Things to do · Tetbury
Highgrove Gardens
The gardens at Highgrove, near Tetbury, open by booked guided tour from spring to early autumn, with tours that include lunch or tea.
Only possible on a booked tour, so plan well ahead: the 2027 tours go on sale in March 2027, first come, first served. Allow three hours with lunch or tea in the Orchard Room.
- Good: Guided tours of about an hour and a half
- Good: Free parking for ticket holders
- Worth knowing: Booked tours only, April to September; tickets go on sale in March
- Worth knowing: Not for children under nine, and no dogs
- Worth knowing: Photo ID needed; no photography on tours
- Worth knowing: Rough gravel and cobbled paths; bring your own wheelchair
About
Highgrove, near Tetbury, is the private home of the King and Queen, and its gardens can only be seen on a guided tour booked in advance. Tours last about an hour and a half and run from April to September, with champagne tea tours from May to July. Tickets are sold first come, first served, with no waiting list, and the 2027 tours go on sale in March 2027.
There are plain garden tours, tours with a two-course lunch or a champagne tea, and private tours for small groups. In 2026 a garden tour started at £45. The Orchard Room Restaurant, with table service, is open to ticket holders after their tour (from 11.30am to 5.30pm in the season, no booking needed), and the Highgrove Shop sells garden and home goods. Allow about three hours in all.
Security is strict: every visitor needs photo ID and an e-ticket and should arrive 15 to 30 minutes early, but no earlier (Highgrove’s FAQ and directions pages differ). The gardens are at Doughton, two miles south-west of Tetbury on the A433 to Bath, reached by a concealed, unmarked entrance shared with Street Farm Workshops on the western edge of the hamlet, then a police check; Highgrove warns that sat navs are only a rough guide. Photography is not allowed on tours, phones and cameras only in set areas, and binoculars, tablets, laptops and recording equipment are not allowed at all. Tours are not suitable for children under nine, and only assistance dogs may come. Paths are gravel and cobbles, and wheelchairs cannot be hired. Parking is free for ticket holders. It suits keen gardeners who plan ahead.
Opening hours and season
Garden tours run from April to September, champagne tea tours from May to July. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early for security checks, and no earlier (the FAQ and directions pages give different times).
Facilities
- Orchard Room RestaurantTable service, for ticket holders after their tour
- Highgrove ShopIn the Coronation Pavilion
- Free parkingWith a pre-booked ticket; motorhomes up to 6m
The details
- Time to allow
- About three hours, with lunch or tea
- Features
- Guided tours · Restaurant · Shop · Parking
- Parking
- Free for visitors with pre-booked tickets. Motorhomes up to six metres fit; no cars towing caravans.
Photos
The house and topiary in autumn 
The Sundial Garden 
Beehives below the house 
The Orchard Room
Location
Accessibility
- Assistance dogs welcome
Paths are rough, gravelled or cobbled. No wheelchairs for hire, and wheelchair users need a strong companion. Carers and essential companions go free.
Places to stay nearby
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Hare and Hounds
Hotel · Tetbury
A hotel at Westonbirt near Tetbury, close to the National Arboretum, with the Gamekeeper's Cottage and its hot tub next door, and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly · Hot tubs · Wedding venues
Verified Oct 2026
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The Close Hotel
Hotel · Tetbury
A hotel on Long Street, Tetbury, set back from the street, part of Cotswold Inns and Hotels, with dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
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Angel Cottage
Self-catering · Tetbury
A holiday cottage for two on New Church Street in the middle of Tetbury, for short breaks or weekly stays.
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Hare and Hounds 1.7 km away
- Hobbs House Bakery, Tetbury 2.1 km away
- The Cat & Custard Pot Inn 2.2 km away
- The Close Hotel 2.2 km away
Sights nearby
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St Catherine's Church, Westonbirt
Sight · Church · Tetbury
The former parish church of Westonbirt, south-west of Tetbury, now in the grounds of Westonbirt School beside the Holfords' great house: twelfth to fifteenth century, with Holford monuments including the effigy of Robert Stayner Holford, who began the arboretum.
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Cutwell Bridge, Tetbury
Sight · Bridge · Tetbury
A small packhorse and foot bridge of about 1622 on the old road into Tetbury from the south-west: one triangular stone arch about a metre high over a tributary of the Avon, with a long ramp. Grade II, on a public path the Tetbury town walk follows.
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Bath Bridge, Tetbury
Sight · Bridge · Tetbury
Bath Bridge carries the Bath road, now the A433, over the valley south of Tetbury and up into the town: four arches of rubble stone, each a different size, built by Thomas Webb in 1774 to 1776 as part of the town's Georgian improvements. Grade II.
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St Mary the Virgin, Tetbury
Sight · Church · Tetbury
Tetbury's parish church, rebuilt in 1777 to 1781 by Francis Hiorn as a tall Gothick hall with wooden clustered columns, box pews and side passages, under a medieval tower and spire rebuilt in the 1890s. Grade I; open every day.