Save on visits to more than 3,000 of the UK's most spectacular gardens

The National Garden Scheme offers budget days out at gardens across the country.

Visiting scenic gardens can be pricey, especially if you don’t have a National Trust or English Heritage pass to hand. 

But there’s a cheaper way to enjoy the great outdoors and explore stunning gardens across the UK, thanks to the National Garden Scheme (NGS). 

For a small fee — less than £6.50 for an adult, on average, according to NGS — you can visit gardens across the UK that are usually closed to the public. 

In addition to private openings, many major attractions organise open days in partnership with the NGS. For example, a family of four could save more than £87 on a trip to Hampton Court Palace on its next NGS open day.

Read on to find out how to arrange a visit to a garden near you, and to hear about the next Open Day dates for your diary.

How to visit a private garden this summer

The National Garden Scheme, which has been running since 1927, offers private visits ‘by arrangement’ to smaller gardens in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

NGS partner gardens also arrange pop-up openings, tours and special events.

These include the South London garden of the chair of the National Garden Scheme as well as other small gardens around the country. Many are outstandingly designed and maintained, with some also offering refreshments and affordable plant sales. Under-16s usually go free.

To book a garden near you, head to the NGS Find a Garden tool and filter by location, date and whether you’d like to drop in or arrange a private visit. Along with selecting accessibility requirements, you can filter by the garden style you’re interested in, from ‘countryside views’ to ‘historical garden’, and even select the types of plants you’d like to spot. Once you’ve found a garden you’re interested in, click ‘book’ to pay for your ticket. 

Find a garden near you on the National Garden Scheme website.

Scotland’s Open Gardens

The National Garden Scheme covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but Scotland has its own scheme.

It includes 457 gardens, from castle grounds to small family plots. 

Find a garden to visit in Scotland.

Garden open days for your diary

London's Open House Festival

From 12-20 September 2026, London’s Open House Festival returns, with free drop-ins, tours and events at historic houses and their gardens across the city, including The Barbican Conservatory, Chiswick House Gardens, Avery Hill Winter Garden, Charlton House and Gardens. 

Although events are free to attend and prebooking often isn't required, many need you to sign up in advance, and slots can be limited. You can find an Open House garden to visit on the Open City website. 

The London Gardens Trust also hosts a set of open garden days annually in June, with dates yet to be announced for 2027. These include access to garden squares that are normally only accessible to residents in Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea.

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Hampton Court Gardens Open Day

Normally, if you want to visit Hampton Court’s famous gardens, you’d need to pay £29 for a general admission ticket.

However, on the dates below, you can wander round – free of charge – gardens created for Henry VIII, including the Great Fountain Garden, Pond Gardens and Privy Garden.

If you want to visit the maze or The Magic Garden for children, you’ll still need to buy a general admission ticket.

• 12 and 13 September
• 10 and 11 October
• 21 and 22 November
• 26 December (The Wilderness Garden only)

The UK’s best gardens

Last year, we asked 2,489 members of the Which? Connect panel about their favourite gardens.

Here’s how they rated more than 60 of the country’s best gardens in our survey.

Most of them are open year-round.