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Painswick Rococo Garden

Painswick Rococo Garden

Painswick Rococo Garden
4
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Painswick Rococo Garden is a unique 18th century garden set in a hidden valley with lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Painswick Rococo Garden was designed in the 1740s as an English country gentleman's pleasure garden, a place for holding intimate garden parties. Laid out in a hidden valley around Painswick House, the Garden is now the country's only complete surviving rococo garden. Since 1984, an ambitious restoration programme has transformed the Garden from a woodland wilderness into a stunning place to escape the busy world. Enjoy beautifully-framed views or snuggle in one of the fanciful garden buildings. Battle to find the centre of the unusual maze and enjoy homemade food in the cafe afterwards. The Garden is famous for its snowdrop displays in winter, usually February
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Babes and brunch!
    Manchester, United Kingdom46 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A beautiful garden.
    The Rococo gardens are a must visit if you are in the area. We spent about an hour and a half exploring the gardens and then stopped for cake and a coffee in the cafe at the end. The pathway, although rough at points, was more then manageable with our pushchair.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 16 October 2023
  • Kevin C
    Southampton, United Kingdom20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A magical period garden
    What a lovely place, full of colour and unexpected vistas. Plenty of space to walk around and enjoy the well kept 18c gardens. The kitchen garden was very impressive, we liked the hop displays. Nice to get a chat with a friendly gardener. There is a play area for kids we spotted for next time. The cafe was excellent, we sat outside and eventually took home a trawl of garden ales.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 October 2023
  • Caroline Orchard
    Cheltenham, United Kingdom56 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Cal and tranquil
    Such an amazing place! I tend to go once or twice a year and you can see the changes. The staff and volunteers maintain the grounds beautifully. It’s such a calm and tranquil place. There’s a new lovely garden centre there now. Little coffee shop and plenty of benches. I also love they value wildlife.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 12 November 2023
  • MKPitstop
    8 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Disenchanting
    The Enchanted Christmas Lights event at Rococo Gardens was sadly a bit underwhelming. We went as 4 adults and 4 children. We were expecting more aspects to be lit up and felt that there were missed opportunities to show off more of the features in the gardens. For example, it would have been great if the maze had lights and the beautiful carved castle lit up. I was also expecting it to include the whole garden down to the play area but that part was not included. As you enter the garden the area to your right is just too dark, something more is needed there. The paths are also very dark in many areas making it a bit sketchy. What was there to see was beautiful but for the price there just wasn't enough. There is a lot of competition for these Christmas events and we felt it either needed to be priced lower or more offered. A hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream was £5.40, we're not in London! We understand this is the first year this event has fun so hopefully more investment in the lights can be made as there is so much potential.
    Thanks for your review – we were sorry to read that you were a little disappointed by your visit to the Enchanted Garden by Night trail last week. This evening opening is new to us for 2023 and builds on the success of our summer holiday family willow trail, so it was not designed as a light show such as the others you mention. Rather, we have created a different sort of visit to the Garden here, with a relaxed trail around the handmade willow sculptures – boggarts, unicorns etc - which have then been tastefully lit by our designer. As a result, our admission prices compare favourably with local light shows at around two thirds of the cost of admission to Sudeley Castle or Westonbirt. Children are particularly welcome and cost just £8. The whole trail has been fully risk-assessed and safe lighting levels provided throughout. We regularly compare the prices of our food and drink to those charged elsewhere and are confident they are competitive. Our luxury hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream is one of our best-sellers, along with our delicious warm mulled wine and cider. There are of course less expensive hot and cold refreshments available from our friendly team. As you note, this is our first year of evening opening and there is plenty of potential to be fulfilled if we go ahead again in the future. We appreciate your feedback and your ideas as to how we could improve the trail in the future and we will do our best to build these into our plans, if we are able to go ahead again in the future.
    Written 21 December 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 14 December 2023
  • MLH00014
    Tetbury, United Kingdom122 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Christmas Enchanted Garden
    We started our evening with mulled wine and cake then walked the light trail. It was really beautiful and the perfect length. We’ve never seen the Rococo Gardens in daylight, but in the evening and with Christmas lights, it was truly magical. We ended the night with burgers (my first jackfruit burger!) and a visit to their shop. We’d definitely recommend this. The staff were really friendly and helpful and the tickets were a reasonable price.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 24 December 2023
  • Symon C
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Enchanting night time experience
    We had a lovely visit yesterday to see the gardens lit up at night. The lighting was very tastefully placed to make the experience very enchanting. The staff were very friendly and the food and beverages on offer hit the mark. We will be back !
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 28 December 2023
  • Clare L
    4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A lovely pre Christmas evening out
    I came with my 10 year old daughter to the winter light spectacular and we were not disappointed. The gardens looked magical and we both enjoyed the artwork and lights. We had hot drinks in the marquee afterwards which were reasonably priced. We would definitely return.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 15 January 2024
  • Kate_R199
    Gloucestershire, United Kingdom78 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Relaxing Snowdrop Afternoon
    We came to visit the snowdrops on a breezy Friday afternoon. Booked last minute online which was easy, when we arrived we were parked up by a helpful car park attendant. 2 cheerful ladies checked us in (it’s rare nowadays to be greeted with a smile!) and scanned our tickets. The cafe looked lovely and you could definitely get a good lunch there, gluten free options available. Garden was beautiful and well maintained, it feels more open now due to the felling of quite a few trees - opening up new views that were previously hidden. I’ll definitely return again, a very enjoyable visit.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 February 2024
  • Keith C
    78 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very good snowdrop display
    Amazing views and great to see the 5 million snowdrops!!! Food and drink overpriced and could do with better toilets but great to see early daffs, and dog friendly. Was there over an hour, pre-book on busy times
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 February 2024
  • alpacabreeder325
    Steeple Ashton, United Kingdom90 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A unique experience
    We visited in February so not much of the colourful vegetation visible, but its history is intriguing. The fact that someone managed to recreate this is outstanding. I would advise you walk round the gardens first, then read the guided tour booklet for sale at the shop (Painswick Rococo Garden). This takes about 20 mins to read, with some very interesting data and facts. Then with this knowledge, walk around again and see how much you missed on your first trip round
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 23 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles928 reviews
Excellent
441
Very good
312
Average
108
Poor
37
Terrible
30

