Visitor Guidelines
We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support during our closure and are excited to welcome Friends and Visitors to the garden again.
Following Government guidelines on access to green space we have updated our advice and kindly ask that you abide by these adjustments to protect yourself, other visitors, and our staff.
- Stay alert
- Do not enter the Gardens if you have any symptoms – fever, coughs, shortness of breath or are self-isolating.
- So we can manage a safe capacity both Friends of the Garden and general visitors must pre-book their ticket online.
- Friends will receive communication and guidance on how to book their tickets. All Friends will need to book tickets in advance. Please email if you have any difficulty making a booking.
- You will need to choose a 30-minute arrival time for the day you want to visit.
- Please arrive during your chosen timeslot.
When you arrive:
- Please have your ticket ready – printed or on your device – before you arrive.
- If you are a Friend, along with your time slot booking, please bring your Friends’ card, or email confirmation of Friend category.
- Entry will be via 66 Royal Hospital Road only.
- If you require step-free access to enter the Garden please see Accessibility page.
- So we can maintain social distancing, please arrive within your timeslot. Sadly, if you are late we won’t be able to guarantee admission as we have to closely manage our visitor numbers and the ability to maintain social distancing.
- We may have set up new routes. Please look out for any new signs around the garden.
- For your safety, we will initially not open the glasshouses, but hope to do so in the future.
- We advise a visit of 90 minutes to help us manage capacity.
Bear in mind:
- Please always respect our staff and keep a safe distance from them. Some work areas may be taped off to allow staff to work whist keeping a safe distance from others – please stay out of these areas.
- Garden benches are not sanitised, if you use them avoid touching surfaces.
- Please regularly wash or sanitise your hands.
- We are increasing the frequency of our cleaning.
- Please refrain from approaching our horticultural teams whilst they work as they are social distancing.
- You should only bring those you live with as your guests.
- The toilet facilities in the garden are open for use. We ask that you help us by washing your hands to make our facilities safe for all.
- A bell will be rung to signal the closure of the Garden at the end of the day. This bell will be rung 10 minutes before the gates close, so when you hear it please begin to make your way out of the Garden.
We’re really looking forward to welcoming you back. We’re all in this together and we need your help to enable us to keep the garden open safely. We look forward to seeing you.
Entry to the Garden is conditional on our Entrance Policy.
FAQs
All tickets are sent by e-mail and can either be printed off at home or scanned from a mobile or tablet device at the Garden.
Any pre-ordered guidebooks will be available for collection at our kiosk upon entry.
Children under 5 are free to enter the Garden, but need to be booked. Children aged 5 – 16 need a ticket. Please note: Pushchairs are allowed around the Garden but not at the Christmas Fair due to onsite capacity.
We are a very popular venue; dates can be booked up to a year in advance.
Chelsea Physic Garden provides the perfect backdrop for your wedding or event day; it is quite simply the ultimate garden venue! The Garden is a botanic venue with a large marquee as an optional hire. The venue is ‘dry hire’ so clients can select from a wide range of accredited suppliers to create your dream team. A Wedding Ceremony Room is available for up to 70 guests and blessings in the gardens are welcome.
The entire Garden is available to hire exclusively, or more intimate areas can also be booked separately.
For more information please contact
The Chelsea Physic Garden is London’s oldest botanic garden and contains a unique living collection of around 5,000 different (something like 20,000 plants in total) medicinal, herbal, edible or useful plants that have changed the world.
Guided tours of the Garden are run by trained and knowledgeable volunteers. We aim to have Guides here every day during the main season, (Tuesday – Friday and on Sundays, from April until October). There are no fixed times, but tours run roughly once an hour, from shortly after 11am until approximately 3.30pm. They last for approximately 45 minutes, and are listed on the blackboard by the entrance kiosk.
Our volunteer propagators, the Growing Friends, grow a small number of plants for sale, including the Garden’s signature Rosa Chinensis Bengal Crimson, and we also stock a limited number of other plants. The shop sells small gardening items including watering cans and trowels together with a whole range of beautiful items to tempt you including cards, jams, chutneys, our own Beefeater Gin, soaps and toiletries, ceramics and gifts for you and to buy for others.
We are sorry but garden toys, including balls are not allowed in the Garden. Thank you for helping us to protect the plants.
The café provides refreshments for visitors to this historic botanic garden, so all visitors who are not Friends, or the guest of a Friend, must pay the entrance fee. This includes our evening openings in July and August.
Registered support dogs are welcome please leave all other pets at home as we can’t let you bring them into the Garden, in order to protect the plants.
You can book the café if you are a Friend of the Physic Garden, or if you bring a group of ten people or more to the Garden.
The café and shop are open on the same days as the Garden (the café closes slightly earlier than the Garden).
You are welcome to bring a picnic into the Garden, however we ask that you not be in a group of more than six people including children. Unfortunately under our licence we cannot allow you to bring your own alcohol (although this can be purchased from the Café and please take all your rubbish home with when you leave. Please note that café tables are for the use of café patrons only. If an event is due to take place in the Garden we may need to ask you to move to a different area of the Garden.
If you are a group of 10 people or more you are able to receive a discounted entry rate. Please ring ahead (0207 349 6458)
You are welcome to draw or paint in the Garden provided you do not block paths, step in the plant beds, or make use of the café tables. Groups wishing to paint should contact the Venue Hire Manager.
Yes, we have a limited number of toilets available onsite, in the main building and by the cafe. We also have an accessible toilet and baby change facilities on site.
We do not have any facilities to store luggage but you are welcome to take it with you around the garden. Items must not be left unattended at any time.
There are a couple of council bike racks on Royal Hospital Road, unfortunately we do not have racks in the Garden due to lack of space and we can’t look after your bicycle for you.
We would be extremely grateful and delighted if you would like to make a donation to help support the Garden and our work. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/join-support/donate/