Public Education

Guided Tours

Kew

Pre-Booked Tours

If you are an organised group of adults (18+) you may wish to pre-book a guided walking tour with one or more of our Volunteer Guides. The cost is £30 per guide (£40 from April 2008); each guide can take up to 15 people.  Groups of more than 15 must book more than one guide. Groups of less than 10 are also accepted but the cost remains £30 (£40 from April 2008). Tours take approximately one hour and may be booked from 10.15am every day throughout the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – December 24th & 25th - when the Gardens are closed. As no refunds can be given, please ensure that your group can come on the day, before booking a tour.

Booking a Guided Tour

You will need to download, complete and return the Guided tour booking form by the 10th day of the month prior to your visit, when the guides’ rosters are prepared for the following month.  For example, if you wish to book a tour in July, you will need to return the form by 10th June. Forms returned after the 10th will incur a surcharge of £10 per guide, bringing the cost per guide to £40 (£50 from April 2008) – assuming a guide is available. If you are uncertain of the final numbers in your party, estimate the number of people requiring a tour as well as the number of guides required and send the form to:

Admission to the Gardens

Admission to the Gardens is not included in the cost of the guided tour and will need to be paid separately as follows:

A. Groups of 10 or more can apply for discounted group entry through Group bookings.

B. Groups of less than 10 will need to pay at the gate on arrival.

C. Groups of British students in full-time education may be eligible for free admission but will need to apply to School visits. Volunteer Guides are happy to give tours to groups of students 18+.

D. Groups of blind/partially sighted people and their essential carers are, at present, offered free admission but will need to apply in writing to the Travel Trade office.

E. Major Travel Trade clients are invoiced by Kew after the visit.

Tour Content

You may choose a general tour which takes in the highlights of the season, explores the exotic plants in the glasshouses and explains the history and work of Kew or you may prefer Festival tours or Themed tours on a specialist topic. Tours are normally given in English although we can offer general tours in the following languages:

Catalan, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Urdu, British Sign Language (at a basic level)

Providing tours in foreign languages and specific topics depends upon the availability of guides who either speak that language or specialise in the particular theme requested. If we are unable to provide a guide who speaks your language you will need to bring an interpreter (or a number of interpreters, depending upon the size of your group).

Start & End Points

Booked tours for large groups normally start from the Plants + People Exhibition, Museum No 1, the large Victorian building in front of the Pond and facing the Palm House. Other meeting points can be arranged, for example, pick-up from one of our restaurants or another gate. Please note on the form if you have a particular location where you would like the tour to finish (for example, somewhere for lunch/tea). If not, please leave the box blank and we will leave this to the discretion of the guide. Please consult the map of Kew Gardens. Parking is permitted free of charge on Kew Road after 10am. Please note that traffic in West London can be congested; allow ample time for your journey to ensure that your group arrives promptly at the designated starting point.

Tour Confirmation

You will be sent a formal confirmation with the name/s of the Guide/s towards the end of the month prior to your tour. You will need to bring this with you to present to the Guide/s.

Late Arrival & Cancellation

Important:  Guides are requested to wait up to a half hour for their groups, although they are not obliged to do so. If your group is running late, please ring Kew Constabulary on 020 8332 5121 and ask them to inform the Guide/s. If your group arrives late and the guide has gone, we cannot refund the cost of the tour(s). Nor can we offer refunds for tour cancellations once the booking has been processed.

Related services

• Kew Explorer - a regular service running each day, covering the major areas of the gardens. Ticket holders are able to get on and off throughout the day.

• Discovery - a mobility service to enable groups of people with special needs to enjoy the magic of the gardens. Must be booked in advance.

• School Groups - schools' supported visits can be facilitated at all Key Stage levels (1-4) and post-16 for "A" Level and GNVQ. Kew offers one full-time Schools' Education Officer on-site who may be booked for any of the activities, workshops, tours and lectures.

 

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