RHS Garden Wisley sits on Wisley Lane, GU23 6QB, between Cobham and Ripley, just off the A3 and south of Junction 10 of the M25. It covers 240 acres, according to Surrey Live, with formal and informal gardens, several glasshouses and an arboretum. That is a lot for one day, so it helps to choose what you want from it.
Tickets
The RHS lists adult tickets at from £15.20 when pre-booked online and £20.50 on the day. A child aged 5 to 16 is £6, under 5s are free, and a car-free adult (arriving by bus, bike or on foot) pays £14.40. RHS members go free and can bring one adult guest or up to two children. Prices are lowest on quieter weekdays, so book ahead and go midweek if you can. Details are on the RHS plan-your-visit page.
When to go
Until 24 October the garden opens 10am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm at weekends, with last entry at 5pm. From 25 October it closes at 4.30pm, with last entry at 4pm. It is open every day except 25 and 26 December.
The Wisley Flower Show, with its dahlia displays, has finished for the year. For a quieter visit, aim for a weekday morning.
The Glasshouse
Built to celebrate the RHS Bicentenary and opened in 2007, the Glasshouse is 12m high and covers the area of ten tennis courts. It has three climatic zones, Temperate, Arid and Tropical, and about 6,000 plant accessions, all computer-controlled for light, heat and ventilation. It is open daily 10am to 3.45pm (last entry 3.30pm), free with garden admission, and it is the sensible rainy-day choice.
One thing to know before you plan: the tropical section is closed for essential maintenance from Monday 14 September to Friday 13 November. Check with the RHS before you go to see what else is open in that time.
Outside, walk the Oudolf Landscape. Piet Oudolf created the original Glasshouse borders in 2001, and the redesign opened in May 2024 with 36,000 perennials on snaking paths running down to the Glasshouse. Details are in the RHS article.
RHS Hilltop
The newest big addition to the garden is RHS Hilltop, billed as the home of gardening science and the UK's first dedicated horticultural scientific centre of excellence. Designed by WilkinsonEyre, it opened on 24 June 2021 at a cost of £35m. Inside are laboratories, public exhibition space, teaching studios, an events hall and a home for the RHS Herbarium, science and library collections. A living wall fills the atrium.
Around it are four acres of science gardens: the Wellbeing Garden, the World Food Garden and the Wildlife Garden. Hilltop is open daily 10am to 5.45pm (last entry 4.45pm) and is free with garden admission.
Where to eat
Until 24 October the options run like this:
Terrace Restaurant: breakfast from 10am (9am at weekends), lunch 11.30am to 2.30pm, afternoon tea 3pm to 4pm.
Wisley Café: at the garden entrance next to the Garden Centre, open 9am to 6pm, with hot food 11.30am to 3pm. Coffee, bakery, toasties, sandwiches, soup and hot snacks.
World Food Café: in the World Food Garden, 10am to 5pm, serving global plant-based food to eat in or take away.
Glasshouse Kitchen: table service, with pizzas, pasta and salads, and a soft play area nearby. Good for families.
Hours shorten from 25 October, so check the RHS food and drink page.
The plant centre
The RHS Wisley Garden Centre sells plants and houseplants, tools, books, gifts and homeware. It is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, with browsing from 10.30am. From 25 October, Monday to Saturday closes at 5pm. Leave it to the end of the day and buy heavy plants last.
Getting there
By car, use GU23 6QB; Surrey Live reports the on-site car park is large and free. By bus, the 714 stops at the garden from Cobham (about 10 minutes), Esher (30) and Kingston (50), with no Sunday service. The 462 and 463 run from Woking station and Guildford, but sources differ on whether they stop at the gate or nearby, so confirm the stop on the day. Arriving without a car earns the £14.40 ticket.
A garden this size suits a slow, unhurried day: Glasshouse first, Hilltop second, lunch in the middle and the plant centre last.
