Kew Gardens

Cindy,
We haven't gone to Kew Gardens by river cruise, but we always go within a day or two of our arrival in London as part of our "get out in the fresh air and sunshine" to help fight jet lag. Plenty to see, plenty of walks; a very enjoyable way to spend a day even if you aren't a gardener. We bought meat pies at The Original Maids of Honour in Kew and had a picnic on our last visit. I think it would be a wonderful balance to the museums. Wish I was going again soon!

Thank you, Leslie! Unfortunately, we are going straight from Heathrow to the Cotswolds this time around. But we will have 4 whole days in London after that. I don't know if we can devote a whole day to Kew, but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to do. The picnic sounds lovely!

We haven't done the cruise, either. But LOVE going to Kew Gardens. It is one place, with many lovely garden 'sections' and several greenhouses ( be sure to go into the 'newish'-compared to the older ones- Princess Diana Greenhouse- it is great- but then they all are). There is even a small aquarium. It is absolutely one fo my favorite places in London. And their shop is awesome! We've gotten some great gifts for others and for ourselves. And brought back some seeds for flowers that are sort of permanant souvenirs. It well worth at least 1/2 to 3/4 of a day and you may find it hard to leave- we do!!!

Is train travel to Kew an option? Have a couple of days left on BritRail pass.

i am not an avid gardener, but have been to kew a number of times and always enjoyed it. You can spend as much or as little time there are you want. We generally get there by Tube (train also works) and then a couple of times have returned to London by the river cruise. great way to end the day- you can relax after all that walking. (there is an exit gate that takes you right to the boat dock). Also a number of nice places in the village for lunch, tea or a snack

Don Yes you can catch the overground to Kew. Details of the line here http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/london-overground-network-a.pdf Alan

To be unambiguous there are two rail routes to Kew Gardens: the tube District Line from central London, or the London Overground which runs in a loop through the inner suburbs of north and west London (not aesthetic ones!). Being native to London I don't know which of these, if any, the Britrail pass is acceptable on. Be aware that either of these may be shut down on weekends for maintenance works.

Britrail pass not valid anywhere on London Underground including the District Line. Britrail pass is valid on London Overground although, with the exception of Kew, it doesn't go anywhere a tourist normally would go. Perhaps if in South Kensington joining it at West Brompton or Euston might work. Both would require a change at Willesden Junction. The slow train from Euston is Willesden Junction Low Level, the other lines are Willesden Junction High Level. That's not a change of trains I would look forward to. Then again Kew is in Zone 3. If you have a Zone 3-4 Travelcard or a Pay As You Go Oyster why not use them and just use the District Line? Much easier. Sounds like you may have bought too many days on the Britrail. Can't you go somewhere that would use it properly, like Dover Castle or Canterbury or Oxford or Cambridge or Brighton or ... ... ? BTW - I love Kew and go as often as possible. I just think its a waste of both time and pass to try to use up a day by going around the sun to get to the moon. The new Overground trains, while perfect at what they do, which is move large numbers of people short distances, are not trains in the traditional sense. There are no carriage ends within the train - it is straight through; and all the seats are long benches along the walls with mostly standing room. There are no rear or forward facing seats anywhere in the train.

We spent a wonderful afternoon at Kew last early autumn which happened to be during that crazy London heat wave. I would go back in a minute.

If you do go to Kew Gardens, take the opportunity to visit Kew Palace. Strong connections with the last King and Queen of America and their daughters. http://www.hrp.org.uk/KewPalace/Default.aspx

Thanks, everyone! Kew is now definitely on our itinerary.

Linda!! Gotta love the "past King and Queen of America and their daughters" reference - LOL :)

I have taken the river cruise up to Kew Gardens, and highly recommend it as a relaxing mode of transportation. We left from Westminster Pier. The boat we took was operated by Westminster Passenger Service. Here is their website with a map showing the location of Kew Pier. http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/detail/4064769-westminster-passenger-service-association#prod-map This is my preferred way to travel to Kew. Here is another map from Google Earth showing your landing site at Kew, and the overhead shot of Kew Gardens. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rlz=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Kew+Gardens&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Kew+Gardens&cid=0,0,15067769283994619307&ei=BYO9T67NFMKmgwfF0sW4Dw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CJsBEPwSMAA I hope this helps you orient yourself as to where you will be arriving, and all of the Gardens.

Hello. Yes Kew is worth visiting. You can also take a short tram tour around the park. We have done that three times. Then we walk around all over. There are places to eat also. When you get off the Tube, you walk about half a mile to the Kew Gardens entry gate. It is a quaint little village.