Kew is £2 a child online from 1 November; Richmond Park and Marble Hill are free. 12 days out near Richmond with winter prices and hours, checked 28 October.

For a day out with children near Richmond, most families start with Kew Gardens, where a child costs £2 booked online; Hampton Court Palace, whose ticket covers the Maze and the Magic Garden; the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes; and Richmond Park, which is free. Every entry was checked against the venue’s own website on 28 October 2026.

We have not visited these places for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry sets out what the venue publishes: prices, opening days, what there is for children and the house rules. Several places change their prices or opening days from 1 November, so the winter pattern is given where the venue lists it. October half term runs to Friday 30 October. Prices and hours change, so check before you set off.

Free days out

Richmond Park

London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve, says the Royal Parks, with herds of deer, the Isabella Plantation woodland garden and Pembroke Lodge, the Georgian mansion with tea rooms and views over the Thames Valley. Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours; vehicle gates open 7.30am to 4.30pm. The rebuilt Petersham Playground, inside Petersham Gate, is for children up to 12 and opens at 8.30am, with toilets and baby changing. The Royal Parks asks visitors to keep their distance from the deer and keep dogs on leads around them. The Isabella Plantation’s autumn loop is 1.4 miles, about 45 minutes. Richmond Gate is at the top of Richmond Hill, TW10. Pembroke Lodge: our directory listing.

Bushy Park

More than 1,000 acres on the Hampton side, which the Royal Parks traces back to Henry VIII’s deer park next door to Hampton Court, with Christopher Wren’s Diana Fountain as its best-known landmark. Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours; vehicle gates open 6.30am to 7pm. The playground near the Diana Fountain is for children up to 12, with a big sandpit, a climbing frame, a balance trail and a dry river, children’s toilets and a refreshment kiosk nearby. Parking is free at the Diana Fountain and the Pheasantry Cafe. Habitat works started in the NPL woodland on 14 October, and part of Upper Lodge Road car park is shut. Hampton Court Road, TW12. The Pheasantry: our directory listing.

Marble Hill, Twickenham

English Heritage’s Palladian villa and riverside park. The park is free, and the play area English Heritage opened in 2021 has a mini trampoline, a climbing area and a willow tunnel, with a dog-free fenced children’s area and an enclosed picnic area beside it. The house is free too and opens Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 10am to 5pm; you do not have to book, but a free online ticket guarantees entry. The Coach House Cafe opens daily, 8am to 4pm through November and 8am to 3.30pm from 1 December. The car park charges non-members. Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 2NL.

The borough’s free art gallery, on the riverside a short walk from Marble Hill. Its visit page gives opening hours of Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, last entry 4.45pm, and it is closed on Mondays apart from bank holidays. Entry is free and donations are welcome. Children must be with an adult in the gallery and the grounds. The Octagon Room is sometimes closed for private events, so the gallery asks you to check before going if that is what you want to see. There is limited free parking in the grounds off Orleans Road. Orleans Road, Twickenham, TW1 3BL.

Gardens, palaces and houses

Kew Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kew’s ticket page puts a child aged 4 to 15 at £2 online or £4 at the gate; under-4s go free. Adult prices drop on 1 November to £17 online or £20 at the gate, and residents of Richmond, Kingston, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Hounslow pay £15 online or £18 at the gate with proof of address. Adults pay £10 on Tuesdays until 29 December. The Gardens open daily, 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm. The Children’s Garden, for ages 2 to 12, is included and usually closes an hour before the Gardens. Christmas at Kew is a separate evening ticket, on selected dates from 13 November to 3 January, from £25.50. Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE. More: Christmas at Kew.

Hampton Court Palace

Henry VIII’s palace, run by Historic Royal Palaces. A ticket covers the palace, the gardens, the Maze and the Magic Garden play area. Until 27 November it costs £30 for an adult off-peak (weekdays) and £33 at peak (weekends and bank holidays), and £15 or £16.50 for children aged 5 to 15; under-5s go free with no ticket. The palace opens 10am to 4pm, last admission 3pm, and the Magic Garden 10am to 4.15pm, last admission 3.30pm. From 28 November to 3 January the Winter Palace runs, with adults at £33 or £36 and children at £16.50 or £18. You can book online or buy on the day. East Molesey, KT8 9AU, over the bridge from Hampton Court station. More: the palace at Christmas.

Ham House and Garden

A 17th-century house on the river at Ham, run by the National Trust. Its page prices entry at £18 for an adult, £9 for a child aged 5 to 17 and £45 for a family of two adults and up to three children, or £27 for one adult with up to three children (Gift Aid prices are 10% higher). Under-5s and National Trust members go free, and there is no pre-booking. On 28 October the garden was open 10am to 5pm and the house 11.30am to 3.30pm; the house runs weekday conservation tours from 2 to 24 November, 11.30am to 2.30pm. Dogs on short leads are welcome in the garden, shop and Orangery coffee shop. The Robin’s Tale Christmas trail runs from 28 November to 3 January. Ham Street, Ham, TW10 7RS. More: Ham House at Christmas.

