Explore Hampton Court Before Tulip Season Ends
Take advantage of the tulip season at Hampton Court before it ends and enjoy a relaxing half-day trip to the castle and park. Afterward, you can visit Korea Town for a delicious Korean meal. Depart at 11:30 AM from Vauxhall/Waterloo station, use your Oyster card to enter, and take the train to Hampton Court. It's a 3-minute walk from the station to the entrance of the attraction.
Tickets are available on the left side of the entrance. Student tickets cost £24 (just show your Unidays student ID), and if you plan to visit multiple attractions within a year, consider a £50 membership (it pays off after visiting two attractions).
The palace is not very large, and you can plan your own tour route. The first gate offers free audio guides (with a Chinese version available), and staff are present at each exhibit to provide historical information. The tour takes about 2 hours.
Walk to the fountain garden in the palace to reach the entrance of the Tree Park. The park has three areas, and the recommended tour order is right-middle-left. The right garden offers views of the Thames River, the middle is the Tree Park, ideal for photos and picnics, with carriage rides available (though I didn't try them). The left garden features a small maze and a kitchen garden where you can see tulips (some are wilting).
The attraction closes at 5:30 PM. When I visited, the deer park behind the Tree Park was closed, so I walked 10 minutes to Bushy Park, which has many deer and is quite large.
You can choose to walk through Bushy Park to Kingston station or take a bus from the park entrance to the train station. Use your Oyster card to take a 6-minute train ride to New Malden Korea Town. We chose CHACHI, a Korean BBQ restaurant with a nice dining environment where staff assist with grilling. We ordered a BBQ platter, kimchi fried rice, cold noodles, and two drinks. The portions were generous, but the price was a bit high, averaging £60 per person.
After dinner, we walked 13 minutes to take the train back to London. Overall, it's a great place to relax and take photos with a friend or two. Tickets are free on April 27th and 28th, so hurry if you see this post!
#ExploreLondon #HamptonCourt #LondonAttractions