In this guide
At a glance
- Vibe
- A Thames-side town that happens to be inside London, with a deer park attached
- Time needed
- A full day
- Best day
- Any day; autumn for the deer rut, May for the Isabella Plantation
- Travel zone
- 4
- Walkability
- 4/5
- Typical spend
- ££
Best for
Nearest stations
- RichmondDistrictLondon OvergroundNational Rail
- Kew GardensDistrictLondon Overground
- St MargaretsNational Rail
Richmond is a Georgian riverside town that London grew around rather than absorbed. It has a green, a river, a working town centre, and behind it 2,500 acres of deer park — the largest of the royal parks and nearly three times the size of Central Park.
It is about 30 minutes from central London on the District line, and it is the most straightforward way to spend a day outdoors without leaving the city.
Richmond has its own share of the commemorative plaques marking where notable people lived or worked - see them on our interactive map.
Why visit — and who should skip it
Come here if you want space, wildlife and a river. Richmond Park has around 600 free-roaming deer, a legally protected view of St Paul’s ten miles away, and an azalea garden that is one of the best things in London for two weeks in May.
Skip it if you are on a short trip. Richmond is Zone 4 and takes the better part of a day to do properly. On three days in London, the parks in Zone 1 will serve you better.
Top sights and activities
- Richmond Park — 2,500 acres, a National Nature Reserve, and around 600 red and fallow deer roaming free since 1637. Keep 50 metres back, more in autumn.
- King Henry’s Mound — In Pembroke Lodge Gardens, with a telescope aimed through a cut in the trees at St Paul’s Cathedral, ten miles east. The sightline is legally protected.
- The Isabella Plantation — A 40-acre woodland garden inside the park, planted with azaleas and rhododendrons. Spectacular for about two weeks in late April and May, and quiet the rest of the year.
- The view from Richmond Hill — The only view in England protected by its own Act of Parliament, painted by Turner and Reynolds. Two minutes up from the town centre.
- The Thames Path to Ham House — A flat riverside walk south past Petersham Meadows, where cows still graze, to a Stuart house of 1610 kept largely intact.
- Richmond Green — A wide green ringed by Georgian houses, with the remains of Richmond Palace at one corner. Cricket in summer.
- Kew Gardens — Two stops north, or a 30-minute river walk. Ticketed, and a full half day on its own.
One of about 600 red and fallow deer roaming Richmond Park. Keep 50 metres back, and much further during the autumn rut. Photo: Bruno Girin, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Key streets and micro-districts
Richmond town centre
Around the station and George Street, and a working high street rather than a tourist one — chains, a market, banks and the ordinary business of a prosperous suburb. That is worth knowing before you arrive expecting a village.
Richmond station is the hub and it is unusually well connected: District line, Overground and South Western Railway from Waterloo, all on one platform group. Waterloo is about twenty minutes, the District line about forty.
Eat on Red Lion Street, two minutes off George Street: Al Boccon di’vino at 14 serves a no-menu Italian feast where you eat what they cook that day and there is no ordering involved, and Napoli on the Road at 12 does Neapolitan pizza. Antipodea at 30 Hill Street is the all-day Australian for breakfast.
Everything else in this guide is uphill or downhill from here. The Green is two minutes west, the riverside five minutes south, and the park a twenty-minute climb — so decide the order before you set off.
Richmond Green
Two minutes west of the station and one of the finest greens in London — a wide open square of grass edged with Georgian frontages, still used for cricket in summer.
The palace gateway on the south-west corner is the surviving fragment of Richmond Palace, where Elizabeth I died in 1603. Almost all of it was demolished after the Civil War; what remains is the gatehouse and a courtyard behind, and you can walk through to Old Palace Yard.
Richmond Theatre on the north-east corner is a Frank Matcham building of 1899, the same architect as the Hackney Empire, and it takes touring productions on their way to or from the West End.
It is free, open at all hours and unfenced, which makes it the best picnic ground in this guide. The pubs along the western side put tables out and fill on summer evenings.
Richmond Hill and the Terrace Gardens
The climb south from the town centre to the view, about fifteen minutes on foot and steeper than it looks on a map.
The view from the Terrace Walk is protected by its own Act of Parliament — the Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act 1902 — and it is the only view in England with that distinction. What it protects is the bend of the Thames below Petersham Meadows with Glover’s Island in the middle, painted by Turner and Reynolds.
