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London, United Kingdom
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Richmond-Kew is a district in south-west London. This is perhaps the area of outer London with the most to offer visitors.
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Foot ferry crossing the Thames between Ham House (south bank) and Marble Hill and Orleans Houses (north bank)
The second largest of the London Royal Parks, covering an area of 450 hectares (1,099 acres). Lying north of Hampton Court Palace, the history of the park is inextricably linked to the palace, yet it has always had its own distinct rural character. There are herds of both Red Deer and Fallow Deer, they are wild but usually safe, just don't go too close or get between a hind and its calf. The D-Day linked bits are easiest found from the Teddington side. Go through SHAEF gate and there is an information board. You should be able to spot a flagpole a hundred yards into the park, this marks the spot where General Eisenhower had his office, if you have time, or children who are up for a challenge, there are bronze markers with combined British and Canadian and US flags at the corners where the main buildings of Camp Griffiss were. The partially restored early 18th-century baroque water gardens are a short walk from the Hampton Hill gate. The park is subdivided by Chestnut Avenue, Christopher Wren's grand approach to Hampton Court Palace which runs from Teddington Gate to Hampton Court Gate and with the gilded Diana fountain closer to the Palace end (you may have seen it as location for the finish line of some of the cycling events at the 2012 Olympics).
Historic home to English kings such as Henry VIII, now open to the public. There are many attractions which can occupy a whole day visit, including 60 acres of gardens with the famous maze, the Tudor kitchens, the Chapel Royal, the Great Hall, Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar paintings, and various exhibitions about Henry VIII. There's a seasonal ice skating rink from November till January every year.
The Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale's elegant 17th-century manor house, a mile or so upriver from Richmond riverside.
Fine stone bridge linking Twickenham/St Margarets with Richmond. It is the oldest surviving Thames bridge in London, dating from 1777.
The remains of the once-magnificent palace, home to English kings since Edward I, adjoin Richmond Green, a pleasant open green space and historic cricket ground. Only the Gate House and Wardrobe, now converted into flats, remain.
The largest open space in London, covering almost 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) and home to a huge array of wildlife, including 400 wild deer. Also contains the lush Isabella Plantation, which is full of trees and flowers, and the Royal Ballet School, seen in the film Billy Elliot. Popular with cyclists, both for the on-road perimeter circuit and the off-road trails. There are several car parks for walkers and picnickers.
The view from the top of the hill (between Friar Stile Road and Nightingale Lane) is protected by an act of parliament and takes in the river, the meadows at the bottom of the hill. Much painted by JMW Turner. Well worth the short walk up the hill and it is on the way to Richmond Park if you are walking from the town.
Grade II listed ornamental castle
Buccleuch Gardens
Overlooking the river with Bulbous Betty
Exhibitions on Richmond's history.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, these extensive, historic and beautiful gardens feature elements illustrating significant periods of garden and landscape art from the 18th to the 20th centuries, and a plant collection second to none in the world. Since their creation as a royal estate in 1759, Kew Gardens (as they are commonly known) have made a significant and uninterrupted contribution to the study of plant diversity and economic botany. The gardens cover 120 hectares (300 acres) and are over 1.5 km (0.9mi) long. They contain glasshouses, a conservatory, and numerous installations of buildings, art and of course exotic plant species. The Temperate House, which reopened in May 2018, is the largest surviving Victorian glass structure in the world.
All non-classified government documents can be read and photographed here, with a (free) reader's card having been obtained. There is also a small museum, which does not require the card to access.
Fine stone bridge linking Brentford/Chiswick with Kew.
Large lawn, split in two by Kew Rd, with St. Anne's Church, Kew Cricket Club and pubs set on or near it.
Built in 1631 as a merchant's red-brick Dutch House, Kew Palace became the country retreat where George III recovered from illness and where Queen Charlotte spent her final days. Its modest scale and family-worn rooms reveal a side of royal life rarely glimpsed elsewhere. Explore Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, the Royal Kitchens, and admire the spectacular view from the Great Pagoda.
Was home to King George II's mistress, with well-manicured lawns by the riverside.
The remains of a once-magnificent house which was home to King Louis-Philippe of France as Duke of Orleans. Only the Octagon Room and a stable block remain, which are now used as Richmond's main art gallery, with exhibitions (see website for details).
Park overlooking the river, with the local war memorial. Be careful at high tide, as it may flood.
Eccentric Gothic home of 18th-century poet and author, Horace Walpole, son of England's first prime minister.
Large triangular lawn in Twickenham, with Holy Trinity Church, a cricket club and pubs set on or near it.
Twickenham, which seats over 80,000, is the home of the England national rugby team, and is used mostly for major internationals and cup finals. Tour the stadium and visit the Museum of Rugby. Check their website to avoid being turned away on match days.
Across the road from the main Twickenham Stadium is this smaller stadium (capacity about 15,000) known as "The Stoop". It's home to two teams both playing rugby union (15-a-side) in the Premiership, the top tier of the game in England. These are Harlequin FC, usually called "Harlequins" or simply "Quins", and London Irish. They both often qualify for European competitions.
In summer months, either upriver to Teddington Locks or Hampton Court Palace, or downriver to Westminster, offers a good way to relax while enjoying the riverside scenery. Some boats offer a commentary service. The boat ride to Hampton Court takes about an hour and a half, to Teddington Locks about 45 min, and to Westminster about two hours. Boats depart from a dock close to Richmond bridge. You can also hire rowing boats next to the bridge.
