London Day 1 Part 2: Kensington Palace and gardens…

Stepped out of High Street Kensington tube station, to be greeted by the glaring sun and an O2 shop right in front of us. It was past lunch and we were to meet Deb’s friend, LN who was kind enough to pass us her UK mobile phone. Anyway, as usual I don’t really trust maps (having bad experiences right here in KL) and started asking shopkeepers for directions to Kensington Palace… but only to be replied with blank looks…

And so, me and LN’s fiancé had to resort to trusting the London map and figuring out the right direction to the palace… and thank goodness we were indeed on the right path!

Anyway, as the sun was up, there were many people sunbathing at Kensington Gardens, where LN and fiancé enjoyed some private time there while waiting for me, ah ya and Deb to tour around the palace. And now… where’s Skyfish? hahaha that girl instead went on her preferred tour of shopping!

A statue of William III greeted us at the main entrance of Kensington Palace

A bit of history on Kensington Palace. It started out with William III and Mary II purchased the place in 1689 (it started out as a Jacobean mansion actually and was renovated and extended as the years gone by). I’ve always love the story of William and Mary, I find it like a tragic romance story as Mary passed away at a young age of 32 and she never got to see the renovation work done by William at Hampton Court Palace just for her…

Rear view of Kensington Palace

Rooftop of Kensington Palace

Anyway, back to the present, the Palace was also a home to the late Princess Diana. When we were there, there was a photo gallery exhibition of the late princess. Her collection of dresses were also on display, besides Princess Margaret’s.

The Orangery, a place to rest and dine, was built by Queen Anne in 1704-05 to serve as a greenhouse for exotic plants

Opening times of the Palace

Statue of Queen Victoria in the Gardens with the view of the Palace behind

Deb, me and a friendly swan at the lake in Kensington Gardens

Opening time:

Summer (1 Mar - 31 Oct): 10am - 6pm (last admission at 5pm)

Winter (1 Nov - 28 Feb): 10am - 5pm (last admission at 4pm)

The palace closes on 24 - 26 Dec

Getting there:

We came out of High Street Kensington station, but I advise to just enter the Palace from Hyde Park as the Garden and the Park are connected…

How much it cost?

Adults: GBP 12

Child: GBP 6 while below 5 yrs old enter for free