Soak up spring at Kew Gardens with new exclusive Transport for London offer

Ahead of springtime in the capital, a new ticket offer with Transport for London (TfL) is giving visitors to Kew Gardens access to discounted tickets when travelling to the UNESCO World Heritage site using TfL services.

TfL customers can now get 30 per cent off standard adult and concession tickets during peak season at Kew Gardens. Visitors can save up to £7.20 on the standard adult ticket price or enjoy additional savings of £6.45 on concession tickets, giving more value for money when using public transport to travel.  

The offer is valid seven days a week, from 3 March to 30 June, excluding the Easter weekend, and can be claimed in person at the entrance to Kew Gardens, or online using the code 'KEWTFL30' at checkout. All visitors need to do is show proof of travel via the TfL Oyster and contactless app.

From seasonal colour across Kew Gardens' 320 acres, to an exciting summer programme and thought-provoking exhibitions, there is plenty to enjoy at Kew Gardens.

London Underground and Kew's iconic Temperate House are also marking their joint 160th anniversary with a commemorative artwork featuring the majestic Grade I-listed structure, which will be unveiled on the TfL network later this year. The Temperate House is the world's largest surviving Victorian glasshouse, and is home to 1,500 species of rare and threated plants from around the world.

Visitors can also purchase limited edition TfL and Kew Gardens merchandise, available exclusively at the Kew shop and online (shop.kew.org). The new range includes mugs, magnets, tea towels, cushions, tote bags, postcards and bookmarks. Fans of the vintage railway posters can also take home a new range of Kew Gardens posters from the London Transport Museum collection dating back to the 1920s.

A programme of activities throughout 2023 will celebrate London Underground's role as the lifeblood of the city, connecting Londoners with work and leisure opportunities for the past 160 years. Activities will be themed around the Tube's innovation, its contribution to improving the environment, how the Tube connects people and places, how it supports diversity and inclusion, and its unique and world-renowned architecture and design. A self-guided treasure hunt across all of the original Metropolitan Railway stations took place in January.

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport said: "TfL and Kew Gardens are both key parts of London's cultural identity. It's great to be able to celebrate this joint anniversary of 160 years of the Tube and the Temperate House at Kew. As spring approaches, I encourage Londoners to take advantage of these discounted tickets and plan a day out to Kew Gardens on London's public transport network."

Julie Dixon, TfL's Customer Director, said: "Kew Gardens is a popular year-round destination for Londoners and visitors, and we're really pleased to have teamed up with them for greater savings for our customers as spring colour begins to blossom.  

"The fact that the London Underground and the Temperate House at Kew Gardens are both celebrating their 160th anniversary this year makes the partnership even more special. We hope our customers will enjoy exploring Kew Gardens using our transport network, which enables people to enjoy London's best attractions for less as we head into spring and summer." 

TfL has also teamed up with a number of other attractions in London, including Historic Royal Palaces, to offer customers an exclusive offer for 2023. Customers can also enjoy 30 per cent off at SEA LIFE London Aquarium, The London Dungeon and three other Merlin Entertainments attractions.  

Through the Mayor's Let's Do London Campaign - the biggest domestic tourism campaign London had ever seen - he has been working with London's business growth and destination agency, London & Partners, and the London Tourism Recovery Board, to encourage Londoners and tourists across the world to enjoy the capital by shining a spotlight on the world-leading range of attractions and entertainment.

Notes to editors

• Hi-res media images of Kew Gardens and the Kew x TfL retail range are available to download here: https://we.tl/t-2Rzv7NyCit
• Kew Gardens station can be accessed via TfL's Tube, Rail and bus  services. The station, which is a short walk to Kew's Victoria Gate entrance, is on the District line and London Overground route towards Richmond. Buses that serve Kew Gardens are route 65 (access to Lion Gate, Elizabeth Gate and Victoria Gate) and 110 (stops near Kew Gardens station) 
• The TfL and Kew Gardens offer lasts from 3 March until 30 June 2023, excluding 7 - 10 April 2023 
• Offer is only valid on TfL journeys that appear on the TfL Oyster and contactless app, excluding journeys made on Santander Cycles 
• To be eligible for the offer, customers must show proof of travel to the location via TfL services on the TfL Oyster and Contactless app at Kew Gardens ticket office on arrival. To download the app, please visit http://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/tfl-oyster-and-contactless-app  
• For the full terms and conditions of the offer, please see tfl.gov.uk/corporate/terms-and-conditions/kew-gardens-ticket-offer  
• TfL has partnered with other attractions across the capital including with Merlin attractions and Historic Royal Palaces for special offers and discounts. For the latest updates on our offers and deals see tfl.gov.uk/deals
• Up to four children aged under 11 years old travel for free with a fare-paying adult on TfL's network. Children aged 17 and under can also get free or discounted travel with a Zip Oyster photocard. Customers benefit from TfL's most affordable fares by travelling off-peak and using pay as you go on contactless or Oyster
• All bus and tram passengers also benefit from the Mayor's Hopper fare, which allows unlimited journeys for the price of one when carried out within an hour of first touching in
• Contactless or Oyster allows customers to travel flexibly by simply touching in and out and only paying for the journeys made, reducing the need to queue or buy tickets in the station. They  also benefit from daily and weekly capping meaning customers never pay more than an equivalent Travelcard for their travel to, from or within Zones 1-6. Real-time travel information is also available via the TfL website or the free TfL Go app 
• More information about free and discounted travel can be found here: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel 
• Through the Let's Do London campaign, the Mayor has been working with London's business growth and destination agency, London & Partners, and the London Tourism Recovery Board, to encourage Londoners and tourists across the world to enjoy the capital by shining a spotlight on the world-leading range of attractions and entertainment

About Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew's scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew's Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction. Kew's 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew's Wild Botanic Garden and 'living laboratory', attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew's vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. For tickets, please visitwww.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed 10,000 visitors with £1 tickets