Hampton Court Palace

Built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 1515, this grand Tudor palace was soon taken over by Henry VIII and expanded to suit his tastes. One of the king’s favorite residences, the magnificent palace on the banks of the River Thames was designed to impress, serving as both a demonstration of royal power and a stage for extravagant court life, with its lavish banquets and spectacular displays of art.

Today, Hampton Court Palace offers a journey through centuries of British history. Visitors can explore the working Tudor kitchens, once among the largest and most advanced in England, where staff prepared abundant meals for the entire court. In the impressive Great Hall, experience the scale and splendor of Tudor life beneath a soaring hammerbeam roof, with walls hung with gold- and silver-threaded tapestries depicting scenes from the Biblical story of Abraham. The opulent King’s Apartments, once Henry VIII’s private chambers, and the Queen’s Apartments, used by the various queens consort, reveal a series of intimate rooms once accessible only to high-ranking visitors.

The palace houses hundreds of artworks from the Royal Collection, some displayed in their original locations. The Cumberland Art Gallery features paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and van Dyck, while the Mantegna Gallery (currently closed for renovation), displays Andrea Mantegna’s masterful “The Triumphs of Caesar” — nine monumental Renaissance canvases celebrating the Roman ruler’s victory in the Gallic Wars.

In the late 17th century, William III and Mary II remodeled and expanded the palace in the Baroque style, creating a unique architectural blend of Tudor and Baroque elements. At the heart of this transformation is Fountain Court, whose elegant architecture once framed state apartments for the king and queen. More recently, this opulent setting appeared in several scenes of the acclaimed television series “Bridgerton.”

The palace is surrounded by 60 acres of stunning formal gardens and 750 acres of historic parkland, including a 300-year-old maze — the U.K.’s oldest surviving hedge maze — and the world’s oldest and largest grapevine.

^{The Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace. © Historic Royal Palaces}