Arthouse cinema.
Offers theatre in the round, where the audience surrounds the stage.
See a pre-West End play at this pretty Victorian theatre.
They play rugby union; they were promoted in 2025 and now play in the Championship, the second tier. They play at the athletic grounds half a mile south of Kew Gardens.
They were relegated in 2026 and now play rugby union in National League 1, the third tier, and share the athletic grounds.
Selected Friday nights and weekends during the summer
Guest mornings on selected Sundays,
Cycle, jog and walk.
Offers a range of yoga and pilates classes for all abilities.
An Italian restaurant with no menu. The chef brings out dishes that he wants to cook.
French cuisine.
Offers decent Spanish cuisine, such as tapas.
Offers Chinese cuisine and very friendly staff.
With indoor and outdoor seating directly overlooking the river.
Great ice cream shop as the queues on sunny summer weekends indicate.
Thai cuisine.
Self-service restaurant open for morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea, which sells good value traditional British food and has a lovely view if you sit outside on the terrace.
Pizzas.
A Bavarian bierhaus-style restaurant offering authentic German dark beers and food including imported sausages and sauerkraut.
Thai cuisine.
Great location in the gardens. It sells mainly coffee and cakes and a few lunch dishes.
Lovely food & Italian coffee full of aroma & flavour.
Thai cuisine.
Vegetarian cafe in a great location with a large outdoor area overlooking the river and towpath. It does very good fairtrade coffee, juices etc and vegetarian food such as foccacia and quiches. Licensed.
Upmarket garden centre with a very upmarket and expensive lunchtime restaurant (closed M and Tu) and a cafe (closed M), which sells great soup and sandwiches at lunchtime in a really lovely setting amongst the greenhouses. They have some problems with too many cars upsetting the locals so they encourage people to walk (about 30 min from centre of Richmond) or take a 65 or 371 Kingston bus to Dysart Arms pub stop.
A German bakery and general store selling a variety of German food items, including fresh bread and pretzels, sausages, cheese and sweets.
Traditional bakery and tea shop, famous for its Maids of Honour cakes, which has been established for over 150 years.
A really smart Nepalese restaurant.
Japanese café.
An 18th-century pub on the Thames, with seating outside overlooking the towpath, and which is often surrounded by water at high tide.
Has a large outdoor terrace looking over the River Thames and Richmond Bridge.
It is set further back on Old Palace Lane between the river and the Green
It serves Thai food on Water Lane, nearer the town centre.
A popular sports pub, offers pub grub.
is a gastro pub.
Fullers
offers sports television, has a popular Tuesday night pub quiz and bands most Saturday nights.
a Fullers gastro-pub, family-friendly with a gate opening onto a children's playground
The chain wine bar also serves food.
has a cosy atmosphere
a family friendly pub with a large beer garden out the back (with a children's play area)
It dates back to 1730. You can take your drink across the road to the Terrace which overlooks the famous view from Richmond Hill.
Gastropub
The Grade 11 not so new inn.
Riverside pub
The Mitre Hotel
A gastro pub serving south western French cuisine.
A 17th-century pub with a riverside garden.
Relaxing upscale hotel on Thames towpath, fine dining.
5-star hotel.
Georgian Hotel.
Gastropub with 7 rooms, comfy with great cuisine.
20 room hotel with pub and restaurant.
Contains a few boutique clothing stores and all the standard high street chains, such as Habitat, Marks & Spencer's, WH Smith, Boots, and Robert Dyas. For more boutique clothes shops, such as Matches, and small art galleries and antiques shops, follow the road up the hill called Hill St, which turns into Hill Rise. The alleys off George Street are lined with mostly privately owned boutiques. Two of these are purveyors of fine chocolates: one is The House of Chocolate located on the corner of Brewers Lane, a long-standing family-run business; the other, a stone's throw to the west on Paved Court, is William Curley, a chocolatier whose award-winning fare, together with pastries and hot drinks, can be consumed on the premises. Another independent shop is Gelateria Danieli, selling gelato ice cream, located on Brewers Lane, which Time Out has listed as one of the best ice cream parlours in London.
Independent bookshop. Rather cramped, but stacked with a very good selection of new books, including signed copies.
Branch of a big chain store.
Street food Market.
Hewson Books
Independent bookshop.
Marks and Spencer, Boots, Next, Costa Coffee, TK Maxx.
Second-hand books.
Gifts.
Children's shoes.
Small supermarket.
By tube
The district is served by the following tube stations all on the District line and the London Overground, in either Zone 3 or 4:
By train
By taxi
Richmond is accessible by taxi in about 30 minutes from Heathrow Airport or from central London depending on traffic conditions – you can expect to pay about £50 or more for the fare.
By car
If you are driving yourself, then from outside London you want to come in on the M3 or the M4.
By bus
Richmond has a bus station. The 337 bus from Clapham Junction, the 110, 33, 419 buses from Hammersmith, and the N10 night bus from London King's Cross all stop here, amongst others.
By boat
There are no regular boat services to Richmond from central London, but in the summer a service runs to/from Hampton Court, and pleasure boats can be hired by the hour near Richmond Bridge.
Kew
The 65 bus runs the length of the Kew Road, and the 110 runs up Sandycombe and A316 roads. An active person could walk the length of Kew (from A316 to Kew Bridge) in half an hour.
Twickenham
Within the area, Twickenham can be reached from Richmond via the buses 33, 490, R68, R70, and N22 night bus. The R68 also goes on to Teddington and Hampton Court.
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