming exhibition, we started with a tram tour. You pay extra for this but you are guided around the gardens and then decide what part you wish to explore. It has 8 stops and lasts about 40 minutes.

From the tram tour we made our way to the Temperate House. This is the world's largest ornamental glasshouse holding a collection of subtropical plants. They are set out geographically. The northern wing contains species from Asia, the north octagon has plants from Australasia and the Pacific Islands, the south octagon holds a collection of South African proteas. The south wing has Mediterranean and African plants. In the centre are subtropical trees.

We then walked about to other parts of the gardens and getting the kids to have a run around. When it stared to rain we made way to the Climbers and Creepers zone which is the interactive play area for kids. Our kids had fun playing and taking part in the various activities.

When the rain held off we made our way to the Princess of Wales conservatory. This glasshouse has 10 climatic zones, ranging from arid to moist tropical, under one roof.

Despite unfavourable growing conditions Kew has one of the most comprehensive plant collections in Britain. We should count ourselves lucky that we have such an attraction.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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“One of my favorite places in London”

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

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5 of 5 stars
Maidstone, United Kingdom
25 Feb 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

Strongly recommend visiting these gardens - a wide range of flora to view, from all over the world. Particularly a lovely day out if you go from central london on a boat trip up to richmond, and then walk to Kew.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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“Nice day out”

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

21 Aug 2006
4/4 found this review helpful

My mum and I visited Kew Gardens last week. We were lucky with the weather - it was sunny all day. The entry was GBP 11.75 per person but if you come here by train, don't forget to take a voucher book at any Train station - you will get GBP 3 off per person!
This year they opened the Pagoda (first time after 31 years). It cost 3 GBP to go to the top. You have to buy the tickets for Pagoda in advance when you entre the Gardens and they offer you a specific time (I think there are 30 minutes intervals). There is 253 steps which you have to climb but the views are worth it. When we got back down we got a certificate that we climbed on top :)
My favourite was the main pond at the far end of Kew Gardens. Mum loved the Japanese corner and the 'glass houses'.
All in all it was a lovely day and I would definitely go there again!

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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“Beautiful Gardens, Relaxing”

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

10 Jul 2004
1/1 found this review helpful

The Kew Gardens was amazing. I really enjoyed looking at the different plants from all over the world. I'm not really that interested in botany, but this is a must for gardeners. Gift shop and benches- there is plenty of shade if it gets too hot. I'd like to go again sometime. The people at Kew really have the best green thumbs!

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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“The worlds oldest potted plant, and more....”

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

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4 of 5 stars
Columbia, MD USA
20 Aug 2003
6/6 found this review helpful

The acres of landscaped gardens and glasshouses full of unusual plant displays at Kew provide enough variety to keep green-thumbed visitors fascinated for days. The rest of us (especially those with children) probably will want to devote two or three hours to simply walking the grounds. A fun fact for bored children: look for the largest flagpole in the United Kingdom, located on the garden grounds.Kews elaborate glasshouses are full of surprises. In the basement of the Palm House there is a kid-sized aquarium exhibit. It is not the high tech London aquarium, but the Kew exhibit is just right for a ten-minute visit. The aquarium thoughtfully provides step stools which children can use to get eye-to-eye with the fish.Kew Gardens glasshouses have some record holdersthe worlds oldest potted plant is here. Anyone who has killed numerous house plants will be amazed that this plant has survived since 1775. Kew also has the worlds tallest indoor plant (in 1985 it was 80 feet tall). Visiting children may or may not be impressed with all the plants, but kids invariably climb the spiral staircases up to the elevated walkways which encircle the top of the glasshouses. If you lose track of a child, be sure to look up.Kews Evolution House is another favorite of children and many adults. These evolutionary plants literally crawl out of primordial ooze that bubbles up near the entrance to the exhibit. The Evolution House is an animated presentation of freshman high school plant biology, cleverly depicting the evolution of plants from the Earths creation up to modern day. While touring the Evolution House, kids can look for dinosaur tracks and spot eagle-sized dragonflies perched on prehistoric tree trunks.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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Reviews of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

( 5-9 of 10 )
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Royal Botanic Gardens Kew: Management Resources

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Address

Richmond TW9 3AB, England
Tel: 44 020 8332 5655 Fax: 44 020 8332 5197