Hampton Court Gardens Free Days: 7 Dates You Can Visit for Free
- 1 hour ago
- 9 min read
The Dates You Can Visit The Historic Hampton Court Gardens For Free In 2026
A trip to Hampton Court Palace can become an expensive family day out once admission, travel, parking and food are added together, but you don't always need to buy a palace ticket to explore its famous gardens. Historic Royal Palaces opens the Hampton Court Palace Gardens free of charge on selected dates, and there are seven free days remaining across four openings this year.
These Hampton Court Gardens free days are particularly useful because there is no ticket to claim and no advance booking process. You can simply visit during the advertised opening hours, although the free entry is for the gardens rather than the complete Hampton Court experience. The Palace, Maze and Magic Garden still need a paid ticket.
When are the free Hampton Court Gardens dates?
There are seven remaining free days spread across September, October, November and December. Historic Royal Palaces currently lists the following Hampton Court Gardens free days, with no ticket or pre-booking required. The final opening on Boxing Day is different because only the Wilderness is included.
Free Garden Open Day | What's open for free |
Saturday 12th September | Palace Gardens |
Sunday 13th September | Palace Gardens |
Saturday 10th October | Palace Gardens |
Sunday 11th October | Palace Gardens |
Saturday 21st November | Palace Gardens |
Sunday 22nd November | Palace Gardens |
Saturday 26th December | Wilderness only |
You don't need to book any of these free openings, which makes them easier to use than free-ticket promotions where a limited allocation disappears quickly. Opening hours can vary through the year, and temporary closures can happen, so check the official Hampton Court Palace opening information before setting off. Dogs and bikes aren't permitted in the Palace Gardens, apart from trained assistance or medical alert dogs where applicable.
What can you see on the Hampton Court Gardens free days?
The main Garden Open Days give you access to the Palace Gardens that normally form part of paid Hampton Court admission. Historic Royal Palaces describes around 60 acres of formal gardens, with areas including the Privy Garden, Wilderness, Rose Garden and other historic landscapes shaped across centuries of royal occupation. Individual areas can close for seasonal work or events, so the exact route available can differ by date.
The December opening needs treating separately because the official listing specifies that only the Wilderness is free on the 26th of December. If there is one particular part of the gardens you want to see, check its opening information rather than assuming the full garden route will be available. That is especially sensible later in the year when daylight hours and seasonal opening arrangements are shorter.
What isn't included with free Hampton Court Gardens entry?
The Garden Open Days don't turn Hampton Court Palace into a completely free attraction. You will still need the appropriate admission ticket if you want to enter Hampton Court Palace itself, visit the Maze or use the Magic Garden. The free opening is specifically for the gardens covered by that day's Garden Open Day.
That means you should decide what sort of day you actually want before travelling. If you mainly want to walk through the historic outdoor spaces, take photographs and have a picnic, the free opening can provide several hours without an admission charge. If your main reason for visiting is Henry VIII's apartments, the Tudor kitchens or the Maze, you will need to budget for a paid ticket.
How much does Hampton Court Palace normally cost?
When checked on the 25th of August, standard Hampton Court Palace admission cost £29 for an adult off-peak and £32 at peak times. Children aged 5 to 15 were £14.50 off-peak or £16 peak, while children under 5 were free. Historic Royal Palaces has separate prices taking effect from the 28th of November, so always check the live ticket page if you are planning a paid visit.
At those current peak prices, two adults and two children aged between 5 and 15 would pay £96 for full admission before travel, parking or food. The Hampton Court Gardens free days don't give that family the same experience as £96 of palace tickets because the Palace, Maze and Magic Garden remain excluded.
They do provide an option for somebody whose main interest is the outdoor part of Hampton Court and who doesn't want to pay for the full attraction.
Can you get £1 Hampton Court Palace tickets?
Yes. Historic Royal Palaces' £1 Hampton Court Palace ticket scheme is available to people receiving specified UK benefits, and the current Hampton Court page allows up to four tickets per household. Only one person in the household needs to provide the supporting evidence, while children under 5 don't need a ticket.
The current Hampton Court page lists Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance as qualifying benefits. The tickets are limited and can sell out, so HRP recommends booking online in advance rather than relying on availability when you arrive. You must bring your reservation, proof of eligibility and identification to collect the tickets.
The £1 ticket is a different proposition from a Garden Open Day because it gives you the attractions included with normal day admission rather than just free access to the outdoor gardens. That currently includes the Palace and gardens, with the Maze also part of standard admission. If you qualify and want to see the full site, checking the £1 scheme could make more sense than arranging your visit around a free garden date.
Is Home Park at Hampton Court free all year?
Yes. Hampton Court's Home Park is free to enter throughout the year, so you don't need to wait for one of the Hampton Court Gardens free days to explore it. The royal park covers around 750 acres and includes grassland, woodland, wetlands, veteran trees and a deer herd.
There is an important distinction between Home Park and the Palace Gardens. Home Park can't be accessed directly from inside the formal gardens, with entrances available from Barge Walk and Hampton Court Palace Road instead. Its opening hours also vary seasonally, so check them before making it part of your day.
This gives you another option if none of the special free dates work for you. You could visit Home Park on another day without paying Hampton Court Palace admission, although it won't give you access to the formal Palace Gardens. It also means the free Garden Open Days are useful because they unlock outdoor spaces that aren't normally free rather than simply giving free access to parkland that was already available
.
Can you take a picnic to Hampton Court Gardens?
