Hampton Court and Kew Gardens
 

From previous posts I read that you can spend a day at each venue. However, if you want to cram both in on one day then their is bus R68 but the bus alone takes over an hour and the boat also takes up a lot of time eating away at valuable sight seeing time.

Someone mentioned taking a short cab ride between the two. Is that doable? What cab company do you call? Approximately how much would it be and how much time via cab? There will be four of us, so would we need to specify that we need a larger cab?

Should I just scratch the idea and plan on doing each on two separate days?

If I see Kew on a separate day, is there ample time after to see the V&A on the way back since it is also on the district line? When TFL says parital closure for the district line like they have been doing on most weekends, does that mean the train out to kew is not running or you have to go to an open station and only a few stations are closed?

Thanks in advance for the info.

>><i>There will be four of us, so would we need to specify that we need a larger cab?</i><<

Any cab will easily hold 4 people

>><i>Should I just scratch the idea and plan on doing each on two separate days?</i><<

In an ideal world, yes -- but they certainly can be done the same day if your time in London is limited. I would take the train to HCP first. Then after you are done -- decide if there is enough time for Kew - and if the weather is decent and you want to spend more time outside.

>><i>When TFL says parital closure for the district line like they have been doing on most weekends, does that mean the train out to kew is not running or you have to go to an open station and only a few stations are closed?</i><<

I haven't looked up where the closures are occurring - but when there is a partial closure, you board at open stations and then there is alternate bus service around the closed section(s). This can add significantly to your travel times.

Either HCP or Kew Gardens can be combined on the same day w/ a visit to the V&A or other London sites. You can do HCP until early/mid afternoon and take a train back to London to do something in the late afternoon. Same w/ Kew. If possible - I'd try to visit Kew on a weekday so you don't have to deal w/the tube issues.

Plus, if you go to Kew other than on a Sunday, you can have tea at the Maids of Honour tearoom across from the main entrance. It is delightful and supposed to have been in business since Henry VIII.

When we went to the train station and bought our tickets, the clerk advised taking the train to Hampton Court and the boat back with a stop at the Gardens. We did not get an especially early start, arrived at Hampton Court just before lunch time, had lunch, toured the castle, and got to the gardens an hour or so before closing, which was time enough for us.

We really enjoyed cruising back to London! It was a beautiful day and also on the boat was a group of teenaged French students who were delightful to observe.

The boat trip is great. However -- NOT on a rainy or cold day. And since the river is tidal, it can vary in duration by more than an hour

We saw HCP and Kew on separate days, but did have other things planned in conjunction with each. Surprisingly, though, they both ended up taking nearly the whole day and we didn't have time for anything else. As much as I like gardens, we enjoyed HCP more than Kew, but I think we were just tired on the Kew day, which required a lot of walking. If the weather holds and you can swing the timing, djkbooks' plan does sound like a great idea.