Kew Gardens is a little southwest of London`s city centre, but the way there can easily be made on public transport. Even though you need to pay for a ticket here, the visit is absolutely worth it!
Kew is not just gardens, as one may think. There are playgrounds, artworks, sculptures, glass houses and view points. I`ll show you my highlights of a visit there.
One more thing in advance: Of course you can get food and drinks at many locations in there, but still it has a special character to bring your own lunch and something to sit on, so you can have a picnic in there to complete the day.
Also, you are probably going to spend quite some time in here so don`t just plan a morning for it. Make sure you can marvel at all the beautiful things without any stress.
One of my favourites in Kew were the flower beds and the classical glass house right after the entrance. It gives a very good first impression and allows for super nice pictures to be taken.
Also, I love Kew Palace, the red house you can see in the photo. It looks like a little castle and is located at the river edge of Kew Gardens. Around you will find some wonderful rose gardens and water installations.
Newly opened has the Children`s Garden, which combines the garden theme with a natural material playground and plenty of possibilities to get to know mother earth and her treasuries. It is one more feature that makes Kew perfect for families with younger children.
One more sight accounting to that fact is the treetop walk. You go up some stairs until you reach the very top of the surrounding trees. There, you`ll find a wooden walkway that includes some playground features and of course stunning views! As everything is constructed very well and there is no feel of shaking or wabbeling things, I`d even say it is okay for those afraid of heights. After all, there aren`t many spaces anyway where you can look right down to the ground and realize how high up you are due to the many trees and bushes below.
Additional, the Japanese Landscape Garden features some Asian alike small buildings and artworks. Here you will recognize yourself actually calming down and taking some deep breaths due to the magical atmosphere.
Some bonus are the peacocks often spotted in here where they are save from being chased or touched by some unpleasant visitors.
Almost right next to it you are going to find the also Asian styled Pagoda with its 10 floors and impressive views in all directions. On the inside is some additional information on how these Pagodas are traditionally built. Even though you need to pay extra to get into here, the price is very cheap and it is the only opportunity to see the are from so high up around here.
The Palm as well as The Waterlily House are two impressive historic glasshouses that are already a piece of art themselves with their architectural features. When entering, however, even more beauty awaits with the numerous wonderful plants in there. Attached to the Palm House is a little artificial lake.
At the north end of Kew, there are some very modern glass houses as well as the Rock Gardens with several small paths leading through it and letting you discover every single square inch. Quite close to this you`ll find The Hive, which is actually built after a real bee hive. It is a modernistic metal construction that fits into the picture of the surrounding landscape.
Finally, when you are about to leave, you will need to go through a shop. Unlike some other museum or zoo souvenir shops, you can actually buy really beautiful plants, that you won`t easily get somewhere else. Additionally, some artisan products, plenty of different books, most of which are about different styles of gardening in different climatic regions, and of course the typical souvenir products.