Kensington Palace at Christmas: Victoria display from 25 Nov

Kensington Palace’s Christmas this year is Victoria’s Countryside Christmas, running from Wednesday 25 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 and included in the ordinary palace ticket. It lands in a cheaper season: the adult ticket falls from £24.70 to £19.00 from 11 November, once the current exhibition closes. The palace keeps its winter pattern of opening Wednesday to Sunday only, shuts from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day and on the two weekdays after, and is open on New Year’s Day.

The quick answer

Victoria’s Countryside Christmas runs 25 November to 3 January, included in admission. Tickets from 11 November are £19.00 for adults and £9.50 for children aged 5 to 15; under-5s go free. The palace is closed every Monday and Tuesday, and over Christmas it is closed 24, 25, 26, 28 and 29 December, open on Sunday 27 December and on 1, 2 and 3 January.

What the Christmas display is

Historic Royal Palaces marks 190 years since the young Princess Victoria spent Christmas in the countryside at Claremont House in Surrey, and brings that Christmas indoors: “snowy landscapes”, decorations inspired by the gifts she was given, a display of trees hung with bespoke decorations surrounded by period-style gifts, and a garden arbour to sit in for a Christmas photograph. A section follows her trip to the theatre that season and a dancer whose performance she drew (Historic Royal Palaces, Victoria’s Countryside Christmas).

It is part of the palace route rather than a separate event, so there is no extra ticket and no timed slot beyond your admission ticket. Last Christmas’s display, on Victoria’s seaside Christmas in Ramsgate, followed the same model.

Which days it is open

The palace’s own opening calendar, which runs to the end of February, marks every Monday and Tuesday as closed through the autumn and winter. Around Christmas it reads (Historic Royal Palaces, opening and closing times):

The half-term Monday and Tuesday, 26 and 27 October, are closed too, which catches out families on the council’s half term week. The palace publishes its hours one week at a time: this week it is 10am to 6pm with last entry at 5pm. Its winter hours for November to February have not yet appeared in that weekly view, so check the week you are going before you set off. This page will be updated when they do.

Prices: the cut on 11 November

Until Sunday 8 November, tickets include The Last Princesses of Punjab, the exhibition on Sophia Duleep Singh, and cost more. From 11 November the price is for the palace alone (Historic Royal Palaces, tickets and prices):

Those are the prices without the optional 10% donation, which the booking page adds unless you choose otherwise; the adult with-donation price from 11 November is £20.90. Historic Royal Palaces members go free.

£1 tickets are available to anyone receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance, for up to four people per household, with only one person needing to show proof. If a date shows no £1 tickets, that date has sold out of them.

What else is on before Christmas

All of these are from the palace’s own listings:

• Power, Perfume and Scandal, which the palace describes as a return to the days when Kensington was “the ultimate party palace”, every weekend until 22 November, 10.30am to 2.45pm, included in admission.
• Palace in the Park, a walking tour of the building and gardens, every Wednesday and Sunday until 20 December at 11am and 2pm. Separate ticket; palace admission is not included.
• The Duke Tour of the State Apartments, every Saturday until 19 December and then from 2 January to 20 March 2027, 11am to 12.15pm. Separate ticket with admission included; advance booking required.
• A relaxed opening for visitors who want fewer crowds, Sunday 15 November, 10am to noon. Separate ticket, booked in advance.
• Deaf-led BSL tours of the Punjab exhibition on 21 October at 2pm and 7 November at 9am.

One route closure affects every visit this winter: the Queen’s State Apartments are closed until spring 2027 for a re-presentation.

Getting there, and what you cannot bring

The palace is at the west end of Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX. Queensway is the nearest Tube, about ten minutes’ walk, with High Street Kensington 10 to 15 minutes away. There is no visitor parking; the palace points to Q-Park Queensway and the Euro Car Parks site on Bayswater Road. Blue Badge holders can book one of a small number of on-site spaces at least seven days ahead on 020 3166 6199. Suitcases, large bags and wheeled luggage are not allowed in and there is no left luggage (Historic Royal Palaces, visit Kensington Palace).

The gardens are free, and so are the Orangery restaurant, the café and the shop, none of which need a palace ticket. Parking elsewhere in the borough over the bank holidays is on our parking page, and Christmas Tube and train changes are on our Christmas travel page. For the King’s Road lights and the Chelsea winter village, see the Chelsea Christmas lights switch-on and Chelsea’s winter village. Weekend closures on the Tube are on our roadworks and travel page.

Still to be confirmed

• Winter opening hours and last entry for November to February. Expected in the palace’s weekly listing from early November.
• Any Christmas late openings, carols or ticketed evening events. None was listed on 25 September. We will check again in early November.