Timing for one of our London Days

You can see Westminster at any time, as it’s a big area of London. I’m pretty sure you mean Westminster Abbey, but it does need its full name to distinguish from the city of Westminster, the Palace of Westminster and also Westminster Cathedral, which is very different.

Hampton Court Palace (again, don’t just call it Hampton as there are many bits of London with that name) is really easy to do yourself - train from London Waterloo, then a short walk across the road from Hampton Court station. Really lovely place to wander and there are often costumed guides. But it’s a big site - I feel like it’s three-quarters of a day to do it justice.

Yes, Hampton Court Palace is easy to get to and you can get an audio guide. We spent 4-5 hours at the Palace, plus train there and back. Fitting it and Westminster Abbey into the same day may be challenging.

On the Thursday the abbey is open to 3.30 pm (then said Evening Prayer at 4pm and the Eucharist and Liturgy of Maundy Thursday at 5pm , and on the Saturday from 9am to 3pm.
Evening Prayer is said at 5pm then the Vigil at 8pm.

The train from Waterloo to Hampton Court takes 36 minutes and runs every 30 minutes so the 1724 arrives at Waterloo at 1801 (sensibly the last time you can be back).

Trains leave Waterloo at 06 and 36 minutes past the hour. You might make the 1206 train, arriving at 1242. It is a Sunday train service due to the Public Holiday. So I would schedule the tour for 1 .30pm. I don't know what that tour is, but it is staggeringly expensive compared to the normal admission price. They will also have a Tulip Festival on and a Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt.

I hope you get value for money for your tour investment - that is a very impressive price.

The website for Hampton Court Palace has loads of excellent information about all sections of the Palace, its history and what there is to see. There is good signage all around the Palace, and comprehensive maps on the website. Then there is the excellent audio guide.

As a long time member I do find things I didn't see before, but most things of interest are well described. You only have half a day so there is a limit to how much you can see in that time - it is a big place.

You may want to study the gardens and wilderness part of the website to decide if you want to see any and which of the gardens which surround the Palace. At about the time you are visiting, last year many beds in the Kitchen Garden had tulips of many sorts, and there was also a display on the walk adjacent to the Rose Garden. An excellent display, well labelled.

All the sections of the Palace have what Americans call docents in them ready and willing to answer questions. All of these things are included in the normal Palace admission.

What do you get for £330 for your guide? Is that for the Hampton Court Palace only or combined with something else?

On the official website are private guided tours. 1.5 hours is £147, 2.5 hours is £190 and 3.5 hours is £260 (so @330).
I thought that requesting a tour would hopefully make better use of our limited time. Has anyone used their guided tours?

Take the train, do a short walk across the river and turn right. Get the audio guide. The suggested visit is 3 hours, and that seems about right. You don't need an expensive private tour guide, unless you really need an in-depth treatise of Henry VIII and his wives from the guide.
When I was there, They had actors dressed in period costume in some rooms who welcome you and did their bit.
In one room, the actor said he was Anyy Boleyn's father and was proud that the kings interest in his daughter was chaste.
I laughed out loud. He gave me the dirtiest look like a father would and said "Why, what do you know?"
Because my kids were with us, I said "She's going to lose "Both" her heads, (i.e maidenhead and head) if she isn't careful. Everyone in the room laughed. Kids didn't get it and I quickly moved on.

One of the reasons we loved Hampton Court is that it was crawling with costumed interpreters when we were there. Assuming this is a regular thing, you don't need a tour guide to enjoy it. We loved wandering through and seeing little slices of Tudor life. (We actually spent the night in Kingston upon Thames on our way to the Cotswolds, so I'm not sure of the transport options.) Also, we managed to get into an Evensong service at the Abbey years ago, so you might consider if a service fits into your schedule, as it increases the options. No tours, but lovely to witness the Abbey being used for its intended purpose. We are not Anglican, but if you are respectful, no one cares.

That Friday will really be packed, and I'm not sure when you will have time for lunch or pre theatre dinner. With the Changing of the Guard ending around 11:30, and needing to get to Waterloo for the train, you likely wouldnt start your Hampton Court visit much before 1:00. Of course if you have unlimited funds, then take a private tour if that is what you want to do. We found the combination of the excellent audio guide and the numerous docents gave us all the insight we needed into what we were seeing. We spent over 6 hours, with only an hour of that in the gardens due to inclement weather. However I admit that we dawdled quite a bit, and did have lunch while there. But you won't have that much time. The train back to Waterloo will take at least half an hour, and it will likely take at least that long to get to the theatre from the train station. I would think you would want to catch the 5:30 train back if you want to grab a quick bite before the theatre.

I'm genuinely baffled by these tours- I can't find them at all on https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace

I can see similarly priced ones on Viator (for a group of up to 15 people) run by a guide called Siobhan Clarke - https://www.thehistoryguides.com/guides/

That sounds a reasonable price if you need a guide and have a large group. Whether you really need such a guide will always be a matter of debate.

https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/guided-tours/#gs.k4u4s2

The Changing of the Guard is not "all that" and is a touristy thing....best to skip it unless it's something you really have your heart set on. If you skip this, you could take the train out to HCP much earlier in the day.

You do not have to have a tour for Hampton Court Palace, as others have said.
The tour page you just gave the link to seems to have specialized tours, geared by subject. If that's what you want, go for it.
However, you will get a pretty good look at things just walking through on your own.

As a substitute for the expensive tour, I would recommend buying this book from their website:
https://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/books/official-hamptoncourt-palace-guidebook-1.html
If you order it right away, it will arrive soon, and
you can read up and study HCP and its history before your trip, thus acting as your own tour guide. The savings would be substantial.
Official Hampton Court Palace Guidebook--£4.99
(Or buy one on Ebay from a USA seller so perhaps mailing cost is less.)

Yes, Hampton Court Palace is easy to get to and you can get an audio guide.

(From Allan, in the 2nd post on this thread.)
This audio guide should get you through.....also a good option.

Thank for everyone’s input, it is appreciated