Dave D
6 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Had a great time walking around the garden, really beautiful place and a fairly easy walk. Cafe only really serves coffees/teas and cakes so if you are planning to spend a lot of time there a suggestion would be to bring a pack lunch. Walk-able from Painswick in about 20 mins from the town centre.

Garden is absolutely beautiful and definitely check out some of the view points on the higher ground for a good view of the surrounding countryside.

Perfect activity for those hot, lazy english summer afternoons
Written 10 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

julienicola
Bristol, UK340 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Friends
I visit here in the summer most years but have not been for the snowdrops before. I certainly wouldn’t visit for the snowdrops again. While the swathes of flowers are very beautiful there was no identification of the different varieties which would have added interest for visitors. There were a few sculptures hanging in the trees but nothing to say what they were. No history of the little Red House for people to read. It’s pretty poor as a visitor experience.

What was more significant was the whole lack of ambience and welcome there. The car park was dangerous in my view. Cars were being to made to park in the field which was quite a steep incline for older people. This was ok fir us but they had run ropes along the grass in lines where each row of cars was to park. I nearly tripped over two of these while making my way to the main walkway. I’m surprised someone hasn’t tripped over these ropes and seriously hurt themselves. Someone didn’t think that through.

There was no running water in the mobile toilets to wash hands and no one had been in to check on cleanliness which wasn’t great or provide hand sanitiser as you couldn’t wash your hands.
We decided to get lunch and drinks first before exploring and that was a shambles. Two separate places to queue to order the same food…not too confusing then ! The queue for the drinks was really really slow, 15 minutes to order a tea and coffee and to be met by unfriendly staff who didn’t appear to care about people waiting. Our panini’s were delivered way before I got back with the hot drinks. After the long wait you have to walk to a tent to put milk/sugar in your drinks so not sure why it was taking them so long to serve.
The panini’s (not even proper panini’s either) we’re dull to say the least and for £6.50 they were small and not that nice with a handful of crisps thrown on top. Choice of food was limited to these, soup and sausage rolls. Everyone in the tent was commenting on the lack of good organisation. The poor lady bringing food in was even trying to make a joke out of the situation. There didn’t appear to be any management helping make this a smoother process for visitors.
The best part was the small garden centre that has opened there which was beautiful and had excellent plants for sale and had created fabulous displays. They are an external company but could teach the gardens a bit on how to do things.
Written 11 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your review of your recent visit. I’m sorry the experience did not match your expectations based on your previous summer visits. I’m sorry you missed the information we provide around the Garden to explain the stories behind and the significance of the various historic follies and sculptures. Each has a small but discreetly positioned panel which helps identify them. They are positioned so as not to intrude on the gorgeous views through the Garden which are much valued by visitors and photographers alike. We will review their positioning in light of your comments. I should also highlight that we also have a fully-illustrated pocket-sized guide to the Garden which is available for just £3. This contains a comprehensive history of the Garden and is a very popular way of finding out more about the history of this fascinating place. We do not identify our snowdrops with signs as this again would be visually very intrusive. We do however offer a daily talk on weekdays with one of our expert Garden team which is very popular with visitors. We also have a paper guide to our snowdrops which is available at the Welcome Desk - we will look at ways of making this more accessible in the future. Our field is used for overflow car parking during our peak season in addition to our main car park. Whilst there is little we can do about the terrain, we are always happy to direct anyone who has mobility issues to our main car park where space is held for them. This contains hard standing and an easier