Osterley Park and House, Isleworth

A country estate created in the late 18th century by Robert Adam, the National Trust says, with gardens, park and farmland. The National Trust lists two prices: on Mondays and Tuesdays, when the house is shut, the garden costs £10 for an adult, £5 for a child aged 5 to 17 and £25 for a family; from Wednesday to Sunday the house and garden cost £18, £9 and £45. Under-5s go free, and there is no pre-booking: collect a ticket from the Garden Kiosk beside the house. From November the park opens 9am to 4pm, the garden 10am to 4pm, the house 11am to 3pm and the Stables Cafe 10am to 4pm. Parking is £7 through the JustPark app. Jersey Road, Isleworth, TW7 4RB (sat nav TW7 4RD), a mile from Osterley Underground station.

Animals, engines and play

WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes

A wetland reserve on the river at Barnes, run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, with water birds and otters. Booked online a day ahead, entry costs £17.10 for an adult, £11.12 for a junior aged 3 to 17 and £48.11 for a family of four, or 10% more with Gift Aid; under-3s go free. It opens daily, 10am to 4.30pm, last admission 3.30pm. Its play areas include a zip line and bouncy lily pads in Explore, a mud kitchen, the indoor Discovery Centre and the Wild Walk of balance beams and bridges; the splash pad shuts for winter. Dogs are not allowed, apart from assistance dogs. Parking is free. Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes, SW13 9WT; the 378 bus stops outside.

London Museum of Water and Steam, Brentford

A museum of water supply and steam pumping engines beside Kew Bridge. Its visit page prices a day ticket at £12 for an adult and £4 for a child aged 5 to 16; under-5s go free, and a family ticket is £25 for two adults and two children or £13 for one adult and two children. It opens Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm; this half term it is open every day until 1 November, with a Halloween Train running until 31 October. The outdoor Splash Zone is closed until summer 2027. Building works on the Great Engine House limit the car park from 26 October, and the museum suggests public transport. Green Dragon Lane, Brentford, TW8 0EN, near Kew Bridge station.

Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow

A farm and adventure park with animals, outdoor play villages and the Great Barn, which it calls “West London’s biggest indoor playbarn”, with a gated soft play section for under-3s. General admission is £19 a person on the day or from £16.50 online, plus a £2.75 booking fee per order. Weekday toddler tickets for one adult and one child under 5 start at £13.50 on selected days. The park opens 10am to 6pm this half term, outdoor areas close at dusk, and it shuts on selected Tuesdays. Its pumpkin patch runs until 1 November. Parking costs £1 an hour or £3.50 for the day. Food hygiene rating 5. Staines Road, Hounslow, TW4 5DS.

Worth the drive

Chessington World of Adventures

The theme park, zoo and SEA LIFE centre south of Kingston, which now has a World of PAW Patrol area and says a Minecraft World opens in 2027. Its opening hours page says the main season runs from March to October, with events through the rest of the year; on 28 October it was open 10am to 7pm. Christmas at Chessington, with a Christmas Village and Father Christmas’s grotto, runs on selected dates from 21 November to 24 December, from £32 a person booked in advance. From 27 December to 3 January the park opens on selected dates from £20, without the Christmas Village. Seven rides, including Vampire, Tiger Rock and Croc Drop, are shut for maintenance over the festive period. Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE.

How we chose

These are the days out Richmond families search for. We chose them on the public record, not on taste. Each one had to publish its own prices, opening days and what there is for children, and each had to be open now. Places run by the Royal Parks, English Heritage, the National Trust and Historic Royal Palaces were checked on those bodies’ own pages, and Osterley’s prices and hours come from the National Trust’s published data. The Hobbledown hygiene rating is from the Food Standards Agency. Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham publishes no children’s activities on its visit page, so it is in our things to do in Richmond guide instead. Prices and hours are as published on 28 October 2026.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@richmondonline.co.uk.

For rainy days, see our guide to soft play near Richmond. For more, see Richmond playgrounds, walks near Richmond, Richmond cafes, things to do in Richmond and what’s on in Richmond this month, and the businesses in our Richmond business directory.

Frequently asked questions

What free days out are there near Richmond for children?

Richmond Park and Bushy Park are free and open to walkers 24 hours a day, and both have a playground for children up to 12. Marble Hill in Twickenham is free, with a play area in the park and free booked tickets for the house, Wednesday to Sunday. Orleans House Gallery is free, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.

How much is Kew Gardens for children?

A child aged 4 to 15 costs £2 booked online or £4 at the gate, and under-4s go free. From 1 November an adult ticket is £17 online or £20 at the gate, £15 or £18 for residents of Richmond and five neighbouring boroughs, and £10 on Tuesdays until 29 December.

Do under-5s go free?

At most of these places, yes. Under-5s are free at Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, Osterley and the London Museum of Water and Steam. Under-4s are free at Kew, and under-3s at the WWT London Wetland Centre. Chessington and Hobbledown Heath charge for small children.