Six days out in Richmond upon Thames that cost nothing, and what the ticketed ones charge. Opening times and prices checked against each venue in August 2026.

Richmond upon Thames has two royal parks, three historic houses open to the public, a wetland reserve, a Frank Matcham theatre, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace, all inside one London borough. That is an unusual concentration, and it means the useful question is not what there is to do but what each thing costs and when it is actually open. Every opening time and price below was checked against the venue’s own website in August 2026.

Panel splitting things to do in Richmond upon Thames into free entries (Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Orleans House Gallery, Museum of Richmond, Marble Hill house, Garrick's Temple) and ticketed ones (Ham House £18.00, WWT London Wetland Centre £17.10 online, Strawberry Hill House from £16.50, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, Turner's House, World Rugby Museum, Richmond Theatre)
What you can do in the borough without paying, and what the ticketed venues charge.

The two royal parks, both free

Richmond Park is the borough’s defining space and London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest as well as a National Nature Reserve. Its 600-strong herds of red and fallow deer have roamed there since 1637. Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours a day; vehicle gates run 7am to 8.30pm. The Tamsin Trail loops the perimeter for just over seven miles, which is the best single thing to do here on a bike or on foot. King Henry’s Mound holds the protected sightline to St Paul’s Cathedral, Isabella Plantation is the woodland garden that peaks with azaleas in late spring, and Pembroke Lodge has the tea room and the view down the Thames valley.

Bushy Park, the other royal park, covers over 1,000 acres on the Hampton side. It was Henry VIII’s deer park, next door to Hampton Court, and Sir Christopher Wren designed the Diana Fountain that is still its landmark. Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours; vehicle gates run 6.30am to 8pm.

One date to plan around: the Royal Parks have confirmed the deer cull in Bushy Park runs for six weeks from Tuesday 1 September 2026. On weekdays in that period vehicle gates lock at 7pm and pedestrian gates at 10.30pm, reopening at 8am. Weekend gates are unaffected.

Kew and Hampton Court

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew sits at the north end of the borough with its own District line and Overground station at Kew Gardens. It is the borough’s biggest visitor attraction and worth a full day rather than an afternoon. Ticket prices change with the season and with what is on, so check kew.org before you go; we were not able to read its ticketing page when compiling this.

Hampton Court Palace is at the far south-western corner of the borough, on the Thames beside Bushy Park. It is run by Historic Royal Palaces, and again the current admission prices are on hrp.org.uk rather than here. The approach through Bushy Park from Teddington is the good way to arrive.

Three historic houses

Ham House and Garden (Ham Street, Ham, TW10 7RS) is the Stuart mansion by the river at Ham, run by the National Trust. Adult admission is £19.80 with Gift Aid or £18.00 without. The house opens 11.30am to 3.30pm, the garden 10am to 5pm, the cafe 10am to 4.30pm and the shop 10.30am to 4.30pm. Note that the house is closed on 19 and 26 August and on 2 and 9 September 2026 for operational reasons, though the garden stays open. The kitchen garden and the maze-like Wilderness with its summerhouses are the parts people remember.

Strawberry Hill House and Garden (268 Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4ST) is Horace Walpole’s Gothic revival villa, and it is as strange inside as its white exterior suggests. House and shop open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm, with tickets from £16.50 booked online. Two dates worth knowing: the Pasadena Roof Orchestra open-air concert on 30 August 2026 and the Flower Festival from 10 to 13 September 2026.

Marble Hill (Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 2NL) is the Palladian villa English Heritage restored and reopened, and entry to the house is free on a booked ticket. The house opens Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 10am to 5pm, and the park and cafe are open daily. It pairs well with Ham House, which sits almost opposite it on the other bank of the Thames.

