The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Kent

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Kent

the Beautiful Garden of England - 2025

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Kent

the Beautiful Garden of England - 2025

Prices From $5,450p/p

The prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show has come a long way since its humble single-marquee beginnings in 1913; the kaleidoscopic event is now an unmissable highlight of the British calendar and is world-famous for its stunning displays, vibrant colors and innovative designs. We are lucky enough to be visiting on Member’s Day, where RHS members, royals and celebrities take an exclusive first look at the floral extravaganza, set in the grounds of London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea. The beautiful blooms continue with our exploration of Kent, often referred to as the Garden of England thanks to its rolling orchards, mild climate and fruitful allotments. There’s time to stop and smell the flowers at a host of horticultural wonders during our delightful guided tours, including the striking Hole Park Estate and Lullingstone Castle's unique World Garden.

Special extras included in your itinerary
• Lunch & guided tour at Great Comp Garden
• Guided tour of Great Dixter Gardens with the Head Gardener
• Guided garden tour & refreshments at Hole Park
• World of Gardens tour with a Blue Badge guide at Lullingstone Castle
• Guided tour of Eltham Palace Gardens with the Head Gardener
• Guided walking tour of Kew Gardens
• Secret Garden tour of London
• Entry to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Member’s Day with afternoon tea

Day 1
Thursday: Arrival

On arrival at Heathrow Airport, a private transfer will take you to our overnight hotel, the Castle Hotel. In the evening, join the group for a welcome drink and canapés, followed by dinner.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2
Friday: RHS Garden Wisley & Great Comp Garden

This morning, we head to RHS Garden Wisley, the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship garden, gifted to the Society in 1903. Extending over 240 peaceful acres, from beautiful rose and demonstration gardens to tranquil tracts of woodland, Wisley offers a wealth of inspirational ideas on design, innovation and cultivation techniques. The state-of-the-art Glasshouse is divided into three main planting zones representing desert, tropical and temperate climates.

Next, lunch and a guided tour await at Great Comp, an RHS Partner Garden surrounding a lovely 17th-century manor. As one of Kent's finest horticultural gems, it's full of stunning plants such as salvias, magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons and hellebores and also features an Italian Garden, pretty woodland walks plus the Old Dairy Tearooms.

Later, we check into the Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, where we stay for the next three nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3
Saturday: Great Dixter House & Gardens & Hole Park

We start the day at Great Dixter, home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd. The Head Gardener here treats us to a guided tour of the famous gardens, home to a spectacular mix of topiary, mixed borders, an orchard and a wildflower meadow. We also take a peek around the house which, although largely medieval, has several later additions by Edwin Lutyens. Just one highlight is the Great Hall, one of the largest surviving timber-framed halls in the country.

Afterward we continue to Hole Park, a delightful private home situated in a picturesque parkland setting and owned by the Barham family for the last four generations. This afternoon we enjoy refreshments with a guided tour of the garden, admiring the wide range of colors from beautiful blooms such as tulips, roses, clematis, wisteria, rhododendrons and azaleas, bursting with fragrance and set against the far-reaching views over the hills and woodland.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4
Sunday: Sissinghurst Castle Garden & Lullingstone Castle

This morning we head to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, created in the 1930s by novelist Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. Set around the ruins of an Elizabethan manor house, these world-famous gardens are laid out as a series of individually-planted ‘rooms’, including a fragrant Herb Garden and Rose Garden, and are a delight to explore.

We then make our way to Lullingstone Castle, one of the oldest family estates in England and even recorded in the Domesday Book. The present manor house was built in 1497 and has been home to the same family ever since. Altered extensively in Queen Anne’s time, the house boasts fine state rooms and beautiful grounds, including a stunning 15-acre lake and the World Garden, home to thousands of rare plants collected from around the world by Tom Hart Dyke, the current heir, planted in their respective continents of origin. Incredibly, the ideas and plans for this garden were started during Tom’s nine-month kidnap ordeal in the early 2000s, a result of rare plant hunting in the Colombian jungle. There are plenty of unique species, including the world’s most dangerous plant, the hottest chilli and the rarest gum tree, and we find out more during our captivating tour with a Blue Badge guide.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5
Monday: Eltham Palace & Kew Gardens

Our first stop today is the unique Eltham Palace. Once a medieval palace, then highly popular for Christmas celebrations in Tudor times, it was leased from the Crown and transformed by millionaires into an Art Deco mansion in the 1930s. This mesh of architectural movements served as a playground for a young Henry VIII who spent much of his childhood here in the 16th century. Outside, we are treated to a guided tour with the Head Gardener, who shows us stunning areas such as the Sunken Rose Garden, quiet Rock Garden, idyllic wildflower meadow, medieval embankment and the series of garden rooms, bursting with delightful fragrances.

