Christmas at Kew runs 13 November to 3 January but goes dark on four nights inside the run. Adult tickets are £29.50 off peak, £37 peak, and parking must be booked.

Christmas at Kew 2026 runs from Friday 13 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, and tickets are already on sale. The detail almost every listing misses is that it does not run every night inside that window.

The trail is closed on four dates: Monday 16 November, Monday 23 November, Saturday 28 November and Christmas Day. Those come straight from Kew’s own everything you need to know page, and 28 November in particular catches people out because it is a Saturday in the middle of the run.

Times, and the gate you book

Entry is by timed slot. Slots run from 4.20pm to 7.40pm, and the last entry time depends on which gate you booked, not on the time you turn up.

Gate Last entry Last entry, 24 Dec
Brentford Gate, TW9 3AF 7pm 6pm
Elizabeth Gate, TW9 3AE 7.20pm 6.20pm
Victoria Gate, TW9 3JR 8pm 7pm

The Gardens close at 10pm, apart from Christmas Eve when they close at 9pm.

Pick the gate to suit your journey, not at random. Kew says Victoria Gate on Kew Road is the main entrance and the best one for tube and bus, Elizabeth Gate is the one for National Rail from Kew Bridge, and Brentford Gate is only for people who have pre-paid for parking in the Ferry Lane car park.

The trail is 3km this year and Kew says it can take over two hours to walk.

What it costs

All prices include a £1 booking fee. Off-peak dates are 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 30 November and 1 and 2 December; everything else is peak.

Ticket Off peak Peak
Adult £29.50 £37
Kew member adult £25.23 £31.60
Child, 4 to 15 £20 £24
Child under 4 Free Free
Family, 2 adults and 2 children £89 £108
Anytime adult £61 £61
Anytime child £41 £41

Members get the 15% discount by entering the membership number during the normal booking journey. Every guest needs their own ticket, including under-fours. Companion tickets are free with a valid adult or family ticket, arranged through Fever’s customer support.

A Christmas at Kew ticket does not include daytime entry to the Gardens, and a daytime ticket does not get you onto the trail. If you want both on the same day you can add a daytime upgrade for £12 an adult and £5 a child when booking, but you then have to be out of the Gardens by 3.15pm and re-enter at your slot.

New for 2026: adult-only evenings on 3 and 9 December. Quiet Access sessions for visitors with hidden disabilities run on 21 November and 1, 16 and 26 December.

Getting there

Kew asks people to travel by public transport, and the practical reason is that there is almost nowhere to leave a car. Parking is prohibited along the whole length of Kew Road because of the cycle lanes in both directions.

  • Tube and Overground: Kew Gardens station is 500m from Victoria Gate, Zone 3, on the District line Richmond branch and the Overground. There is no level access from the westbound platform; the workaround is to go one stop on to Richmond and come back to the eastbound side, which does have it. Kew warns of possible planned track closures on various dates through the run, so check TfL before travelling.
  • National Rail: Kew Bridge station is 800m from Elizabeth Gate via Kew Bridge, on South Western Railway from Waterloo via Vauxhall and Clapham Junction. No level access.
  • From Richmond station, which does have lifts and level access, it is a 25-minute walk to Victoria Gate.
  • Buses: the 65 stops close to Elizabeth Gate and links Richmond and Ealing Broadway. The 110 stops near Kew Gardens station and Elizabeth Gate. The 237 and 267 stop at Kew Bridge station.
  • Bikes are not allowed inside, but there are racks at all three gates, inside the gates behind the booths at Elizabeth and Victoria.

If you must drive

Both car parks are pre-book only, added at the same time as your tickets.

  • Kew’s Ferry Lane car park, TW9 3AF, £15, entry via Brentford Gate. It closes promptly at 10pm. A daytime parking ticket only runs to 3pm, so an evening visit needs its own.
  • The National Archives car park, TW9 4FA, £13.50, bookable with Elizabeth or Victoria Gate tickets. Access opens 40 minutes before your slot and it is roughly a 15-minute walk to either gate.

Blue Badge holders park free in Kew’s own car park, but still have to book tickets with reserved parking and select the disabled access option.

For everything outside the Gardens, our parking in Richmond page has the borough car parks and their tariffs, and roadworks and travel covers closures on the approach roads.

Worth knowing before you book

  • Advance booking is essential and Kew does not offer exchanges or refunds once tickets are bought, including for the wrong gate or slot.
  • If bad weather forces a cancellation the decision is taken by 2pm that day and you are offered an alternative date. No refund is given simply because the weather is poor.
  • Catering on the trail is cashless.
  • Third-party experience vouchers are not accepted; they are valid for daytime entry only.
  • The £1 ticket scheme for Universal Credit and Pension Credit holders applies to daytime entry, not to Christmas at Kew.

Sources