Kew Gardens Immersive Audio Walking Tour - Guided By Expert Botanist

Supplied by: Vidi Guides

Overview

Start the tour at Kew Gardens’ Victoria Gate where we’ll look at the Gardens connection with royalty. This started all the way back in 1979 when Augusta, the Princess of Wales, acquired a large strip of land called Kew Fields. Learn how her son, King George III hired the famous Sir Joseph Banks to oversee development of the Gardens and kickstart Kew’s botanical legacy.

Visit the Marianne North Gallery, home to the famous and extensive collection of illustrations from Marianne North. Highly regarded by people like William Hooker and Charles Darwin, North was massively respected in her field and challenged both the tradition of Victorian flower painting and the flawed attitude many held towards women in science.

Admire some of Kew Gardens' beautiful architecture. Inspired by classic Greek design, Victorian styles often copied the follies, facades and pillars of cities like Ancient Athens. Take a peek at the magnificent Pagoda down one of the Pagado vistas before wandering towards the Temperate House.

Home to 1,500 species of plants from Africa, Australia, America, Asia and the Pacific Islands, the Temperate House was once the largest glasshouse in the world and remains the largest Victorian era glasshouse in the world. Learn about some of the oldest, largest, smelliest and hungriest plants here in Kew Gardens.

Get transported to the sun-kissed landscape of Southern Europe here in the Mediterranean Gardens. Designed to demonstrate the diversity of life that the habitat supports, and the conservation efforts needed to ensure its survival, this garden is as relevant today as it was when it was first built back in Queen Victoria’s reign.

Enter a living rainforest in the Tropic region right here in the Palm House, Kew Gardens hottest greenhouse. William Hooker recognized the need for more glasshouses to display plants from around the world, so he developed the Palm House, now home to the African palm oil, cocoa trees and the infamous stolen rubber tree. Learn about the Plant Messiah, responsible for the “Zombie Plant”.

Head down the Broadwalk as we discuss some of Kew Gardens controversies over the years. Such as the travels of British explorer Alexander Wickham who some consider is responsible for bio-piracy.

Walk through the Wildflower Meadow and find the Hive, a multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees. Since the decline of Wildflower meadows, too much competition for food sources inevitably causes bee populations to reduce. The Hive explores this decline and celebrates the power of the bee!

Kew Gardens’ most modern glasshouse, the Princess of Wales Conservatory was opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales, and is named after Princess Augusta. The conservatory is designed to minimize the amount of energy taken to run it and is now home to a time capsule planted by David Attenborough.

The Vidi Guides experience is enriched with on-screen photos and videos. We also point out where to take the perfect Instagram photos during the tour, and include recommendations for food, drinks, and local attractions. Don't worry, none of our recommendations are sponsored - they are simply favourites of the locals who helped craft the experience.

Vidi Guides creates immersive audio experiences that are like podcasts. This is a self-guided audio tour that can be started or stopped at your own convenience. Download the Vidi Guides app & your Kew Gardens tour to explore the area independently and safely! Make sure to download your tour before your visit to streamline your trip!