Their website shows the audio tours below. Obviously that's way too much for one day. Knowing little about the complex, I'm not sure how to choose. I'd appreciate any recommendations for inclusions or exclusions. Thanks!
Full Tours:
Introduction Tours:
It’s been a really long time since we visited but we especially loved the kitchen tour! A lot of fascinating information, some of it quite funny.
And if you have limited time you may want to only focus on Henry VIII
I visited Hampton Court in June. I tend to prefer seeing museums/palaces in quiet with no audio tour. I can't remember if I even used the audio tour at Hampton Court. But, that's great that you want to do audio tours. I recommend is that you prioritize what most interests you at Hampton Court and start there. You can research via the Hampton Court website or guidebooks. My favorites were Henry VIII apartments, Chapel Royal, and the extensive gardens.
Thanks for the suggestions.
prioritize what most interests you at Hampton Court and start there. You can research via the Hampton Court website or guidebooks.
Exactly what I'd like to do. However as departure time nears -- one week -- and much remains to be done, I'm looking for a shortcut here and there. This seems like a good place to start.
You don't have to pick between the audio tours in advance, They are all available on the audio device when you enter. My advice is to do them all. You certainly can if you have 3 hours there at Hampton Court. I know we did them all.
As far as order, we took our cues from the crowds which included a large number of school children on field trips. If we saw a large group going into the entrance for one group of apartments, we choose a different group of apartments for our next tour. They are all close and it is easy to just go from one to another. We managed to see everything an avoid too crowded of situtations.
I was there last April and the audio tour is one device with all those tours on it. Some are short and some have options where you can learn more. You can skip around to the different spots based on your interests, other people, etc. I recommend using the audio tour, it really added a lot to my understanding of the castle and the history. I was there about 4 hours or so, which included lunch. One of my favorite places in London!
However as departure time nears -- one week -- and much remains to be done, I'm looking for a shortcut here and there.
If you are pressed for time...I would absolutely do these 3:
Chapel Royal Audio Tour
Henry VIII's State Apartments Audio Tour
Henry VIII's Kitchens Audio Tour
To me, the "big story" of Hampton Court is that of it being built by Cardinal Wolsey and being taken over by King Henry VIII, who made it one of his favorite residences.
The rest, I have minimal to no interest in, myself.
Don't forget to do a walk around of the gardens and exterior of the buildings.
Grab lunch or a coffee at The Tiltyard Cafe to refresh and recharge.
To prepare for your trip, you might watch on TV some episodes of Wolf Hall, the PBS series, the episodes which deal with King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey. If you have PBS Passport, you can watch any time.
It will give you a quick, concise education as to what went on as far as the transfer of Hampton Court from Wolsey's hands into Henry's.
Wolf Hall is an excellent series to watch in the evenings before you leave for your trip.
There are not many episodes, but they will give you the story of that time period.
We were just at Hampton Court Palace in June. We did all of the audio tours on the device - we were there for about 4 hours. If you are prioritizing, it depends on your interest. I definitely recommend Chapel Royal. I really liked the William III and Georgian Story tours because I learned a lot. Henry VII stuff was nice, but I didn't enjoy as much as other stuff.
Thanks for all the information. We're planning for a whole day at Hampton, including transportation (about 1.5hr each way from our hotel near Regents Park). Based on the replies here we should be able to do all the tours.
My impression from the number of tours and size of the grounds was that we'd have to focus on maybe half of them, so it's reassuring to know we can do them all if we want.
To prepare for your trip, you might watch on TV some episodes of Wolf Hall, the PBS series, the episodes which deal with King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey. If you have PBS Passport, you can watch any time.
We do have PBS Passport, and the first 3 episodes are available now. Thanks for the suggestion; we'll watch them this week.
IMDB shows 6 episodes total but I can't find the second 3 if in fact there are 6.
The first three episodes of Wolf Hall will give you the story of Wolsey and Henry.
You can order the full DVD set from Amazon and have it possibly a day later.
There are six episodes only. This was Season One on Masterpiece. Rumors are there will be Season Two filmed later this year, with the rest of the story of Henry and Thomas Cromwell.
Yes, definitely do all the audio tours if you're going to be at Hampton Court all day!
Do you need to book your tour in advance or just show up?
