Clear, sourced answers to the questions visitors most often ask — tickets, opening times, the nearest railway station, who built and lived in the palace, whether it is National Trust, and whether it is haunted.
Tickets for Hampton Court Palace can be bought online in advance for the best prices. Same-day tickets are available at the gate, but booking ahead usually saves money and guarantees entry at your preferred time.
There are several ways to get tickets for Hampton Court Palace. The easiest and most cost-effective is to book online in advance through the official ticket retailer. Advance tickets usually cost less than same-day gate prices and guarantee you entry at your preferred time slot. Standard admission covers access to the State Apartments, the Tudor Kitchens, the Great Hall, the Chapel Royal, the world-famous Hedge Maze and the formal gardens. For the best deals on tickets for Hampton Court Palace, use the official booking banner at the top of the page. It links directly to the authorised ticket seller and always shows the latest prices and availability.
Hampton Court Palace is in East Molesey, Surrey, on the north bank of the River Thames about 12 miles south-west of central London. The postcode is KT8 9AU, and the nearest station — Hampton Court — is a 35-minute direct train from London Waterloo.
Hampton Court Palace sits beside the River Thames in East Molesey, in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames, on the Surrey side of the river. Although technically outside Greater London, it is firmly within the capital's commuter belt and is reached in just over half an hour from the centre of the city. Direct trains run from London Waterloo to Hampton Court station every thirty minutes; drivers should aim for postcode KT8 9AU and use the on-site car park. In summer, seasonal Thames boat services from Westminster, Richmond and Kingston offer the most scenic approach.
Hampton Court Palace was built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor under Henry VIII. He bought the estate in 1514 and turned a modest manor into England's grandest residence. When Wolsey fell from favour in 1529, he gave the palace to the King, who extended it dramatically over the next two decades.
Wolsey rose from humble origins as an Ipswich butcher's son to become the most influential man in England after the King. His palace had over 280 guest rooms, fresh piped water from springs three miles away, and a household of more than five hundred servants. When he failed to secure Henry VIII's annulment from Catherine of Aragon, he surrendered the palace to the King in 1528. Henry VIII spent the next eighteen years enlarging it — adding the Great Hall, the Chapel Royal ceiling, the Tudor Kitchens, the tiltyard and the real tennis court. A century and a half later, Sir Christopher Wren added the Baroque south and east ranges for William III and Mary II.
Construction of Hampton Court Palace began in 1514 under Cardinal Wolsey. Henry VIII expanded it heavily between 1529 and 1547, and Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt the south and east ranges in the Baroque style between 1689 and 1700 for William III and Mary II. The palace has been continuously occupied for more than 500 years.
By 1525 Wolsey's palace was substantially complete and considered the grandest private residence in England. Henry VIII expanded it continuously from 1529 to 1547, adding the Great Hall (completed 1535), the Royal Pew, the astronomical clock in Clock Court, the Haunted Gallery and the vast Tudor Kitchens. A second great phase of building took place between 1689 and 1700, when Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt the south and east wings in red brick and Portland stone for William III and Mary II — creating the elegant Fountain Court and the King's and Queen's Baroque State Apartments.
Hampton Court Palace has been home to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, King Henry VIII and all six of his wives, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, Charles II, William III and Mary II, Queen Anne, George I and George II. No reigning monarch has lived at the palace since 1737, but grace-and-favour residents lived in apartments there until the late twentieth century.
The roll-call of Tudor residents includes Henry VIII's six queens — Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour (who gave birth to Edward VI here in 1537 and died at the palace shortly afterwards), Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. Mary I spent her honeymoon here with Philip of Spain, and Elizabeth I used the palace for Christmas festivities. James I hosted the conference that produced the King James Bible here in 1604, Charles I assembled much of his Royal Collection in its galleries, and Charles II honeymooned at the palace in 1662. William III and Mary II made it their principal residence. The last reigning monarch to live at Hampton Court was George II, who left in 1737.
Yes, Hampton Court Palace is considered one of the most haunted royal palaces in England. Visitors and staff have reported sightings of Catherine Howard in the Haunted Gallery, Jane Seymour on the Silver Staircase, and the ghostly figure of an unknown man in a long brown coat.
The most famous ghost is that of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife, who was arrested at the palace in 1541 and later executed for treason. According to tradition, her spectre runs screaming along the Haunted Gallery, where she was seized while trying to reach Henry to plead for her life. Other reported apparitions include Jane Seymour, who has been seen on the Silver Staircase carrying a lighted taper, and the Skeletor photograph of 2003, when a ghostly figure in a long brown coat was caught on CCTV opening fire doors. The palace also runs occasional after-hours ghost tours and Halloween events.
