LIFESTYLE PIECES

LIFESTYLE | BEAUTY | TRAVEL | FOOD

Is Christmas at Kew Worth It? Your Comprehensive Guide to the Seasonal Event

This year, I had the fortunate opportunity to experience the enchanting Christmas light trail at Kew Gardens. I have been meaning to visit for quite some but wasn’t able to secure tickets in the past as they sell out rapidly but this year, I made sure to check well in advance. Stepping into this magical journey through the festive wonder of ‘Christmas at Kew’ I wondered if it’s truly worth it? This comprehensive guide dives into the enchanting lights, joyful activities, and everything you need to know to answer the question: Is Christmas at Kew worth it?

Top Tips

  • Make sure you book well in advance to ensure you get the tickets that suit your availability the most. The event starts around mid-November and lasts all the way until early January so make sure you keep an eye out on the ticket release dates.  
  • Decide how you’re planning to travel to the park before booking the tickets. There are 3 different entrances to the park which you will need to confirm as tickets are specific to the gates.  
  • The walk is 3km long in the freezing cold so definitely layer up as it’s entirely outdoors. Make sure you wear hats, gloves and socks for a cosier and more comfortable experience. 

Entry Gates

Entry to the park is facilitated through 3 different gates, and here’s a breakdown: 

Victoria Gate: Serving as the main entrance, Victoria Gate is the most accessible via public transportation. Tickets for this entrance are in high demand and tend to sell out rapidly because of its convenience so do make sure to keep an eye out on ticket release dates well in advance.  

Directions:

  • Tube: Kew Gardens station is the closest to Victoria Gate with a 6 minute walk. It’s in zone 3 and is served by the District Line (Richmond Branch) and London Overground. 

Elizabeth Gate: This entrance is convenient for those traveling through National Rail – South West Trains. Yet, if your travel plan involves the Underground Tube, this gate is still reasonably close, with only a 15-20 minute walking distance from the station. We opted for this gate since all the tickets for Victoria Gate were already sold out. 

Directions: 

  • Train: Kew Bridge Station is around a 10-15 minutes walk to Elizabeth Gate.
  • Tube: Kew Gardens station is the closest tube station to Elizabeth Gate with a 15-20 minute walk. It’s in zone 3 and is served by the District Line (Richmond Branch) and London Overground. 

Brentford Gate:

This ticket is only bookable for those who have reserved parking at Kew’s Ferry Lane car park. The cost of the parking here is £10 and must be added when booking your tickets.  

The Trail

On their FAQs page, they mention that the trail itself should take around 2 hours to complete which is quite a realistic timeframe given the number of installations they had in place. The trail was easy to navigate, with Kew staff members all around the park to ensure a smooth experience and clear signs guiding the way. It’s a single route adorned with twinkling lights, creating a mesmerising path that showcases the enchanting installations. 

While the idea of a 2-3 hour walk in a dark, cold park may seem a bit daunting, the evening turned out to be captivating and awe-inspiring. The light installations and projections beautifully accentuated the beauty of nature in winter. 

The trail showcased multiple installations, ranging from the radiant beauty of illuminated flowers, ‘floating’ candles and flickering lights all around the park to the mesmerising light displays on the lake. The most popular installation was understandably the highly anticipated arched tunnel of light with its beautiful fairy lights. Whilst the iconic arched tunnel of light lived up to the hype, my personal favourite was the fire garden which displayed over 200 candles on the grass in front of the magnificent Temperate House.  

Food

There were various food stalls all around the park which you will cross during the trail allowing you indulge in all sorts of cuisines. Not only did they have food options such as waffles, fries, burgers and pies, they also had other diverse options such as Lebanese, Indian and Chinese food stalls. 

We tried the following: 

  • Belgian chocolate and honeycomb waffles 
  • Truffle and black mayo potato waffle fries 
  • Lebanese chicken, rice and veggie box 
  • Hot Chocolate 

Was it worth the visit?

Christmas at Kew proved to be a captivating and worthwhile experience with festive enchantments and visual installations. The illuminated trail, spanning 3km, led us through a magical world of twinkling lights, displaying various projections that highlighted the beauty of nature in midwinter.

In summary, Christmas at Kew definitely lived up to its expectations as a must-visit event for anyone seeking an enchanting experience. 

For more details, please see here: https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas