RHS Wisley Gardens, Surrey

Where is Wisley Gardens

RHS Wisley Gardens are in Surrey, South East England. Located just off the A3 (close to the M25) it’s easily accessible but like an oasis of calm – you’d have no idea how close you were to the roads!

Address

RHS Garden Wisley
Woking
Surrey
GU23 6QB

There is ample parking with disabled bays and electric charging bays. Depending on the day and time you visit you can either be right by the entrance or considerably further away…but it’s an easy pathed walk regardless of car park that you end up in.

Opening times

Summer 18 Mar–20 Oct: Monday to Friday 10am–6pm

Saturday and Sunday 9am–6pm

Closed 25 Dec.

Winter 21 Oct–15 Mar: Monday to Friday 10am–4.30pm,

Saturday and Sunday 9am–4.30pm

Last entry one hour before closing.

Booking and Prices for Wisley Gardens

As with most places at the moment, Wisley Gardens is on a pre booked entrance only. Visit their website here to book your time slot. You can enter the gardens at any time during your allocated time slot, but once in you can stay as long as you like.

Prices

You can either pay for a one off visit to Wisley, or, if you will visit more than once in a year it’s worth considering membership.

There are a number of Membership options. A popular one is the Individual option which is £49.75 and with this membership you can visit all 5 RHS Gardens for the member and a family guest or 2 children. Check here for all the options.

What is there to do at Wisley Gardens

There are so many places to explore at Wisley, and even people who go regularly often say they still discover new parts! Many visitors don’t stray far from the main paths and obvious areas but I encourage you to explore further – check the map and get your walking shoes on. The magic of Wisley lies in the hidden corners. For the fully interactive map click here.

Different areas of Wisley come to life at different times, for example the Rose gardens can’t be missed when they’re in bloom, and the orchards are stunning when they’re in fruit. The crocuses in May by the main house are spectacular and the Wild Heather just past Howards field is gorgeous pretty much year round! Theres a part of the Wisley Garden website which tells you what part of the garden is looking good ‘now’. Check it out here.

A sure fire hit all year is the Play Area which has something for everyone, from slides to sand and trampolines to Swings.

The glasshouse (which has been closed during the Pandemic, so be sure to check) is great to explore and children really enjoy the jungle like environment of the temperate zone (warning…it gets hot!)

Howards Field, which is to the right when you go in (past the Food Hall) is brilliant for a run around and picnic. The huge trees are also great for a game of hide and seek.

Food and drink

There’s a number of food options at Wisley RHS Gardens, and obviously plenty of space to enjoy a picnic. Food can be on the pricey side but it’s nice and there’s a good selection (I recommend their cakes!) You can choose from the main Food Hall (there is also a table service Restaurant adjoining that) which has both indoor and outdoor seating.

There is also the Glasshouse Cafe which is close to the play area and glasshouse (hence the name!) and also has a good amount of indoor and outdoor seating. Slightly less on offer here but still a good choice.

For more table service dining theres a further option right at the end of Howards Field in the heather landscape. Its in the old Doctors House and looks lovely, its only open seasonally so double check.

If you aren’t going into Wisley Gardens you can still access the Wisley Cafe which is next to the (superb) shop. Small and it can get busy, but there’s a good selection for a snack.

Special Events

Throughout the year there are a variety of special events at Wisley RHS Gardens. Probably the best known of these is the Wisley Glow, which is their Christmas lights event. It seems to be getting more and more spectacular each year and it really is a treat to see, children love it. Tickets generally go on sale in October and members go free.

There is also the Wisley Flower Show between 7-12th September 2021. A popular event and one that was cancelled in 2020 so I bet it’ll be even more popular this year!

There are also usually trails or events for children during the school holidays, in the past these have ranged from Easter trails to petting farms (which was brilliant!).

As well as all this there are a variety of courses throughout the year (aimed at adults), and ‘Walkies at Wisley’ where 4 legged pets are allowed to join for a visit. These can all be found here.

Anything else?

The Wisley Shop is brilliant and not to be missed. Since its refurbishment a few years ago the range has been huge and its a great place to get a gift or a little something for yourself.

I hope you enjoyed reading about RHS Wisley Gardens and will be booking yourself a trip soon! If you’d like to read about other things to do in Surrey and the South East then click here.