The protected sightline is from the pavement at the top of the hill, not from inside Terrace Gardens below. Both are open at all hours and free — Richmond Council describes the Gardens as accessible at all times too — so the distinction is about where the legal protection falls, not about getting locked out.
The Roebuck at 130 Richmond Hill is directly on the view, which makes it the only pub in London where the outlook is protected by statute. There is a café in Terrace Gardens open seven days during daylight.
Keep climbing and Richmond Gate puts you into the park at the top.
The riverside and Petersham
Below the hill, and the best walk in this guide. The towpath runs south from Richmond Bridge past Petersham Meadows — still grazed by cattle in summer, which is why the view from the hill above still looks like a landscape painting — and on to Ham House, about forty minutes each way.
The White Cross on Water Lane is the riverside pub, and it has a quirk worth knowing: the towpath floods at high tide and the pub’s lower entrance goes underwater, tide tables pinned up by the door. It is not a problem, it is the attraction.
Boat hire runs from below Richmond Bridge in the warmer months — rowing boats by the hour — and there are river trips downstream to Kew and Westminster.
Petersham has two serious restaurants, both a walk: Petersham Nurseries does glasshouse dining inside a working plant nursery, and The Dysart at 135 Petersham Road runs a seasonal tasting menu. Both need booking and neither is cheap.
Ham House at the far end is a largely unaltered 1610 Stuart house, National Trust, ticketed, and reachable only on foot or by the little seasonal foot ferry across the river.
Richmond Park
Behind the hill, and at 2,500 acres it is the largest of London’s Royal Parks — big enough that arriving without a destination means seeing very little of it. Three things to aim for.
Pembroke Lodge is the Georgian mansion near Richmond Gate, now a tea room, with King Henry VIII’s Mound in its gardens: a telescopic sightline through a gap in a hedge to St Paul’s ten miles away, protected as a linear view. Be realistic — it is a keyhole, not a vista, and on a hazy day you see very little.
The Isabella Plantation is a fenced woodland garden in the middle of the park, best in late April and May for the azaleas, free and open all year. Pen Ponds are where the deer come to drink.
Around 600 red and fallow deer roam free. Keep 50 metres away, never photograph them close up, and during the autumn rut and the spring birthing season the park authorities ask you to give them considerably more room.
⚠️ Pedestrian gates open 24 hours except during the two six-week deer culls — November to early December and February to early March — when they shut 8pm to 7.30am on every night but Friday and Saturday. Vehicle gates close at dusk year-round. Pembroke Lodge has a free 200-space car park, one of only seven in the whole park, and it is the practical way in for most visitors.
The Isabella Plantation in late April. It is a 40-acre woodland garden inside the park, and spectacular for about two weeks a year. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Go deeper
- The best parks and gardens in London — Richmond Park against the rest, and the other places to find deer and old oaks.
- The best views in London — including the one from Richmond Hill, which is the only view in England protected by its own Act of Parliament.
Where to eat and drink
| Spot | Style | Price | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| The White Cross | Riverside pub | ££ | On the towpath; floods at high tide, which is part of the appeal |
| Petersham Nurseries Cafe | Modern European | £££ | In a working plant nursery near Ham House; book ahead |
| Pembroke Lodge | Park cafe | ££ | Inside Richmond Park, beside King Henry’s Mound |
| The Roebuck | Pub | ££ | On Richmond Hill, with the protected view from outside |
| Richmond Station arcade | Cafes and delis | £ | Quick and practical before heading into the park |
| Al Boccon di’vino | Italian set menu | £££ | No menu — they bring what they are cooking |
The Cricketers, on Richmond Green. Cricket is still played on the green in front of it in summer. Photo: Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0.
See all 8 places to eat and drink in Richmond
Getting there
By Tube. The District line runs direct to Richmond, the end of the Richmond branch, in about 30 minutes from Earl’s Court. Step-free at Richmond.
By Overground and rail. London Overground from Stratford, and South Western Railway from Waterloo in around 20 minutes — faster than the Tube.
Into the park. Richmond Gate is the closest, up the hill from the town centre and about 20 minutes on foot. The 371 or 65 bus saves the climb. Petersham Gate is the flatter approach.
By river. Boats run upstream to Hampton Court in summer, and downstream towards Kew and Westminster — slow but scenic.
Kew’s Great Pagoda, built in 1762. The eighty dragons on its roofs were restored and put back in 2018. Photo: Atlaj123, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How long to spend, and when to go
| If you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| Two hours | Richmond Green, the Hill view and the riverside |
| Half a day | Add Richmond Park as far as Pembroke Lodge |
| A full day | Add the Isabella Plantation and the walk to Ham House, or Kew |
Best time: Late April to May for the Isabella Plantation. Autumn for the deer rut and the colour, though keep well back from the stags.
Note: Richmond Park closes to vehicles overnight and gates shut at dusk. Check closing times before an evening walk.
Map of Richmond
Open the map14 places: 7 places to eat · 3 things to do · 2 hidden spots · 2 places to stay
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Eat & drinkThings to doHidden LondonStay
What's on in Richmond
Limited runs and the annual fixtures. Anything already finished is removed automatically.Links marked ad are affiliate links. If you book through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects what goes on this list.
Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink
Not open yetThe most atmospheric rink in the London area for the Tudor backdrop alone, with adults-only evening sessions on selected dates. Christmas weekends sell out.
Dates from listings sites, not yet confirmed on the rink's own site - check before booking travel.
The Boat Race
Not open yetThe crowded spots are Putney at the start and Hammersmith Bridge; Barnes Bridge near the finish is far less mobbed and the race is usually still alive there. Free the whole four and a quarter miles.
Exact date announced each year once tides are known. The towpath pubs fill hours ahead.
Head of the River Race
Not open yetThe same stretch of river as the Boat Race but with several hundred crews instead of two - a far better spectacle for anyone who wants to watch rowing rather than a rivalry. Nothing to book because there is nothing to buy.
Run with the ebb tide, Mortlake down to Putney. Any towpath spot works.
Christmas at Kew
Not open yetA mile-and-a-half illuminated trail through Kew after dark, ending at the Palm House lit up and reflected in the pond - the best of London's Christmas light trails.
Timed entry and it sells out weeks ahead, especially at weekends. Outdoors for ninety minutes in December - dress for it properly.
Things to do in Richmond
Beyond eating and drinking. Free things are listed first.Links marked ad are affiliate links. If you book through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects what goes on this list.
Ham House and Garden
FreeOne of the most complete surviving Stuart houses in England, with original 17th-century furnishings and formal gardens on the Thames Path - a genuine step further than Richmond's usual river walk.
Combine with the Thames Path walk to Richmond or the passenger ferry across to Marble Hill House.
Isabella Plantation
FreeForty acres of woodland garden walled inside Richmond Park, famous for evergreen azaleas and rhododendrons that peak in late April and early May.
Free and inside the park, so there is no separate ticket. AZALEAS AND RHODODENDRONS, not roses - at least one guide has this wrong. Late April to mid-May is the window.
Petersham Nurseries
FreeA working plant nursery down a lane off Petersham Meadows, with a teahouse and restaurant under the glasshouses and the plants left growing through the dining room.
Free to walk round the nursery; the restaurant needs booking well ahead. Reached across Petersham Meadows from Richmond, which is a lovely twenty-minute walk.
The View from Richmond Hill
FreeThe bend of the Thames below Petersham Meadows, painted by Turner and Reynolds, and protected by its own Act of Parliament in 1902 - the only view in England that is.
Free and reached on foot from Richmond station in about twenty minutes uphill. Best in the hour before sunset. Pubs and a terrace at the top.
Hidden Richmond
Free, self-guided and easy to walk past without knowing it's there.
Ted Lasso's Crown & Anchor (The Prince's Head)
Filming locationTed Lasso (2020-2023) - the team's local pub
The pub Ted and the Greyhounds fans drink in is The Prince's Head on Richmond Green, and the exterior is exactly as it appears on screen. Richmond doubles for itself throughout - unusually for London television, the show is set where it was shot.
A working Fuller's pub, normal opening hours. The interior scenes were shot on a set, so do not expect the inside to match.