Yes. Historic Royal Palaces allows picnics in the Palace Gardens, so bringing your own lunch is one of the easiest ways to keep a free garden visit close to £0. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food, drink and picnic blankets.
There are cafés and refreshment outlets at Hampton Court if you prefer to buy something during the day, but the prices can add noticeably to a family visit. HRP's current food information, for example, lists cold drinks from £2.85 and hot drinks from £3, while main hot food can cost considerably more. Packing food at home leaves you free to spend nothing on-site if that is the aim of the day.
Reusable water bottles are worth taking as well, particularly if you plan to spend several hours walking around the grounds. Hampton Court has water refill points in parts of the site, although access to particular facilities can vary. Check the visitor information if a specific facility matters to your group.
What should you take for a free garden day?
The Garden Open Days are mainly an outdoor visit, so prepare for the weather rather than treating them like an indoor palace trip. Comfortable shoes are useful because the gardens cover a large area, while layers and waterproof clothing can make an autumn or winter visit much more comfortable. A picnic also gives you control over the food budget rather than making an on-site purchase necessary.
A practical day bag might include:
A picnic or snacks
Refillable drinks bottles
Comfortable walking shoes
Waterproof clothing or an umbrella
An extra layer in colder months
A picnic blanket if the ground is suitable
A phone or camera
Any medication or accessibility items you need
Dogs can't normally accompany you into the Palace Gardens, apart from trained assistance dogs or medical alert dogs, so don't travel with a pet expecting it to be allowed in. Bikes aren't permitted within the gardens either. Those restrictions apply even though you aren't buying an admission ticket for the free day.
How much does parking cost at Hampton Court Palace?
Free garden entry doesn't automatically make the whole day free if you drive. When checked on the 25th of August, the limited on-site Hampton Court Palace car park cost £1.80 per hour, with Hampton Court Green also listed at £1.80 per hour. Parking is first come, first served and can't be reserved at the Palace.
Hampton Court railway station is around a five-minute walk from the Palace, with regular services from London Waterloo. The station is in Zone 6 and Oyster is accepted on the route, so public transport may make more sense depending on where you are travelling from and how many people are in your group. Compare the total return fare against parking and fuel rather than assuming one option is automatically cheaper.
If you're looking for more ideas like this, my Cheap Days Out UK guide brings together free and low-cost attractions, ticket offers and seasonal promotions around the country. You can also keep an eye on Heritage Open Days, which provides free access to thousands of historic buildings and experiences during its annual programme.
When will the 2027 Hampton Court Gardens free dates be announced?
Historic Royal Palaces hasn't announced any 2027 Hampton Court Gardens free days yet. The organisation has already published some Hampton Court visitor information covering the early months of 2027, but its current Garden Open Days section still stops with the December 2026 opening. That makes it too early to assume that the dates will follow exactly the same pattern next year.
I will update this page when the new free dates are confirmed rather than creating another separate article. That keeps all the Hampton Court Garden Open Day information in one place and means the page you bookmark now should remain the one to check later. Until then, treat any unofficial 2027 dates you see elsewhere as unconfirmed unless Historic Royal Palaces has published them.
How can you keep a Hampton Court free day at little or no cost?
Start by choosing one of the free Garden Open Days and check the official opening information shortly before travelling. Bring your own food and drinks, compare train costs with parking if you are driving, and decide in advance whether you are happy with the gardens alone rather than being tempted into buying full admission when you arrive.
If you receive one of the qualifying benefits, check the £1 ticket scheme before making that decision because the wider access may be worth the small extra cost. If you don't qualify and simply want somewhere historic to walk, the free gardens or year-round Home Park can still give you a substantial visit without paying the standard palace admission price.
Before leaving home, check the Hampton Court Palace opening page one final time for closures, weather restrictions or changes to the Garden Open Day arrangements. Free entry isn't much of a saving if you have already paid for fuel, parking or train tickets only to discover that the area you wanted to see isn't open.
Frequently asked questions
Are Hampton Court Gardens free?
Hampton Court Palace Gardens normally require a paid admission ticket, but selected Garden Open Days offer free entry. No ticket or pre-booking is required for the confirmed free days.
Do I need to book the free Hampton Court Gardens days?
No. Historic Royal Palaces says no ticket or pre-booking is required for the confirmed Garden Open Days, although you should still check the official opening information before travelling.
Can I visit Hampton Court Palace for free on the garden days?
No. The free days cover the Palace Gardens only, with the 26th of December limited to the Wilderness. Hampton Court Palace, the Maze and the Magic Garden still require the appropriate paid ticket.
Can I take a picnic to Hampton Court Gardens?
Yes. Historic Royal Palaces allows visitors to bring their own food, drinks and picnic blankets into the Palace Gardens, making a packed lunch an easy way to keep the cost of the day down.
Is Home Park at Hampton Court free?
Yes. Home Park is free to visit throughout the year and covers around 750 acres, but it is separate from the ticketed Palace Gardens and has its own entrances.
Can I get £1 tickets for Hampton Court Palace?
Yes, if you receive one of the qualifying UK benefits listed by Historic Royal Palaces. The current Hampton Court scheme allows up to four £1 tickets per household and advance online booking is recommended because ticket numbers are limited.
Are there free Hampton Court Gardens dates for 2027?
Not yet. Historic Royal Palaces has started publishing some visitor information for 2027, but no 2027 Garden Open Days have been announced at the time of checking.
