Take a Day Trip to Hampton Court Palace

https://youtu.be/Wlbnj0qMMts

Hampton Court Palace is about an hour outside of London. It takes around 30 minutes to get here by train for about $20 round trip, and the train station is just right there next to the palace. It's a very short walk.

And when you complete it and walk up to Hampton Court Palace, it's pretty amazing. 

A Day at the Palace

If you've ever heard of Tudor style architecture, Henry VIII's name was Henry Tudor and Hampton Court Palace is basically the example of what this style is all about.

Multi-part documentaries have been made about the design of this palace. There are truly incredible details everywhere. Walking around here, you'll see stained glass, intricate woodwork, jaw dropping fireplaces and even weird little carvings of ghoulish creatures. They are the actual inspiration behind the term eavesdropper.

Hampton Court Palace also has the Tudor rose motif everywhere.  This was a combination of the white rose of the House of York and the red rose of the House of Lancaster. They were two warring factions within the same royal family who fought back and forth over the throne of England for generations.

The conflict ended with Henry VII, the father of Henry VIII, who killed King Richard III in battle and married his niece to put an end to the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses.

History on the Walls of the Palace

In other words, there's a whole crapload of history in this palace. But the story of the palace and the architecture are just the beginning. Hampton Court is packed with famous art. Lots of the paintings you've seen of famous English kings and queens are just hanging on the walls here. You can literally just walk around the palace on your own, go whichever way you like, and see famous painting after famous painting. 

It's really something. And please don't let me give you the impression that you are not being watched the entire time. You're being watched the entire time you're in London no matter what, and the same is true here at the palace.

But they let you feel independent and you can just walk around all on your own and get a look at everything at will, which is great. Walk the halls and you'll see portraits of Anne Boleyn, who was executed at the Tower of London, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry VII and the famous portrait of Henry VIII that you see in pictures all the time. This is the real deal. 

You will also see the famous horn room. Look up and you will discover a very impressive collection of hunting trophies here. All the hunting trophies that were hung all over the palace were gathered up and rehung here by William III who, along with his wife Queen Mary II, lived here.

Henry VIII is, by far, the more famous resident. Hampton Court was actually built to be the home of Cardinal Wolsey, but Henry VIII really liked it...and someone learned an age-old lesson about not trying to have nicer stuff than the King of England. 

Experiencing Hampton Court Palace as an Attraction

They're really doing the thing up here. In addition to the royal apartments where you can find all the art and marvel at the splendor of the palace, there's a huge exhibit in the kitchens that has tons of props. They're putting on a whole show and I am here for it.

In short, Hampton Court is a great attraction.

You can even dine like a monarch in the Privy Kitchen, where they're serving up classic meat pies. Truly, this palace experience is the whole thing.

And that's not all. Because this is Henry VIII we’re talking, and y'all know this man had to have even more. This is the guy who married six different women, right, so we expect excess and that is what we get here.

Into the Royal Gardens

Wait until y'all see the gardens. All around the palace are the King's luxurious gardens. Yes, there are multiple gardens here with different themes and designs.

You can go look at Henry's tennis court, which a cabbie in London told me was the first tennis court ever, Henry's tiltyard where they used to joust.

They even have an actual full hedge maze here and when I was roaming around in it, I did find a crying and lost child. Y'all can check if it's still there if you explore the maze, but I'm sure someone found it by now. 

A Day T rip to the Palace

It's all really beautiful and it's definitely worth the trip. I did my own DIY half day trip here and just got a train ticket, but there are group day trips and half day trips you can take out here as well. No matter how you get here, Hampton Court Palace is definitely worth checking out.