Historic site · Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London
| Monday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Kensington Palace is a royal residence on the western edge of Kensington Gardens, half of it open as a historic house and half of it still lived in. Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that cares for the building, describes it as a modest suburban villa called Nottingham House until William III and Mary II bought it in 1689 as a retreat from the smoke and damp of Whitehall.
Checked 2026-10-01 · Source
The paid route at Kensington Palace runs through the King's State Apartments, the rooms William Kent adorned for George I and which Historic Royal Palaces says retain the refined eighteenth-century appearance he gave them. Kent's most lasting work here is the King's Staircase, painted with life-size figures from George I's court: Peter 'the Wild Boy' from Hanover, the Ottoman gentleman Mehmet von Königstreu with his wife Marie and his compatriot Mustapha, and Queen Anne's favourite physician Dr John Arbuthnot. The Cupola Room is where the infant Alexandrina Victoria was baptised.
Checked 2026-10-01 · Source
Historic Royal Palaces answers this itself: asked how long to allow, the palace's own FAQ page says visitors may stay as long as they like within opening hours and recommends around two to three hours to complete a visit. The duration recorded for Kensington Palace on this site is 120 minutes, the lower end of that operator range, because the Queen's State Apartments are out of the route until spring 2027 and the paid rooms are correspondingly fewer.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Open on a seasonal calendar, commonly 10:00-18:00 in summer with shorter winter hours and selected closed days.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Standard adult admission is around GBP 24.70 under the selected-date Historic Royal Palaces tariff.
Checked 2026-10-01 · Source
High Street Kensington and Queensway Underground stations are about ten minutes away through Kensington Gardens.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Step-free entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and wheelchairs serve many state rooms, but some historic spaces and temporary routes remain limited. Historic surfaces, crowds and security remain relevant.
Checked 2026-10-01 · Source
Historic Royal Palaces permits non-commercial photography inside Kensington Palace in most cases, provided no flash is used. Some objects or images are excluded and this is clearly signposted; where it is unclear, the instruction is to ask a member of staff. Filming and panoramic photography are allowed, but tripods and selfie sticks are prohibited outright, so a low-light interior shot has to be taken hand-held. Visitors are asked not to film staff without permission and specifically not while they are delivering talks.
Checked 2026-10-01 · Source
Open on a seasonal calendar, commonly 10:00-18:00 in summer with shorter winter hours and selected closed days.
Standard adult admission is around GBP 24.70 under the selected-date Historic Royal Palaces tariff.
Step-free entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and wheelchairs serve many state rooms, but some historic spaces and temporary routes remain limited.
High Street Kensington and Queensway Underground stations are about ten minutes away through Kensington Gardens.
Yes. Events, ceremonies, maintenance and security can alter the ordinary route or timetable.
No. Special tours, exhibitions and upgrades use separate tickets when offered.
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Last updated:
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
