XLNC Cars Blog
Hampton Court Palace Parking Guide: Where to Park and Other Ways to Arrive
In short: Hampton Court Palace parking is available on site through Trophy Gate on the A308, but spaces are limited, first come, first served and paid for on arrival. When it fills, Historic Royal Palaces points drivers to Hampton Court Green, 500 metres away. Hampton Court station, served from London Waterloo, is a five-minute walk.
Drive through Trophy Gate on a sunny Saturday and you may find the palace car park already full. Hampton Court Palace does have parking inside its grounds, but Historic Royal Palaces is plain that spaces are limited and cannot be held for you. Below is what its official travel page says about parking, trains and boats, followed by a way to arrive without a car to park.
Is there parking at Hampton Court Palace?
Yes. Cars and pedestrians enter through Trophy Gate on the A308, and the on-site car park works on a first come, first served basis with payment on site by card or the Glide app. Historic Royal Palaces warns that parking is limited, bays fit a standard car only, and during busy periods it advises considering another way to travel.
Current charges are listed on the palace’s getting here page; check them there on the day you plan to visit.
What if the palace car park is full?
Head for Hampton Court Green, the overflow car park that Historic Royal Palaces names for exactly this situation. It sits about 500 metres from the palace entrance, and the palace says new card-only machines are being installed there, with the PayByPhone app still available. It is also where larger vehicles belong.
Motorhomes, campervans and caravans cannot fit the palace bays and must use the Green, which has larger spaces and no width restriction at the exit.
Which other car parks are within reach?
Historic Royal Palaces lists several more car parks beyond the Green, ranging from the station car park a couple of hundred metres from the entrance to larger public car parks in Kingston town centre, a short bus ride away. The distances below are the ones its own page gives:
| Car park | Distance or link to the palace (per Historic Royal Palaces) |
|---|---|
| Hampton Court station | 200 metres from the palace entrance |
| Bushy Park | 15-minute walk |
| Walton Road, East Molesey (KT8 0DL) | 20-minute walk, or the 411 bus |
| Rose, Seven Kings or The Bittoms, Kingston | Bus 111 or 216 from stop P2 or R |
The palace points to separate websites for these, including National Rail, the Royal Parks and Elmbridge Council, so check each one’s charges before you rely on it.
Is there Blue Badge parking at the palace?
Yes. The on-site car park has 10 bays set aside for Blue Badge holders. Historic Royal Palaces says the usual charges apply to these bays, except for Blue Badge holders visiting its Relaxed Opening events. Because the car park cannot be booked ahead, arriving early on a busy day improves your chance of an empty bay.
Motorcycle bays marked M/C are also available on site at the standard hourly rate.
Does the ULEZ apply when driving to Hampton Court?
The palace and its car park sit inside the expanded ULEZ boundary, but Historic Royal Palaces says the entrance is outside the zone and the private roads and car park inside the grounds carry no ULEZ charge. Leaving is different: the exit onto Hampton Court Road emerges into the charging zone.
The exit is left turn only, so drivers heading back out of London are unlikely to be charged unless they re-enter the zone elsewhere. Check your vehicle on the TfL website before you travel.
Can you get to Hampton Court by train, bus or boat?
Trains are the simplest route. Hampton Court station is a five-minute walk from the palace, with National Rail services from London Waterloo every 30 minutes, calling at stations including Wimbledon and Surbiton. The station is in zone 6, and Oyster cards are accepted on the route.
Buses 111, 216, 411, 461 and 513 run from Kingston, and the R68 runs from Richmond. In summer, public riverboats run to the palace from Westminster, Richmond and Kingston.
What changes for weddings and big events?
Large events bring their own travel rules. When the RHS has run its garden festival in the palace grounds, its visitor page told drivers not to use the palace postcode but to follow directional signs to the nearest car park with space, so always read the organiser’s travel page first.
Historic Royal Palaces also hosts weddings at the palace, in spaces such as the Great Hall and the Garden Room. For couples, our Surrey wedding car service covers the day itself.
How does a chauffeured day at Hampton Court work?
Your chauffeur collects you from home, sets you down using the palace’s published arrangements, and returns at a pick-up time you agreed when booking, so nobody circles for a space or feeds a parking machine. We work within the palace’s own rules rather than any special access; for groups, it names Hampton Court Green and the station coach park as drop-off points.
If you are setting off from Esher, our Esher chauffeur service covers pick-ups there. For a palace visit with lunch nearby or a riverside walk afterwards, booking a driver for the day means the same car and driver stay with you from morning to evening.
Bookings are taken 24/7 from our Woking base, with one fixed fare agreed before the journey, and you can choose a Standard Saloon, Executive, VIP car or Minibus. Browse chauffeur hire across Surrey, or get in touch to plan your visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reserve a space in the Hampton Court Palace car park?
The palace describes its car park as first come, first served, with payment made on site, so there is no reservation to make. On busy days Historic Royal Palaces suggests considering another way to travel, and it names Hampton Court Green as the fallback when the main car park is full.
Where do I park a campervan or motorhome at Hampton Court?
On Hampton Court Green, not in the palace car park. Historic Royal Palaces says motorhomes, campervans and caravans cannot fit its bays, and vehicles with gas canisters are not allowed on site. The Green has larger bays and no width restriction at the exit, with the standard hourly charge.
Are there EV chargers in the Hampton Court Palace car park?
Not at the moment. The palace's getting here page says there are currently no electric vehicle charging points in operation in the palace car park, so plan to charge before you set off or somewhere else on the way.
Is there a car park for a Hampton Court wedding or evening event?
The palace's visitor travel page does not set out separate parking for private events, so ask the venue hire team about guest arrangements when you book. A planned drop-off and a timed collection mean no guest has to hunt for a space after dark.
Which London stations have trains to Hampton Court?
Trains start at London Waterloo and, according to Historic Royal Palaces, call at Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, New Malden, Berrylands, Surbiton and Thames Ditton before Hampton Court. There is no Underground station at the palace; Wimbledon and Richmond are the nearest, with connecting buses.
Where can a coach or minibus drop a group at Hampton Court Palace?
The palace lists two drop-off and collection points for minibuses and coaches: Hampton Court Green, 500 metres from the entrance, and the Hampton Court Station coach park, 200 metres away. A group booking should build its timings around one of those two points.