Visiting the Palace, Park & Gardens

Blenheim Palace, Formal Gardens and Park

Within this section you will find everything you need to plan a visit, from opening times, prices and access details, to pre-booked group information, season tickets and choices of food and drink. Visitors do not need to book in advance. During our usual opening hours you choose when to enter the Palace and join a guided tour, which run approximately every 20 minutes. On Sundays and Bank holidays a free flow system will be in operation with Guides in each room.

Tours of the Palace

Guided tours of the State Rooms, which house one of the finest collections in Europe, run frequently in English throughout the day and are included in the ticket price. They run daily except for Sundays and Bank Holidays when a free flow system operates. Private tours and language tours are available at an additional charge; these must be pre-booked.

LENGTH OF TOUR: 35 MINUTES

Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story

This fascinating visitor experience is led by Grace Ridley, ladies maid to the 1st Duchess of Marlborough, who reveals what life was like at the Palace over the past 300 years, from the servants perspective. Read more...

LENGTH OF TOUR: 35 MINUTES

The experience is accessed via a set of stairs to the first floor of the Palace and therefore unfortunately is not accessible for wheelchairs. A short film of the experience is available at ground level opposite the Indoor Cinema.

The Churchill Exhibition

This permanent exhibition situated around the room in which Sir Winston Churchill was born in 1874, displays personal letters, paintings and mementoes from the life of the ‘Greatest Briton’. He is buried nearby at St Martin’s Church in Bladon.

Private Appartments

Tours of the private apartments where the family still live are available from during the summer. Situated in the East Wing, the tours take approximately 30 minutes and are open at the discretion of the family. Please ask at Flagstaff Kiosk for availability. A small extra charge applies.

The Park & Gardens

Blenheim Palace is surrounded by over 2,000 acres of stunning parkland and award-winning Formal Gardens. The splendour and tranquillity of 'Capability' Brown’s landscaped Park and great Lake fringed by majestic oaks and maples is unrivalled in Britain. Over 100 acres of Formal Gardens include the recently restored Secret Garden, majestic Water Terraces, The Rose Garden and the Duke of Marlborough’s ornate private garden; The Italian Garden. Walks to the Grand Cascade or across Vanbrugh’s Grand Bridge to the Column of Victory take in views of the magnificent lake fringed by majestic oaks and maples, there is beauty to be found in all seasons.

The Pleasure Gardens

A miniature train takes you to the Pleasure Gardens which includes the Lavender Garden, Adventure Pay Area, a giant symbolic ‘Marlborough hedge Maze’, ‘Blenheim Bygone’s Exhibition’ and the Butterfly House.

Parking

Free parking is available once you pay your entrance fee.

Dogs

Dogs on leads are allowed in the extensive parkland around the Palace. No dogs are allowed into the Formal Gardens, Courtyards or Pleasure Gardens. Dogs for the blind or hard of hearing are welcome in all areas.

Information leaflets:

Visitor maps and leaflets

Download the Visitor Leaflet (499kb)
Download the Consumer Leaflet (4mb)
Download the Visitor Map A4 size (159kb)
Download the Visitor Map A3 size (213kb)

World Heritage Site Management Plan click here to download