Hampton Court Palace is owned by King Charles III in right of the Crown, as part of the Royal Collection's historic royal palaces. Day-to-day care, ticketing and conservation are managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that also looks after the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House.
The palace is held in trust for the nation rather than as personal property of the monarch. Since 1989 it has been managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent registered charity which receives no funding from the Crown or the Government and is financed entirely by admission charges, membership, retail, catering and donations. Historic Royal Palaces is responsible for conservation, public access, education and the day-to-day running of all six of its sites.
No, Hampton Court Palace is not National Trust. It is one of the historic royal palaces owned by the Crown and managed by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces. National Trust membership does not give you free entry, and the property is not listed on the National Trust website or covered by National Trust parking schemes.
If you plan to visit more than once, the best value is a Historic Royal Palaces membership, which gives unlimited free entry to Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House. For a single-visit ticket, use the official booking banner at the top of the page for the latest deals on tickets for Hampton Court Palace.
The easiest way to reach Hampton Court Palace from London is the direct train from Waterloo to Hampton Court (35 minutes). You can also drive (postcode KT8 9AU, paid car park on site), cycle along the Thames Path, or take a seasonal river boat from Westminster, Richmond or Kingston.
By car, set your sat nav for postcode KT8 9AU; the palace is signed from both the A3 and the M3, with a large pay-and-display car park on Hampton Court Way at £2.80 per hour. Cyclists can follow the Thames Path all the way from central London — about two and a half hours of riverside riding. London buses 111, 216, 411, R68 and 461 all stop within minutes of the entrance.
Take a direct South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to Hampton Court station — the journey takes about 35 minutes, with trains every 30 minutes. From Hampton Court station it is a five-minute walk across Hampton Court Bridge to the palace entrance. Trains run all day, seven days a week.
The service runs direct from London Waterloo, calling at Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Surbiton and Thames Ditton before reaching Hampton Court — the end of the line. The walk from the station is flat, well-signed and step-free, making it suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and visitors with luggage. Off-peak return tickets from Waterloo cost around £10.40 in 2026; an Oyster card or contactless debit card also works on this line. If you are travelling from further afield, change at Surbiton or Wimbledon to pick up the Hampton Court branch.
Hampton Court Palace's nearest railway station is Hampton Court station (KT8 9AU), the terminus of a branch line from London Waterloo. It is a flat, step-free five-minute walk across Hampton Court Bridge to the palace gates.
The nearest railway station to Hampton Court Palace is Hampton Court station, the terminus of a short branch line that runs from Surbiton on the South Western Railway main line. The station sits directly opposite the palace on the other side of the River Thames. From the station exit it is a flat, well-signed, step-free five-minute walk across the eighteenth-century Hampton Court Bridge to the palace's Main Gate. There are no closer rail alternatives: the next nearest stations are Surbiton (1.2 miles north) and Thames Ditton (0.9 miles east).
The nearest train station to Hampton Court is Hampton Court station, the end of the South Western Railway branch line from Surbiton. It is roughly five minutes' walk across the Grade II-listed Hampton Court Bridge to the palace entrance.
The nearest train station to Hampton Court is Hampton Court station, the end of the line on the South Western Railway branch from Surbiton. It is the only station within comfortable walking distance of the palace, lying roughly 350 metres from the entrance across Hampton Court Bridge. Trains run direct from London Waterloo every 30 minutes (journey time ~35 minutes). The walk from platform to palace gate is entirely step-free and takes about five minutes.
Hampton Court Palace is not for sale and has no formal market value, but heritage analysts have estimated its replacement cost at well over £1 billion. The palace covers six acres of buildings, 60 acres of formal gardens and houses works from the Royal Collection — assets considered priceless and held inalienably in trust for the nation.
The figure reflects the cost of recreating six acres of Tudor and Baroque buildings using traditional materials and craftsmanship, plus 60 acres of listed gardens including the world-famous Hedge Maze, the Privy Garden and the Great Vine (the oldest grape vine in the world). It also accounts for the works from the Royal Collection displayed in the State Apartments — paintings, tapestries and furniture by Mantegna, Verrio, Gibbons, Tijou and others. As a working visitor attraction, Hampton Court generates over £30 million a year for the charity Historic Royal Palaces, every penny of which is reinvested into conservation.