Royal Gardens, Chelsea Flower Show and the Cotswolds
Sunday 18th – Saturday 24th May 2025 (6 nights)
This tour is now fully booked. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please click here.
This regal, two-centre tour combines the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show on members-only day, Windsor Castle, RHS Wisley and the Royal Gardens at Highgrove, with a selection of superb private gardens in the Cotswolds, castles and palaces. On this tour you can expect royal residences, wonderful scenery, superb hotels and inspirational gardens.
- Members-only day at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
- Tour of RHS Wisley with private lunch.
- Private tour and lunch at His Majesty The King’s Royal Gardens at Highgrove.
- Private tour of Windsor Castle.
- Visit the home of award-winning garden designer, Tom Stuart-Smith.
- Beautiful Cotswolds scenery.
- One year’s individual membership of the RHS.
- After-hours visit to Hidcote Manor Gardens.
- Majestic gardens of World Heritage Site, Blenheim Palace.
Photo credits: Windsor ©VisitBritain; Highgrove ©Highgrove Enterprises; Chelsea Flower Show & Wisley ©RHS; ©Kiftsgate Court; ©Blenheim Palace; ©The Barn Garden; ©Sudeley Castle; other images copyright Sisley Garden Tours.
After our morning pick up at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel at Heathrow Airport, we head to the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship garden at RHS Wisley. We enjoy a guided tour so you’ll be sure to see the very best of these impressive and extensive gardens, which cover some 240 acres and inspire in any season. We have lunch (included) in the Tulip Room.
In the afternoon we check in to the 4-star Castle Hotel, Windsor. Dinner at the hotel (included).
Monday 19th May
Today we visit three properties created by the very talented Stuart-Smith family. Tom Stuart-Smith may be best known for his award-winning gardens at Chelsea Flower Show, but today we have the opportunity to see his own garden, The Barn Garden on the Serge Hill estate. A significant recent addition is The Plant Library, part of the Serge Hill Project to promote gardening, creativity and health. We will also enjoy lunch (included) and a tour of Tom’s sister’s garden, Serge Hill.
In the afternoon, we return to Windsor for some free time, before walking across to Windsor Castle for a private guided tour. Your evening is at leisure (dinner independent).
Tuesday 20th May
We head to central London to enjoy the first members-only day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Marvel at the magnificent floral displays by the best nurseries and specialist growers in the main pavilion. Be inspired by the extraordinary show gardens created by the leading lights in horticulture and enjoy the extensive array of gardening tools and gifts. There is time for lunch (independent).
Dinner is in the hotel (included).
Wednesday 21st May
After checking out, we head west to visit the Royal Gardens at Highgrove. This is the private home of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It is widely regarded as one of the most innovative gardens in the UK and is managed on the strictest sustainable and organic principles. After our private guided tour, we enjoy lunch at Highgrove (included).
Please note: Visits to Highgrove and Windsor Castle are limited and dependent on the King’s diary. Dates are released in early spring each year, therefore it is not possible to guarantee a visit before this time. Our itinerary may be re-ordered to accommodate the visit, or an alternative garden will be included should a visit not be possible.
In the late afternoon, we check into the 5-star Ellenborough Park Hotel in the Cotswolds. Dinner at the hotel (included).
Thursday 22nd May
This morning we have time to enjoy the facilities at the hotel. There will be a short talk with a garden historian and morning coffee. We depart late morning to make a visit to the charming Cotswolds market town of Broadway for lunch (independent) and shopping.
In the afternoon, we visit Kiftsgate Court, a delightfully laid out plantsman’s garden created by three generations of women who have all left their individual mark on the garden. It is located on top of a hill with magnificent views over the Vale of Evesham.
We end the day with an exclusive after-hours visit to the famous Hidcote Manor Garden Major Lawrence Johnston is claimed to have been the originator here of the ‘garden room’. We will enjoy the gardens, as very few do, after closing. We stroll through the garden and have drinks on the terrace. We return to Broadway for dinner in a local restaurant (included).
Friday 23rd May
This morning we begin with a tour of one of the Cotswolds’ most beautiful private gardens. The garden surrounds an attractive Georgian house with carefully crafted planting.
