London/Richmond-Kew

Richmond-Kew is a district in south-west London. This is perhaps the area of outer London with the most to offer visitors.

Understand
The London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, which includes Richmond and Kew, is the only borough in London on both banks of the River Thames. This is a leafy and surprisingly rural borough with some lovely riverside scenery. The small area of Barnes is by the Thames at the eastern edge of the borough.

Richmond used to be a separate town and before 1965 a part of the county of Surrey. Surrey is still used as part of the postal address to distinguish it from the other town called Richmond in Yorkshire. The local inhabitants often view themselves (as do others) as something vaguely separate from the metropolis as a whole. This is perhaps due to Richmond's location on a large loop of the River Thames which surrounds most of the area, its enveloping by several vast royal parks and its previously independent identity. The parks are a major attraction for visitors as are the myriad of fine restaurants and interesting shopping. The areas north of the Thames around Twickenham, Hampton Wick and Bushy Park are part of Richmond borough and include the magnificent royal palace of Hampton Court. They were part of Middlesex until 1965 and Middlesex is still sometimes used for their postal addresses.

Located just to the north of Richmond and in the same loop of the Thames, Kew is mostly known for the world famous gardens of the same name. It is also home to some fine Victorian architecture.

By plane
The nearest major airport is London Heathrow.

By tube
The district is served by the following tube stations all on the District line and the London Overground, in either Zone 3 or 4:


 * Richmond – (Zone 4)
 * Kew Gardens – (Zones 3 and 4)
 * Gunnersbury – (Zone 3)

Note: You may need to change at Turnham Green for westbound trains towards Ealing Broadway.

By train

 * South Western Railway trains from London Waterloo station stop at Richmond. The journey takes 20-30 min, and trains depart every 15 min or so. South Western Railway also has trains to Hampton Wick and Hampton Court stations (although much less regularly than Richmond).
 * London Overground (Mildmay line) line from Stratford via Willesden Junction terminates at Richmond, also stopping at Kew Gardens and Gunnersbury.
 * District Line trains run from the station and can take you into central London in 30-35 mins.
 * District Line trains run from the station and can take you into central London in 30-35 mins.



By taxi
Richmond is accessible by taxi in about 30 minutes from Heathrow Airport or from central London depending on traffic conditions – you can expect to pay about £50 or more for the fare.

By car
If you are driving yourself, then from outside London you want to come in on the M3 or the M4. From the M3 head towards Central London onto the A316 past Twickenham Rugby Ground until you get to the Old Deer Park. From the M4 leave at Junction 2 on the elevated section, cross Kew Bridge and keep going past Kew Gardens for a couple of miles.

There is a fair amount of on-street parking, especially around The Green, but it's expensive - about £5 per hour, with a £60 penalty for overstaying your time. The main off-street car parks are slightly cheaper: try the big Old Deer Park car park down by the A316, or the smaller one tucked away down Friars Lane near the Old Palace.

Richmond
Richmond has a bus station. The 337 bus from Clapham Junction, the 110, 33, 419 buses from Hammersmith, and the N10 night bus from London King's Cross all stop here, amongst others.



Kew
Kew can be reached from Richmond and vice versa via the 65 or 391 bus from outside Richmond station.

Twickenham
Travel between Richmond and Twickenham is possible via the 33, 490, H22, R68, R70, and the N22 night bus.

By boat
There are no regular boat services to Richmond from central London, but in the summer a service runs to/from Hampton Court, and pleasure boats can be hired by the hour near Richmond Bridge.

Kew
The 65 bus runs the length of the Kew Rd, and the 391 runs up Sandycombe and A316 roads. An active person could walk the length of Kew (from A316 to Kew Bridge) in half an hour.

Twickenham
Within the area, Twickenham can be reached from Richmond via the buses 33, 490, H22, R68, R70, and N22 night bus. The R68 also goes on to Teddington and Hampton Court.

Richmond




Learn

 * Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College offers short- to medium-term courses on subjects such as cooking, foreign languages, IT, and business.

Richmond
Most of the major restaurant chains can be found within a few minutes of the town centre. Aside from those, there are plenty of privately owned restaurants with culinary offerings from all around the world, including German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.

Possibly the most upscale of Richmond's restaurants is located at the Bingham Hotel, which was awarded its first Michelin star in 2010.



Go next

 * East to Wandsworth along the south bank of the Thames
 * South west into Surrey