Free galleries and museums

Orleans House Gallery (Orleans Road, Twickenham, TW1 3BL) is free and opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, closed Mondays. It has a cafe, a shop and woodland gardens, and its Grade I listed Octagon Room is the reason to look up. Showing at the time of writing: All The Things: Exploring play and imagination across generations until 31 August 2026, and What Moves You? from 24 July to 27 September 2026.

Museum of Richmond (Second Floor, Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, TW9 1TP) is also free, open Tuesday to Friday 11am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm, closed Sundays, Mondays and bank holidays. Its current temporary exhibition, Threads Through Time: Community Quilts in Richmond, runs through September 2026.

Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare in Hampton (TW12 2EN) is the small domed temple David Garrick built to the playwright, in public gardens opposite Garrick’s Villa. Admission to the exhibition is free and it opens Sunday afternoons, 2pm to 5pm, until Sunday 25 October 2026. The garden is open daily all year.

Wildlife, rugby and theatre

WWT London Wetland Centre (Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes, SW13 9WT) is a wetland reserve on the Barnes bend of the Thames. Adult admission is £17.10 booked online or £19.00 on the day, junior (3 to 17) £11.12 online or £12.35 on the day, and a family ticket for two adults and two children is £48.11 online or £53.45 on the day. Under-3s and carers go free. Those prices include an optional Gift Aid donation. It has adventure play with a zip wire, otters, and the UK’s only flock of Australian pelicans.

The World Rugby Museum at Allianz Stadium (Whitton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7BA) opens Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, plus bank holidays 11am to 5pm. It opens on Mondays only during Richmond school holidays. Stadium tours run from the same place. If you are coming for a match rather than the museum, the fixture dates and station advice are on the Richmond trains to London page.

Richmond Theatre is one of the oldest surviving theatres designed by Frank Matcham, open since 1899 and Grade II listed. Confirmed for the autumn: The Choir of Man (25 to 29 August), Paranormal Activity (7 to 12 September), Present Laughter (22 to 26 September), The Brown Suite (30 September to 3 October), The Haunting of Hill House (6 to 10 October) and The Gang of Three (13 to 17 October). Booking is through ATG Tickets.

Also worth an hour: Turner’s House at Sandycombe Lodge (40 Sandycoombe Road, St Margarets, TW1 2LR), the small villa J M W Turner built himself in 1813. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 4pm, with guided tours at 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm and a focus talk on Wednesdays at noon.

Planning a visit

Most of these are reachable without a car, which is the cheaper option in a borough where a long stay in a council car park runs from £7.80 in Teddington to £31.60 in Richmond. The Richmond roadworks and travel page has the tariffs and the current road closures, and the trains to London page has the zones and fares if you are coming from outside the borough.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Richmond for free?

Richmond Park and Bushy Park, both open all day on foot; Orleans House Gallery (Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm); the Museum of Richmond (Tuesday to Saturday); Marble Hill house on a free booked ticket (Wednesday to Sunday); and Garrick’s Temple in Hampton on Sunday afternoons until 25 October 2026.

How much is Ham House?

£19.80 with Gift Aid or £18.00 without for an adult. The house is open 11.30am to 3.30pm and the garden 10am to 5pm, but the house is closed on 19 and 26 August and 2 and 9 September 2026.

How much does WWT London Wetland Centre cost?

£17.10 for an adult booked online, £19.00 on the day. Junior tickets are £11.12 online, and a two-adult two-child family ticket is £48.11 online. Under-3s and carers go free.

Can you see deer in Richmond?

Yes. Richmond Park has 600-strong herds of red and fallow deer that have been there since 1637, and Bushy Park has its own resident herds. Keep well back, especially in the autumn rut and the spring birthing season.

What can you do in Richmond when it rains?

Orleans House Gallery and the Museum of Richmond are free and indoors, Strawberry Hill House and Ham House are ticketed indoor visits, the World Rugby Museum is under cover, and Richmond Theatre has a show most weeks.

Sources

Opening hours and prices change, and several of these venues closed at short notice during the August 2026 heat. Check the venue’s own site before you travel.