We then have time in the pretty market town of Stow-on-the-Wold for lunch (independent) and shopping. Afterwards, we visit a British flower grower to see her farm and learn about her business.
For our final visit of the day we are treated to and ‘after hours’ tour of Sudeley Castle, a romantic estate with ten distinct gardens and a history stretching back over 1,000 years. Sudeley the only private castle in England to have a Queen buried within the grounds. After the tour we meet the owner for pre-dinner drinks. Dinner in the hotel (included).
Saturday 24th May
After checking out we visit the World Heritage Site of Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. It is a monumental and historic palace with fabulous formal gardens and ‘Capability Brown’ landscaped grounds stretching over 2,000 acres. We enjoy a final lunch (included) overlooking the private gardens.
In the afternoon we drop off at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel and Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 for inter-terminal transport links and the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line trains into London..
Note: This tour includes one year’s individual membership of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). This tour can easily be combined with our Garden Gems of Cornwall, Devon & the Isles of Scilly tour. Some garden visits await final confirmation at the time of publication.
Please read our Tour Joining and Departure Arrangements information sheet here. To download a printable version of this itinerary, click here.
Our hotels are 4-star and are selected for their high standards of comfort and service. All rooms are ensuite and offer free wifi access.
The Castle Hotel, Windsor (3 nights)
Windsor Castle is just across the road from this historic 4-star hotel. Parts of the hotel date back to the 1520’s and the interior design reflects this wonderful heritage. The rooms are superbly appointed with calming colours, modern bathrooms and comfortable beds. The restaurant focuses on locally sourced ingredients and has an attractive outdoor terrace.
Ellenborough Park, near Cheltenham (3 nights)
Ellenborough Park, an ancient house dating from the 1500’s on the site of the original Cheltenham racecourse estate, has been restored as an exceptional luxury 5-star country house hotel, located just 10 minutes from the Cotswolds town of Cheltenham Spa. Set within 90 acres of parkland the hotel comprises 62 rooms and suites with an Indian-themed spa and outdoor heated swimming pool. There are lovely lounges to relax in and a wood-panelled dining room.
Tour cost per person (sharing twin or double room) | Single Supplement (for single occupancy of a double room) |
£5,350 (GBP) | £750 (GBP) |
PRICES INCLUDE:
- 6 nights’ accommodation at 4-star hotels with ensuite facilities.
- Breakfast daily, 4 lunches and 5 dinners.
- Assistance with luggage at the hotels.
- All garden visits including tours with garden owners and head gardeners.
- One year’s membership of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
- First members-only day at Chelsea Flower Show.
- Deluxe coach travel with professional driver.
- Transfers to and from the hotel and Heathrow Airport at the start and end of the tour.
- An information pack with detailed booklet about the gardens we will be visiting.
- Services of your Sisley tour director throughout.
- All tour gratuities (driver, tour director and hotels).
PRICES EXCLUDE:
- Airfares.
- Passport and/or visa fees if applicable.
- Meals not included in the tour, drinks, laundry, and telephone calls.
TOUR PAYMENT: A 10% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place(s) on the tour. Your balance payment is due 120 days prior to the tour departure.
EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION: You can get an idea of the cost of the tour in your local currency by using a currency converter. Conversion rates are based on institutional or inter-bank daily rates. Retail conversion rates include fees and will generally differ from these rates.
To book your place(s) please complete our online booking form at www.sisley.co.uk/booking-form/ or click the BOOK NOW button below. As soon as we receive your booking form, we will confirm availability on the tour of your choice and arrange collection of your deposit which secures your booking.
BOOK NOWHOW TO PAY
There are three ways to pay for your tour and you will be asked on the booking form which you prefer:
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With your own travel agent: We are happy to work with your preferred travel agent. Just provide us with their contact details on the booking form and we will take care of the rest.
TRAVEL INSURANCE AND BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS
It is mandatory for all overseas visitors to the UK to have travel insurance before joining our tours. Full details of our booking terms & conditions can be found at www.sisley.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section on our website for further information www.sisley.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/
We very much look forward to welcoming you, but please email tours@sisley.co.uk if you have any queries.