A springtime stroll is the order of the afternoon with a guided walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Dating back to the early 18th century as a royal palace, Kew Gardens is now a globally renowned institution for plant-based research. Exploding with color and with no less than 50,000 plants, there is a range of different areas to explore including the Arboretum, the peaceful Japanese garden and the remarkable indoor rainforest climbing within the Palm House.

Later, we check into the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, where we stay for the last three nights of our tour.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 6
Tuesday: Secret Garden Tour of London

We join our enchanting Secret Garden Tour of London, taking in a host of hidden gems and picturesque green spaces tucked away in the bustling metropolis. We discover the striking oasis of St Dunstan-in-the-East, followed by All Hallows-by-the-Tower, St Mary Aldermanbury Garden, St Lawrence Jewry, Church of St Bartholomew the Great, Postman's Park and the Grade I listed Guildhall, time permitting.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7
Wednesday: RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Today we enjoy Member’s Day entry to the Royal Horticultural Society’s most sought-after event, the Chelsea Flower Show, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Here we take an exclusive first look at the show, discover the finest in garden design, listen to superb expert advice and soak up the unique atmosphere of this world-famous floral extravaganza. The Great Pavilion is the wonderful centrepiece, containing a wide-ranging mix of vibrant displays, while the Show Gardens illustrate the exceptional talent of a handful of carefully selected garden designers, delivering a broad range of design styles and themes. We also indulge in a quintessentially British afternoon tea during our delightful springtime day here.

Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea

Day 8
Thursday: Departure

A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow Airport for your return flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions. Entrance to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show may not be guaranteed for late bookings.

What’s Included
• Return airport transfers from London Heathrow*
• 1 night at the Castle Hotel
• 3 nights at the Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club
• 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill
• Welcome drink & canapés
• Full English/Continental breakfast each day
• 3-course table d’hôte dinner & two-course buffet dinner on 5 nights at the hotels (with after-dinner tea & coffee)
• Services of a tour director throughout your stay
• Travel to & from all excursions
• All excursion costs
• Porterage where available

*supplement applies for transfers from all other airports and all other locations, including central London

Special extras included in your itinerary
• Lunch & guided tour at Great Comp Garden
• Guided tour of Great Dixter Gardens with the Head Gardener
• Guided garden tour & refreshments at Hole Park
• World of Gardens tour with a Blue Badge guide at Lullingstone Castle
• Guided tour of Eltham Palace Gardens with the Head Gardener
• Guided walking tour of Kew Gardens
• Secret Garden tour of London
• Entry to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Member’s Day with afternoon tea

Night One – Castle Hotel, Windsor
The Castle Hotel is the most historic hotel in the town of Windsor and has been delighting guests for centuries, particularly thanks to its wonderful views of the daily Changing of the Guard procession. The en-suite bedrooms blend historic features with modern amenities, while there is also a classic restaurant to enjoy.

Nights Two to Four – Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, East Grinstead
The Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club is a quintessential English retreat nestled in the heart of the Ashdown Forest, an enchanting woodland that inspired A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories. This luxurious hotel and country club offers a harmonious blend of elegance and tranquility, set against the backdrop of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The hotel boasts luxury accommodation, fine dining, and an array of leisure facilities including a spa, golf course, and extensive gardens and woodlands waiting to be explored.

Nights Five to Seven – Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, London
Tucked away behind Hyde Park and Oxford Street in the sophisticated Marylebone area of the capital, the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill Hotel maintains a distinctly British charm. The hotel boasts two restaurants, an award-winning bar and al fresco terrace plus sophisticated en-suite rooms with HD TV, complimentary toiletries, robes, slippers, minifridge and tea and coffee-making facilities. Throughout the hotel, look out for design elements and features that subtly honor Sir Winston Churchill’s life.