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Chelsea Physic Garden
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Current location: Visitor Information > Group Visits

Group Visits 2010

Group guided tours can be booked between 1st April and 31st October, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays (limited availability), Sundays, and Bank Holiday Mondays (limited availability).

'Our Group Bookings Department is Closed until Wednesday 3 June. Please call back then if you would like to book a future group visit. However, if you have an enquiry regarding an existing confirmed or provisionally booked group visit, please call 020 7352 5646 ext 228

We are already fully booked for group visits on the following dates in 2010:
Wednesday 23rd June and Wednesday 21st July..

For school visits, see Education.

Download full Group Visit information as a Word document (Word doc/236Kb)

Download a Group Visit booking form as a Word document (Word doc/39Kb)

It is advisable to book a group of eight or more people as a group visit to avoid congestion at the kiosk entrance. There is no extra charge for advance reservation. Free guided tours are offered to all visitors to the Garden, however they are provided on a first come first serve basis and are subject to the availability of our guides. If you would like to guarantee a guided tour and specify timings and particular areas of interest, the cost is £25 per guide (in addition to individual admission fees). Each guide can take a maximum of 20 people on a tour.

Group guided tours, led by our own Chelsea Physic Garden trained guides, take up to an hour.

Visitors are welcome to stay in the Garden when the guided tour is over but please note the Garden closes at 5pm on weekdays and on Sundays and Bank Holidays at 6pm. Guided tours are not available less than an hour before closing time. On Wednesdays from 30th June until 1st September the Garden remains open until 10pm and guided tours can be booked until 7.30pm.

The Curator, Head Gardener or Head of Education are sometimes available to give special tours (from £50 per hour).

Groups in the Café

Our renowned Café, Tangerine Dream, which is a destination in itself, serves home made salads and light lunches (no sandwiches), freshly baked cakes, puddings and scones. Tea and coffee is available as well as wine, beer and homemade lemonade.

Due to the popularity of our Café, if you have a group of eight or more people and would like refreshments, or you would like to make special catering arrangements, please contact our Café, Tangerine Dream, on 07983 251458 to discuss your requirements so that they can prepare in advance. Otherwise you may have to wait while food is prepared.

Group Visit Booking Procedure

  • Firstly, please ring 020 7352 5646 ext 221 to discuss availability and any special requirements. You can also email groups@chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk.
  • You may wish to download full Group Visit information and a booking form as Microsoft Word documents (236Kb and 39Kb, respectively).
  • To secure your agreed date, please download and return your booking form as soon as possible. Please indicate on the booking form any special interests your group may have, to help us allocate a guide, eg garden history, medicinal plants, plant introductions, perfumery or a general tour etc. Your booking will not be confirmed until your booking form is received by the Garden, which should be at least two months in advance of the tour date. Full payment should be made, by cheque, at least one month before the date of your proposed visit. If payment is not received at least two weeks before the tour, we reserve the right to refuse entry.
  • Completed booking forms can be emailed to groups@chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk as Microsoft Word attachments, or sent to:
    Group Bookings, Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS.
  • When we have received your booking form we will email you confirmation of the date and time of your tour. If you do not have an email address we will do this by post. Our guides are volunteers who are not always in the office, so it may take a few days to confirm their availability.
  • You can send full payment at the same time as the booking form, or later, to the address above, but remember that full payment must be sent at least a month in advance of your tour. When you send payment, please include a stamped self-addressed envelope for us to send you your receipt.

Tour Types

Group Visits on Public Open Days
£8 per head (£5 students – students must show student cards on entry) and £25 per guide.
Pre-booked groups are welcome on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays (limited availability), Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays (limited availability) from 12-4pm. Lunch and afternoon tea is available from 12.30pm. On Wednesdays from 30th June until 1st September the Garden is open until 10pm. On these days tours can be taken until 7.30pm with the possibility of dining in our Café afterwards.

Self-guided Educational Visits
Tours for NUS or ISIC card carrying college or university students guided by their own tutors are charged at a rate of £5 per student and £25 for each accompanying tutor. They are available all year on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and on Sundays between 4th April and 31st October. Please note, two weeks’ notice is needed for a self-guided tour which must be arranged through Group Bookings on 020 7352 5646 ext 221. Tutor led groups can sometimes visit on weekdays when we are not otherwise open to the public, ie before midday, and on a Monday or Tuesday. Please call to discuss the possibilities.

Please note: even if you choose to self-guide we still charge a £25 fee.

Entrance to the Garden

Visitors must arrive by the Swan Walk Gate. Groups will be counted in at the Ticket Kiosk who will have been informed of your booking and time of arrival.
If for some reason you are coming on a date that we are not open to the public you should arrive at 66 Royal Hospital Road. Please ring the bell marked ‘Chelsea Physic Garden’ to gain admittance.
How to find us

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair access to the Garden is through the foyer at 66 Royal Hospital Road, because there are steps down from the Swan Walk Gate.
There is a non-reservable disabled parking bay outside 66 Royal Hospital Road with dropped curb access to the pavement and another by the West Gate.
There is a wheelchair for visitors at the Garden but please ring the office to book it as it may otherwise be in use.

Other Nearby Attractions

If you would like to combine your visit to the Garden with a visit to another attraction, we are situated within walking distance of the following:

Battersea Park www.batterseapark.org, 10 mins’ walk
Cadogan Hall www.cadoganhall.com
020 7730 4500, 15 mins' walk
Carlyle’s House www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-carlyleshouse
020 7352 708, 10 mins’ walk
National Army Museum www.national-army-museum.ac.uk
020 7730 0717 x 2331, 5 mins’ walk
Natural History Museum www.nhm.ac.uk
020 7942 5555, 25 mins’ walk
Royal Court Theatre www.royalcourttheatre.com
020 7565 5000, 15 mins’ walk
Royal Hospital Chelsea www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk
020 7881 5305, 5 mins’ walk
Saatchi Gallery www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
020 7811 3087, 10 mins’ walk
Science Museum www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
0870 870 4868, 25 mins’ walk
Victoria & Albert Museum www.vam.ac.uk
020 7942 2764, 25 mins’ walk

Using your own or public transport, you can easily reach Buckingham Palace, Fulham Palace, the Garden Museum, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, Lambeth Palace and Garden, London Wetland Centre, The Queen’s Gallery, the Royal Geographical Society, the Serpentine Gallery, Tate Britain, the Victoria Palace Theatre (Billy Elliot) and the Apollo Victoria Theatre (Wicked).

If you require more information about group visits please call 020 7352 5646 x 221 or email groups@chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk