London Tea
 

Can you have tea at the Organgery and walk around the garden at Kensington Palace without paying an admission price for the palace tour? We were planning on going to Hampton Court and Windsor and thought Kensington was not really a &quot;must see.&quot; Thoughts or recommendations? <BR>

Yes to the Orangery... and a limited yes to the gardens.. you can walk along the outsides of the sunken garden.

You don't need to pay the admission fee to Kensingon Palace in order to eat at the Orangery or to walk around the gardens. I had lunch at the Orangery after visiting Kensington Palace last summer, but the only thing I needed a ticket for was to get into the Palace itself. The person who seated me at the Orangery didn't ask for any proof that I had already paid to get into the Palace.

Hi Ron-<BR>We are scheduled to go to London Feb. 2003. My aunt expressed a desire to go to tea, so I have been doing some research on the various places to go, what not to miss, etc. If you do a search on this site you will see numerous posts about tea time. I do recall seeing a post that raised caution about tea at the Organgery. I'm sorry I cannot bring up the exact post, but I do remember someone saying their sandwiches were stale and not worth the money. I have found www.gofortea.com to be a valuable resource. Also, www.hrp.org.uk is the website for the Historic Royal Palaces in England. Its a very good site. You will get a much better idea if some of the places on your lists really are 'must see'. Hope this helps!

RE: Erin<BR><BR>Thanks for the info on the two websites -I checked out both of them.

Ron a quick comment on Hampton Court. Not sure what you have planned, but if possible, do not take an organized tour from London. Instead take the train from Waterloo Station to Hampton Court (the station is just about in front of the castle) and then either rent an audio guide tour or join a tour there with plenty of time for exploring on your own. Hampton Court is HUGE and there is much to see - we spent an entire day there. Have a wonderful time.

RE: Rose<BR><BR>Thanks for the tip on Hampton Court. It's closer than I thought. Think we'll also try getting to Windsor on our own via public transportation.

Yes, you can easily get to Windsor on your own, via the train. The station is just at the bottom of the hill from the castle.

Ron,<BR>We were in London in March 2002. On the day of our arrival we walked to Kensington Palace and ate lunch at the Orangery. I can definitely say that the food we ate was very fresh and good. Now I've only eaten there once and I can't speak for all menu items. I'm sure the cakes that were sitting at the entrance weren't very fresh because they were not covered. You can eat or have tea at the Orangery without having admission to the Palace. Kensington Gardens is gated but you can look &amp; take photos if you wish. We toured Kensington Palace, it was nice but I believe Hampton Court and Windsor Castle are better &quot;must sees&quot;.

RE: Jane<BR><BR>Thanks for the info. I think we will give it a try. We plan to skip the palace tour and go to Hampton Court and Windsor. Also heard John Soane's House and the Apsley House are worth a look.