Photo: londondrum.comUseful things to know before your visit
Address: Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, Kensington W8 4PX. Telephone: 0203 166 6000. Website: hrp.org
How much do the tickets cost?
Until 8 Nov 2026: Adult £24, seniors (aged 65+) from £20, young adults (aged 16-17) from £12, and children (5-15 years) from £12. Infants under-5 are free – From 11 Nov 2026: Adult £19, seniors (aged 65+) from £15, young adults (aged 16-17) from £9, and children are from £9.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 10am to 4pm (Wed-Sun, Jan to Feb and late Oct to Dec); 10am to 6pm (Wed-Sun, Mar and 2nd half Sep to late Oct); 10am to 6pm (Mon-Sun, Apr to 1st half Sep). Last entry is 1 hour before closing time.
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to Kensington Palace takes 2 hours.
Which buses go to Kensington Palace?
Bus routes 9, 49, 52, 70, 94, 148, 274 and 452 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Queensway on the Central line. You can walk the ⅖ mile to Kensington Palace in about 8 minutes.
Which other attractions are nearby?
Here are three attractions within 15 minutes walk of Kensington Palace: Kensington Gardens, Albert Memorial and Sambourne House.
Twitter 
Facebook 
WhatsApp 
Email My review of Kensington Palace
When William III and Mary II came to the throne in 1689 they started looking around for a place to escape the damp and dirty air of Whitehall. They settled on a modest little mansion called Nottingham House and turned it into a palace with the help of Christopher Wren, who was busy building St. Paul’s at the time.
William and Mary were hugely important monarchs but let’s be honest, unless you actually paid attention at school then you’ve probably never heard of the Glorious Revolution. Of the monarchs who followed George I and II both enjoyed a lively court, Queen Anne preferred Hampton Court, and Victoria packed her bags for Buckingham Palace as soon as she became Queen. No reigning monarch has ever slept here after that.
Photo: londondrum.comThe palace enjoyed a mini-revival in the 1960s when Princess Margaret moved in with Lord Snowdon, followed by Prince Charles, Princess Diana, William and Harry, but nowadays it’s just the Prince and Princess of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The King’s State Apartments
When you enter the palace there are three routes to choose from and you can do them in any order you like. The King’s State Apartments are my favourite because when you turn the first corner they dim the lights down low and start blasting Baroque trumpets at you. It really is very impressive indeed.
Photo: londondrum.comIt gets better as you head into the Presence Chamber with its red velvet throne, the Privy Chamber with its hanging tapestries, and the King’s Drawing Room with its famous painting of Venus and Cupid that Queen Caroline tried to remove after her husband decamped to Hanover one too many times.
Photo: londondrum.comAll of these rooms must have been amazing in their heyday when the courtiers, government ministers and foreign ambassadors were standing around the sides trying to the catch the eye of the King.
The Cupola Room & King’s Picture Gallery
Photo: londondrum.comThen comes the huge musical clock in the Cupola Room followed by the King’s Gallery, made to display paintings from the Royal Collection. It’s a bit like the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and is dominated by a copy of Van Dyck’s famous painting of Charles I on horseback. You see this painting all over the place – the original hangs in Windsor Castle and there’s another one in the Waterloo Gallery at Apsley House and Lord Crawley’s dining room at Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle).
Photo: londondrum.com
The Queen’s State Apartments
Mary II’s State Rooms and Gallery are much plainer than William’s but she compensated by filling it with Turkish carpets, oriental porcelain and embroidered silks. Unfortunately it’s all disappeared now and all that remains are a few portraits, oriental chests and Japanese ceramics. You have to rely on the audioguide to fill out the rest.
The Queen’s Closet was where that legendary argument took place between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill, who was getting jealous of all the attention being lavished on Abigail Masham. The furious Queen dismissed her from court, stripped her of her positions, and scaled back the funding for Blenheim Palace that the Duke of Marlborough was still busy building. The two women never spoke again.
Queen Victoria & Prince Albert
Photo: londondrum.com
Queen Victoria’s section of the palace begins in a darkened Jewel Room with a display case of earrings, emerald necklaces and diamond tiaras. Another room has a few of her childhood toys, her writing desk, and some letters from the domineering duchess, but it’s all just ephemera. It hasn’t been frozen in time. The problem is that she only lived here as a young princess and never got around to decorating her own Drawing Room, Dining Room or Picture Gallery that the other monarch’s had.
The highlight is probably the room where she first danced with Albert at her 17th birthday ball, and the Privy Council chamber where she first met her ministers after becoming Queen.
Photo: londondrum.comThe most interesting exhibits are her clothes because you can compare how tiny she was in youth with the photos of her looking mean and moody in her seventies – she looks like one of those mad old nans your kids are too scared to visit. She definitely liked the colour black after Albert died because it’s all black black black. Black dresses, black hats, black thoughts. She was the world’s first emo-Goth.
Photo: londondrum.comPrincess Diana’s apartment
The Royal residents who occupy the palace today all live on the other side of the property and you’re not allowed round there. If you were hoping to see Princess Diana’s three-storey suite then bad luck because it doesn’t even exist anymore. After her death it was literally stripped bare and turned into offices. It’s such a shame because I’m sure the tourists would love to have seen it.
So here’s the big question: is Kensington Palace worth a visit? If you’re a fan of the Royal Family (and I mean a big fan of the Royal Family) then my answer is definitely yes. But if you’re a tourist with limited time on your hands then you’re better off heading to Buckingham Palace whose rooms are more spectacular, or Hampton Court, whose Royal apartments are better preserved than William’s.
Kensington Palace appears in my 7-day London plan
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
What do you think? (7)
Ask a question, or share your experience of Kensington Palace
Patricia Where can we see the golden gate in Kensington Palace? What is the nearest underground station? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Patricia. High Street Kensington is the closest station. Then you have to walk down the high street and turn left into Kensington Gardens. The gate is at the southern end of the palace. (reply)
Adrian Do you actually get to see where Prince William and Catherine live? If not why don’t they do that? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Adrian. William and Kate do still have an apartment at Kensington Palace, but they mainly live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor now. Unfortunately the private apartments are round the other side of the property and they don’t let the public round there. (reply)
Carolyn Hi Craig. Unfortunately Buckingham Palace will be closed when we are in London so we are trying to decide between Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle. Which one would you choose if you only had time for one? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Carolyn. That’s an easy one – it’s Windsor every time. Everything about Windsor is better, the building itself, the splendour of the rooms, the history behind it… the only thing that might put me off is the fact that it’s a day trip from London. If you choose Kensington Palace then at least you’ll be able to see some other stuff on the same day. But Windsor will use up most of your day. I think it’s worth the trip though. (reply)
Jaz As huge fans of Princess Diana we had to visit your Kensington Palace and did not go home disappointed. While it is true that there is not much to see that is specifically related to Diana, just to walk around the palace where she lived was a thrill. (reply)
Leave a comment (no need to register)
Forum - Landmarks, Attractions & Events