Kensington Palace Entry Tickets
Kensington Palace sits among the lawns of Kensington Gardens, the London birthplace of Queen Victoria and still a working royal home. Booking Kensington Palace Entry Tickets online reserves a timed entry slot and opens the King's State Apartments, the Jewel Room, and the palace's current exhibition. Beyond the ticketed rooms, the surrounding gardens and the Sunken Garden, with its statue of Princess Diana, stay free to explore.
Book your ticket to visit Kesington Palace
Do I need to buy Kensington Palace tickets in advance?
Tickets are timed, so each visitor gets a 30-minute arrival slot rather than a single fixed entry time. As Kensington Palace ranks among London’s top attractions, booking online ahead of a visit is the safer option: it guarantees a place on the day and a choice of slots. This choice matters most in summer, at weekends, and over school holidays, when same-day availability runs short. The Ticket Office sells walk-up tickets, but slots can run out on a busy afternoon.
What can you see inside Kensington Palace?
An entry ticket covers the King's State Apartments, the Victoria: A Royal Childhood rooms, the Jewel Room, and the palace's temporary exhibition, which visitors can tour in any order. The Queen's State Apartments are closed for re-presentation until spring 2027 and are not part of the route in the meantime. The gardens outside stay free and need no ticket.

The Cupola Room
The Cupola Room serves as the centerpiece of the King's State Apartments. A decorated domed ceiling features blue and gold octagonal panels alongside a central star design. Statues of Roman deities stand inside wall niches, while a musical clock from the eighteenth century occupies the center of the floor.
This room hosted the baptism of Queen Victoria in 1819. Windows offer views toward the palace gardens, allowing natural light to illuminate the gold leaf decorations. Visitors observe the architectural details that William Kent designed for King George I. The space reflects the formal court protocols of the Georgian era, where monarchs received official guests.
Plan your visit in advance
A few practical details make the day easier to plan:

Opening hours
Kensington Palace opens daily, though the closing time shifts with the season:
- In summer, from 1 March to 31 October, it runs from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00.
- In winter, from 1 November to the end of February, hours shorten to 10:00 to 16:00, with last entry at 15:00.
The final rooms on the route begin closing about fifteen minutes before the palace itself, so arriving well before last entry leaves time to see everything.
How much time do you need to see Kensington Palace?
Most visitors spend between an hour and a half and two hours inside, which is enough to walk the King's State Apartments at a relaxed pace, look around the Victoria rooms and the Jewel Room, and take in the temporary exhibition. Anyone who likes to read every label or linger over the painted ceilings should allow closer to two hours. Adding the free gardens, the Sunken Garden, and a break at one of the cafés can stretch the visit into a half-day out in good weather. The palace is smaller and calmer than the major museums nearby, so it seldom needs a whole day on its own.
General information for visitors
Planning a few details ahead of time makes the visit smoother:
- The gardens are free: Kensington Gardens, the Sunken Garden, and the Diana statue need no palace ticket, so anyone in a group who skips the interior still has plenty to do.
- Photography is allowed without flash: The palace does not permit tripods, selfie sticks, or gimbals inside, and a few loaned objects cannot be photographed.
- There is no cloakroom: The palace does not allow suitcases or large wheeled bags, and there is no luggage storage on site, so it helps to travel light. Staff check bags on entry.
- You can eat without a ticket: The Orangery, beside the palace, serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, and the Palace Café is open to anyone, with or without a ticket.
- Step-free access is available: The palace provides accessible toilets, step-free routes, and visitors can book accessible parking in advance.
- Families are well looked after: Baby-changing facilities and pushchair access inside make it an easy outing with young children.
- Members and pass-holders: Historic Royal Palaces members enter free, and the Ticket Office accepts the London Pass.










