Buckingham Palace or Hampton Court Palace (or both!!)

[despondentatwork]

If you had to choose could you?? Why? Or do you recommend both.....

Hampton Court for me. Buckingham Palace for lush decor & furnishings, but Hampton Court for the history.

Hampton Court (nearer to me, for a start). You can see where Christopher Wren literally chopped into the old palace to build a new one for William and Mary (and he wanted to demolish the whole thing 😯). Gardens are lovely and it's right on the river. A guide at Ham House described the Thames in the 16c and 17c as like the M1 - families built their fine houses all along the route the monarch took to Richmond, Hampton Court and Windsor in the hopes that s/he would visit.

The other thing is that you can see as you walk through the rooms the reality of court life - as the rooms get nearer to the monarch's actual living quarters they get smaller and smaller, so there are fewer and fewer people with privileged close access. One writer called it 'knowing where you stood literally from where you stood.' Don't get past the guardroom? you're a nobody. Allowed into the dressing room or the closet? you're a royal favourite.

I've been to BP several times and like it, esp the gardens, but Hampton Court you can imagine thronged with courtiers and placemen and diplomats and people on the make at a time when monarchs had real power. Imagine approaching that from the river.

I would say Hampton Court and Windsor

I find Hampton Court just so much more interesting and I think there is more that to see at Windsor than at BP,

Hampton Court has much more history. Stay overnight nearby and combine with a trip to Windsor Castle (but check opening days carefully).
Buckingham Palace is interesting but a bit of a dump, and too crowded - plus 90% of the visitors have those ghastly audioguides on headsets so wander round like zombies.

I absolutely love both, I would pick Buckingham Palace as it’s only open for a short season.

HCP by a mile!

Hampton Court is a great day out!'

Love Hampton Court - so much more to see. I'd do Hampton COurt for the history and then the Royal Mews at BP (rather than the palace) to see the carriages and horses. Kew Palace in Kew Gardens is also rather sweet - see how Royal children grew up in the C18th

Hampton Court and the Tower of London!

Get a Royal Palaces season ticket for probably the same price as both visits and chuck in a visit to Kensington Palace too.

More history at Hampton Court and the interpreters do a great job of bringing it to life.

Buckingham Palace has only been the home of the monarch for a relatively short time, so whilst it's impressive I don't think you learn as much.

Depends who it's for and what special areas of interest.

Hampton Court is a proper day out. If you’ve got kids it has a fabulous playground and water play area. BP is more just a tour of the Palace and quite formal. HCP will have activities as you go round, living history a lot of the time, and a real range of time periods. And of course the maze.

Hampton Court definitely. Get HRP membership and go to the Tower and Kensington too.

Hampton Court - really makes the history come alive. I loved Kensington Palace too.

Hampton Court, best of our palaces imo.

Definitely Hampton Court - it's more substantial both building and gardens wise, and visually covers a greater historic time period.

Buckingham Palace is just the state rooms and a relatively short walk through the gardens on your way out.

Hampton Court by miles.

We went to Buckingham Palace and compared to Hampton Court and Windsor it was a disappointment. Not bad but defintiely nothing special.