Can you visit Highgrove, and is it open to the public?

Only the gardens, and only by pre-booked guided tour or event on selected dates, roughly April to October. The house is never open to the public. There is no turn-up entry; every ticket is booked in advance.

Do you need to book to visit Highgrove?

Yes. Entry is by pre-booked ticket only, photo identification is required for every visitor, and the minimum age is nine. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Whose house is Highgrove?

It is the private Gloucestershire home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The garden was made by the King over more than forty years, and the proceeds of visits and the shop go to the King's Foundation.

At Doughton, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, off the A433. The nearest station is Kemble, from which a pre-booked taxi is the way in.

Visiting Highgrove Gardens, Cotswolds: Tours & How to Visit

Highgrove is the King's own organic garden outside Tetbury, made by hand over forty years and opened to visitors a few weeks of the year. Here is how to visit, what to expect, and the rare thing it is in this county.

At a glance

How to visit: The gardens open by pre-booked guided tour only, on selected dates from spring to autumn. The house is never open. Photo ID is required and the minimum age is nine.
Where: Doughton, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, off the A433.
Best time to visit: Garden tours run on selected dates from April to September, with spring and autumn garden walks either side.
How long to spend: A tour is about an hour and a half; allow three or four hours with security, the shop and refreshments.
Parking: Free, on-site, for booked visitors.
Getting there: Nearest station Kemble, then a pre-booked taxi; there is no public transport to the gate. By car, off the A433 toward Bath.
Dog friendly: No, assistance dogs only.
Family friendly: Older children only; the minimum age for tours is nine.

Visiting Highgrove: parking, getting there, when to go

Highgrove is the private home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, a mile or so outside Tetbury, and the garden the King has made there over more than forty organic years. The house is not open and never will be. The gardens are, but only by pre-booked guided tour, on selected dates from April to September, with spring and autumn walks either side. Every visitor needs photo identification, the minimum age is nine, and only assistance dogs are admitted, because it is a working royal residence with the security that brings. The proceeds go to the King's Foundation.

Parking is free on-site for booked visitors. The nearest station is Kemble, from which the garden recommends a pre-booked taxi, as there is no public transport to the gate; by road it is off the A433 toward Bath.

Highgrove questions, answered

Can you visit Highgrove, and is it open to the public?: Only the gardens, and only by pre-booked guided tour or event on selected dates, roughly April to October. The house is never open to the public. There is no turn-up entry; every ticket is booked in advance.
Do you need to book to visit Highgrove?: Yes. Entry is by pre-booked ticket only, photo identification is required for every visitor, and the minimum age is nine. Only assistance dogs are allowed.
Whose house is Highgrove?: It is the private Gloucestershire home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The garden was made by the King over more than forty years, and the proceeds of visits and the shop go to the King's Foundation.
Where is Highgrove?: At Doughton, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, off the A433. The nearest station is Kemble, from which a pre-booked taxi is the way in.

It is a working expression of a long-held idea, that land should be kept well and patiently and handed on in better condition than it was found. The garden is the argument, made in box hedge and wildflower meadow.

It is also, in the end, a private house with its gate open a few weeks of the year. The county is full of them in the first part and empty of them in the second, and Highgrove is the rare one that lets you in at all.

The story moves through this world. Begin Chapter One →