One of the great scientific and horticultural institutions of the world,
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is one of the great scientific and horticultural institutions of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. Its 326 acres on the south bank of the Thames in west London house a living collection of over 50,000 plant species, a herbarium of over 8.5 million specimens, and some of the finest Victorian glasshouse architecture ever constructed. The Palm House, the Temperate House and the recently built Hive and Welcome Building are among the most remarkable garden structures in Britain.
For garden lovers, Kew operates on multiple levels simultaneously. It is a landscape of extraordinary beauty — the great vistas opened up by the original design, the long Pagoda Walk, the summer carpet of the Rhododendron Dell. It is also a serious research institution, deeply engaged with plant conservation at a global scale. And it is a working botanic garden, continuously refining and developing its collections in ways that reward repeated visits.
We include Kew at the end of most of our Chelsea week tours, providing a final day of unhurried exploration before guests depart. The contrast between the glamour of Chelsea and the contemplative spaciousness of Kew is one of the pleasures of the week — two entirely different expressions of the British relationship with plants.