Kensington Palace

Located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, Kensington Palace has been since the 17th century, a residence of the British royal family.

TravelCurious Tip

The Palace fell into disrepair in the 19th century, and was on the verge of demolition before Queen Victoria persuaded Parliament to pay for its restoration: this was the start of the Palace’s role as both royal home and public museum. Be sure to see the Victoria Revealed exhibition, which gives a fascinating insight into her life.

A majestic home

Kensington Palace has been one of the main residences of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. This extravagant palace is the official home of Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Prince Harry and other close relations of Queen Elizabeth II.

While the private living quarters and offices are off limits to the public, the luxurious State Rooms are open to visitors, displaying magnificent chambers along with some fascinating royal memorabilia. Visitors can explore the beautiful Queen’s State Apartments which were designed for Queen Mary II, who ruled jointly with her husband William of Orange in the 1600s. These rooms have their own staircase and include the lavish Bedroom, Gallery, Closet and Dining Room of the Queen.

A regal museum

The King’s Apartments are also open and here you will find the more grand entertainment and reception rooms. The Privy Chamber is decorated with a gorgeous 1723 wall painting by William Kent and displays some splendid tapestries. Among the other rooms on the show are the sumptuously regal Cupola Room, the Presence Chamber, the King’s Drawing Room, and the King’s Gallery which is the largest room in the Palace. Within these rooms are many priceless works of art, including sculpture, tapestries and paintings.

William Kent also lent his artistic skill to the grandiose King’s Staircase which leads to the apartments, painting scenes of court life all over the walls. In the Palace, Gardens visitors are treated to such visual delights as the stunning Sunken Garden, a classically inspired space decorated with a large pond and flowerbeds, and the arched Cradle Walk that surrounds it, in addition to the enormous Formal Gardens with a boating lake and orangery. A trip to Kensington Palace has loads to offer anyone interested in history, art or royalty and is a great day out for all ages.

Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in London
Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall plays host to some of the greatest symphonies, ballets, award shows, and concerts in the city.
Hyde Park London
The largest of the royal parks, it is home to Kensington Palace and sprawls over 350 acres.
Albert Memorial
The Albert Memorial is a monument in Kensington Gardens that commemorates Prince Albert's death in 1861, Queen Victoria's husband.
Diana's statue in the Sunken Garden
The statue of Princess Diana, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, shows the Princess of Wales and children by her side. The statue was commissioned by Prince William and Prince Harry.
Natural History Museum of London
With some 80 million objects covering five collections, the Natural History Museum is a must-see attraction in Kensington.
Kensington
Kensington is a central neighborhood known for its white-pillared houses, gardens, palace, and fancy residents.

Related Tours

The Victoria & Albert Museum and Kensington: Private Half-Day Tour

Explore the Victoria and Albert Museum, famous for its resplendent architecture both inside and out, as well as its amazing collection of sculpture, jewellery, costume, art and design from many eras and cultures, followed by a walking tour through the elegant and discreet streets of West London, home of billionaire emigres, financiers, the aristocracy and British royalty.

On your private tour, you will:

  • Explore one of England’s most famous museums, the Victoria and Albert (known locally as the V&A) and the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design which houses a collection of over 4.5 million objects;
  • Admire the museum’s magnificent architecture, before stepping inside and wandering around its maze of galleries and exhibitions;
  • Admire famous works from the Italian Renaissance, including the great maestros such as Raphael, Michelangelo and the king of Baroque, Bernini;
  • Pause for a well-deserved break of tea and scones in the Victoria and Albert’s Museum café;
  • Stroll through Knightsbridge and Kensington – two of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, where you’ll see Harrods, and the Albert Memorial, and hear some of the inside stories about those who live here;
  • Learn all about the long reign and passionate marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert until his tragic early death;
  • Enter Hyde Park and enjoy an orientation of this 350-acre park, followed by a visit to the pristine gardens of Kensington Palace;
  • Walk along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk and see the new bronze statue of the late princess in the sunken garden; 
  • End your tour outside the Palace gift shop in Hyde Park

Your tour begins at the entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is over 52,000 square metres in size and contains a whopping 145 galleries that span a colossal 5,000 years of applied arts.

The impressive museum displays artefacts, furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics, costumes, prints, ironwork, photos, and much more besides. In total, it houses over 4.5 million objects.

You will see the awe-inspiring hall with plaster casts from Renaissance Italy - including Michelangelo's David, the famous Raphael cartoons and statues by Bernini as well as more modern fashions and jewellery collections by Alexander McQueen.

After touring the Victoria and Albert Museum, your guide will show you the surrounding neighbourhood of Kensington as you walk towards London’s Hyde Park.

Once renowned for its wild criminality, Kensington is now a playground for the rich, and synonymous with luxury brands such as Harrods. But unknown to many, it is a royal love story that truly underpins the history of this area - the relationship between Queen Victoria and her Consort, Prince Albert.

Learn of the life and times of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert: the world in which they lived, and the enormous influence they had on wider society and indeed throughout Europe. Albert was a great innovator, fascinated by science, and it is thanks to him we have the world-renowned museums of the famous Exhibition Row: they were his brainchild for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. The area became known at the time as ‘Albertopolis.’

On entering Hyde Park, you’ll see Kensington Palace – home to the new Prince and Princess of Wales - William and Kate, and other members of the Royal family, and former home to Diana, Princess of Wales. You’ll walk along the Diana Memorial Walk and see the new bronze statue of the late princess in the sunken garden. At the end of the tour, your guide will orient you about the park so you won’t get lost in its 350 acres! And show you to the Kensington Palace gift shop. 

"Darkest Hour" Filming Locations in London: Private Half-Day Tour
"Darkest Hour" is a 2017 British war drama film with Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in the early days of World War II when he became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom leading the country through "its darkest hour". The movie received 6 nominations for Academy Awards and an Oscar for Best Leading Actor, and on this tour, your driver-guide will take you to movie spots that will repeat the experience offscreen. 

On this half-day tour,  you will:

  • Travel back to 1940 in one of our traditional London Black Cab time machines, which doubled up as fire engines in WWII, when the wartime leader was under pressure to make peace with Hitler as his armies advanced across Europe;
  • Storm through the violence of ‘The Blitz’ with your private guide;
  • Feel the jitters as you visualise Nazi Germany threatening Western Europe and Great Britain’s very existence; 
  • See the Houses of Parliament, an iconic building where Churchill gave his famous speeches;
  • Discover Buckingham Palace, the residence of the British monarch is also featured in the film;
  • Pass by St. Paul's Cathedral, which plays a significant role in the film, as it was where Churchill attended a service to rally the British people during the war;
  • End your tour at the Cabinet War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum or Warship HMS Belfast. (Tickets not included)

Step into an iconic London black cab and immerse yourself in the history of the capital with a half-day tour of "Darkest Hour" filming locations. With an expert driver-guide at the wheel, you will visit some of the most iconic sites of the movie, from the Houses of Parliament to the Cabinet War Rooms. 

Pass by the places where Churchill stood and spoke to the people of Britain during the country's darkest hour and get a feel for the resilience and determination that helped shape the course of history. 

With a knowledgeable guide to provide historical context and entertaining anecdotes, this tour is a must-do for history buffs and movie lovers alike. 

Sit back and relax as you travel back in time in one of London's most iconic vehicles, taking in the sights and sounds of the city that Churchill called home during this pivotal moment in history.

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