England is world-renowned for its monarchy and the massive range of amazing royal sites that comes with it. After celebrating the Queen’s unofficial birthday this weekend, what better way to start the week than taking a look at the best places to visit if you want to bring out your inner prince or princess.
Buckingham Palace
You can’t get much more royal than the Queen’s official residence. This has been the home of British sovereignty since 1837. Much of the palace is closed for the Queen’s official business but you can take a peek at the State Rooms during the last week of July/first week of August and the month of September. But just looking at the magnificent building from the outside is enough for most visitors.
With 775 rooms, you’d think the Queen could spare one for your family for the night, but as that’s unlikely to happen, you can grab an affordable room at one of our Central London hotels. A stay in Covent Garden puts you right in the thick of it with loads of shops, restaurants, museums and art galleries within easy reach.
Hampton Court
This is a hugely popular day trip for anyone coming to London. You get much greater access to Henry VIII’s favourite palace than you do to most royal residencies. There’s a huge list of palace highlights to keep any family entertained:
- Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber
- Royal tennis courts
- Henry’s Crown
- Henry VIII’s kitchens
- Privy Garden
- The Chapel Royal
- The Great Vine
- And the great favourite for kids – Hampton Court Maze
Our London Kingston Upon Thames Hotel is just over two miles from the palace. A stay here means you’re also perfectly placed to explore Kew Gardens and the royal Richmond Park.
The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew are home to a staggering range of plants from all corners of the globe. The 300-acre area is packed full of amazing sights during spring. The bright, vibrant colours are enough to lift anyone’s mood! Make sure to do a search for ticket deals before you visit as you can often find 2-for-1 offers online.
Richmond Park is enormous. A visit here makes you feel like you’ve headed out to the countryside. The little ones are sure to love looking at some of the 600+ Red and Fallow deer that have roamed freely in the park for over 400 years. Picnics are also really popular and there are great routes for cycling right across the park if you fancied a family bike ride.
Sandringham House
The royal family stay at Sandringham House – which is privately owned by the Queen – between Christmas and February. The stunning house sits in over 600 acres of ground, which is part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A stay at our Kings Lynn Long Sutton Hotel lets you discover the delights of the royal Sandringham estate and enjoy a trip to the nearby Butterfly & Falconry Park. Here you can see over 500 exotic butterflies alongside hawks, vultures and owls.