route to the main entrance to the Garden, along with signed and dedicated accessible parking. There’s a dedicated page in the “plan your visit” section of our website which outlines all the logistics of a visit to us during our snowdrops season. The ropes we use in our car park are brightly-coloured so they are visible to all users, and after reviewing, I am confident they do not present any significant hazard. I was surprised to read of your experience in our toilet facilities. As you will have seen, we have provided luxury temporary facilities which are thoroughly cleaned and checked on a regular basis. These do feature hot running water along with hand soap and moisturiser. Had you reported any of the issues you describe to one of our friendly team, we would happily have resolved them immediately. I am sorry you did not enjoy your experience of our food and drink. As you will have noticed, we are operating from temporary facilities at present and our menu is designed to be simple but high quality. We serve freshly-ground barista coffees which our visitors appreciate, but I recognise that these can take a few minutes to prepare. On a busy day, there can be queues onsite, although I would contend that they generally move quickly, thanks to our efficient team and the backup of our onsite duty manager, who will often provide an extra pair of hands at peak times. I was surprised to read your description of our team as unfriendly – the staff and volunteers who meet and greet our visitors are generally very warm and friendly, and we regularly receive feedback saying so. I can only apologise that you did not have a good experience. I was pleased to read that you appreciated our new partnership with Exedra Nursery, which has allowed us to develop the range of plants we sell and bring more friendly horticultural expertise onsite. Please be assured that we are working steadily to improve how we operate and will bear your comments in mind as we do so. Every visit and purchase helps our work in restoring and conserving the wonderful historic Garden here.
Written 26 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

NorthStar822588
69 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Friends
The highlight of a girlie weekend in the Cotswolds, this did not disappoint. It was not the best weather to be out and about but the drizzly weather did not dampen our enthusiasm. It is not a huge garden and the entrance fee may be a little bit steep, at £10 with gift aid, but we enjoyed our walk. The staff were very friendly and the scampi and chips in the café were very good.
Written 16 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Getaway787089
45 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
If you wish to, or have to live in a country pile, then looking after the garden, which is normally quite large, can be a problem. One solution is to extol the virtues and style of its creator, who most people have probably never heard of and set about restoring the "lost" garden. To pay the gardener(s) you invite and charge the public to view work in progress - not much change from a tenner, and direct them first to the cafe for the secondary spend. Those hoping for a vibrant display of colour in August will be sadly disappointed, although there is a patch of marigolds at the bottom of the main feature which is basically an allotment cum kitchen garden. The "swan" lake is basically an overgrown, blanket weed infested swamp. Disappointing, not up to National Trust standards, not worth the money.
Written 25 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

coopergirl2016
Bristol, UK192 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
Visited on a slightly drizzly bday but that did not dampen our visit. Highly recommend the cafe,top notch service and the best mocha I have ever had. Toilets were clean and shop enable us to purchase many plants, apple juice and gifts. The maze is must even if it did drive us a little mad but we all saw the funny side,the sculptures were amazing and it was great to go mid week as there was not many people around so felt like you had the place to our self's. Loved all the water features especially the plunge pool and was great to be out on the open getting some clean air. Really loved the red house which we popped inside. Painswick rococo gardens is a great way to spend a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Written 17 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gareth497
Southwold, UK202 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
We were really pleased to be able to go to Painswick Rococo Gardens again, seeing it was at least 20 years since our last visit.