Virginia and Leonard Woolf's Richmond Home
Blue plaqueVirginia Woolf (1882–1941) and Leonard Woolf, at Hogarth House
The Woolfs lived here 1915-1924 and founded the Hogarth Press on the premises, printing early editions of Woolf's own novels and T.S. Eliot's poetry on a hand press in the house.
A private residential building - viewable from the street only. See also the earlier Woolf plaque in Fitzrovia.
Where to stay
A quiet, green base with a slow commute — best if you are staying a week or more.
- Richmond town centre — Small hotels and inns near the green and the river.
- Richmond Hill — A few larger hotels with the view, at a premium.
- Kew — Two stops north, cheaper, and next to the Botanic Gardens.
Cheapest first. Prices are a typical starting rate per night, not a quote.Links marked ad are affiliate links. If you book through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects what goes on this list.
Bingham Riverhouse
£££HotelA restored Grade II Georgian townhouse directly on the Thames, with a well-regarded restaurant and a private members club sharing the building.
A Georgian building with limited lift access - ask about stairs if that matters. The river-view rooms are worth the upgrade.
The Petersham Hotel
£££HotelPerched above Petersham Meadows with the same protected river view Turner painted, a short walk from the top of Richmond Hill.
Book a river-view room specifically - standard rooms do not face the Thames. Steep walk down to the towpath and back up.
Make a day of it
Combine Richmond with
Walking times are from the centre of Richmond. Each of these works as an afternoon once you have finished here.
Kew Gardens
30 min walkNorth along the river, or two stops on the District line, for the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Hampton Court
40 min walkUpstream by river boat in summer, or a short train from Richmond via Twickenham.
Chelsea
40 min walkEast on the District line for King's Road and the Physic Garden.
South Kensington
35 min walkDirect on the District line for the museum quarter.
Suggested full-day route
- Start: Richmond station. West to Richmond Green and the palace gateway.
- The riverside: Down to the towpath and The White Cross.
- Richmond Hill: Up to the protected view — the classic Turner viewpoint.
- Richmond Park: In at Richmond Gate to Pembroke Lodge and King Henry’s Mound.
- Isabella Plantation: South-east into the woodland garden.
- Finish: Out at Petersham Gate and back along the river, or on to Ham House.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Approaching the deer. They are wild. Fifty metres minimum, and much further during the autumn rut and spring births.
- Underestimating the park. It is 2,500 acres. Pick two destinations rather than trying to cross it.
- Walking up Richmond Hill with tired legs. The 371 or 65 bus goes to Richmond Gate.
- Visiting the Isabella Plantation outside May. It is pleasant year-round but only spectacular in late spring.
- Expecting to see St Paul’s in haze. King Henry’s Mound needs a clear day.
- Arriving late in the day. Park gates close at dusk and it is a long walk back to any of them.
Common questions
Are there really deer in Richmond Park?
Yes — around 600 red and fallow deer, roaming free since 1637. They are genuinely wild animals, not a managed herd in enclosures. Keep at least 50 metres away, and considerably further during the autumn rut (September and October) and the spring birthing season (May and June), when stags and hinds can both be dangerous. Dogs must be kept under close control.
What is the view from Richmond Hill?
A view west over the Thames meadows towards Petersham and Twickenham. It is the only view in England protected by its own Act of Parliament — the Richmond, Ham and Petersham Open Spaces Act of 1902 — and has been painted by Turner and Reynolds. It is a two-minute walk up from the town centre.
Can you see St Paul's from Richmond Park?
Yes, from King Henry's Mound in Pembroke Lodge Gardens. There is a telescope aimed through a gap cut in the trees at St Paul's Cathedral, ten miles east. The sightline is legally protected, so nothing may be built to block it. On a clear day it is remarkable; in haze you will see very little.
How do I get to Kew Gardens from Richmond?
Two stops north on the District line or Overground to Kew Gardens station, then about five minutes on foot to the Victoria Gate. Alternatively walk the Thames Path north for around 30 minutes, which is flat and pleasant. Kew is ticketed and separate from Richmond Park, which is free.
Is Richmond worth the trip from central London?
If you have four or more days in London and want a green day out, yes. It is about 30 minutes on the District line from central. Richmond Park is the largest of London's royal parks at 2,500 acres — nearly three times Central Park in New York — and the river walk south to Ham House is one of the best in the city. On a short trip it is hard to justify.