In a secured valley you will find a garden probably unlike others you have seen before. The style is really different but works!
Be warned it is rather up and downie, so stout shoes and legs will be help.

You can have an hour or two gently strolling then partake of the cafe.

Unfortunately, when we were there, they were in the process of dramatically changing and improving the ticket shop, gift shop, toilets and cafe. The cafe was serving a limited selection of drinks and cakes, but closed early so were unable to test the quality and value for money
But, when the work is finished, early next year I gather, these areas and facilities will be great.

Free car park and very clean temporary Portaloos.

Will we go again? - Yes but not for as few years.
Written 22 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Painswick Rococo Garden. We are really thankful to those who have recommended the garden and really glad you enjoyed your visit. We are currently still in a period of transition and as a result of this our offerings in the cafe and shop are somewhat limited, but we do hope that once the work is finished, we will have a lovely new look which is well worth re-visiting. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future!
Written 2 November 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jessica S
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Couples
We had a great time at the rococo gardens. There was lots to do and see. We particularly enjoyed maze and the views form the Exedra and the Red House. The views were stunning, and constantly changing depending on where you were standing. If you are interested in learning a bit more about the history, then I would recommend purchasing the guide book, which is only £3. It is a great place to relax and get lost in the woodland, and discover hidden features. Also, we were really pleased that we could take our dog along with us; she loved the gardens too.
Written 22 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jo H
Gloucester, UK138 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
I took my 5 year old close to opening. Getting in was stress free, we’d pre booked tickets (presumably to limit numbers owing to social distancing) and paid when we got there. We were presented with a little Easter trail I wasn’t expecting which was an added bonus- this as it turns out ensured we got to see the best of the attraction as there were several areas off the beaten track to find :)
It was a miserable colder morning than other days this weekend but the gardens and buildings still looked beautiful and well maintained. Even with the maze and kitchen garden closed there was still plenty to see and do. Wooden adventure playground still open and had it not been on the chilly side we would have spent longer there.

Personal 5 year old highlights were the daffodils, tulips and the bluebell walk though the steps up we’re on the steeper side (small children probably need carrying) owing to the weather I didn’t look to see if there was a more accessible route- I’m sure there would be !

Social distancing observed by all and felt very covid secure (masks to be worn in anything resembling an indoor area)

There was a lovely selection of produce on sale too in the admission area.

My only (mild mild mild) criticism is that post Easter trail there is somewhere specific to collect the little prize... as there was only one till open which was for those entering and paying.

All in all visiting made a miserable morning better ! Thank you- will come back in the summer.
Written 5 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MadamJosephine
Melbourne, Australia1,369 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
We went to Painswick as part of a round trip that took in Castle Combe and Lacock NT Village & Abbey. The gardens were our first stop and we really appreciated the Rococo flourishes that differentiate this garden from many in the UK. It was very well laid out and there were little surprises around every path corner and many photographic opportunities. Kids were loving the wide expanses of lawn on which to run. There are information boards in the garden that further enhanced our understanding of this unusual garden. We thought the entrance fee was fair given that it will take only an hour of so to walk around, but of course with a picnic one could stay much longer. The vegetable gardens in particular were stunning. We came two days after the hottest day ever recorded in the UK and the garden beds had not suffered at all.
Written 23 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jadiebeks
Chesterfield, UK12 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Family
Pretty place but found it a little underwhelming. We expected the gardens to be a bit more ‘wow’ than they were - we visited the international centre for birds of prey the day after and found the plants there much more impressive despite theirs not being advertised as an attraction! I’d say it’s nice to go for a walk but if you’re interested in seeing the ‘gardens’ it’s not worth the money.

Also very disappointed with the facilities; only 3 portaloos in the car park and the cafe was only serving soup and salad! I understand this was linked to covid related problems but surely it wouldn’t take much to put on a few sandwiches? We ended up leaving shortly after arriving to go for lunch and decided it wasn’t worth going back.
Written 12 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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PAINSWICK ROCOCO GARDEN (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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