Visiting the Chelsea Flower Show? Read our expert guide before you go
How to avoid the crowds, bag a bargain and what to wear. Our expert has insider tips to make the most of your visit to the Chelsea Flower Show.
How to avoid the crowds, bag a bargain and what to wear. Our expert has insider tips to make the most of your visit to the Chelsea Flower Show.
For a glorious mash-up of garden party, plant-fest, green-fingered shopping and cocktail hour, nothing touches the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
It’s a magnet for royalty and celebrities, but more importantly it’s a green haven for keen gardeners, budding botanists and people watchers, right in the heart of London.
There’s so much to see and do, with the show covering more than 23 acres at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, so follow our insider tips to ensure you make the most of your day inside, and outside, the showground.
The show runs from Tuesday 19 to Friday 22 May, 8am-8pm, and on Saturday 23 May from 8am-5.30pm, which is the busiest day of all, when many plants are sold off.
Tickets have been on sale for months, and the first three days have already sold out – but check the website for late availability, as ticket agent AXS offers resales.
If you’re not a member, choose Friday or Saturday tickets, or become a member via the RHS website and buy reduced rate tickets for Chelsea and other RHS shows.
Go via the official RHS website to be sure you’re getting official tickets, as touts are rife, online and at nearby Sloane Square Tube.
Chelsea Flower Show is now paper-free so download the AXS app when you book to receive and store your tickets digitally – and make sure your phone is charged ahead of entry.
It's a 10-minute walk from Sloane Square Tube to the main London Gate entrance on Royal Hospital Road. Victoria is the nearest mainline rail and bus station.
Check your options by public transport at Transport for London.
If you need to drive, pre-book an official parking space in Battersea Park when buying your entry ticket, to use the park and ride bus to the Bullring Gate on Chelsea Embankment – or it’s a 20-minute riverside walk.
With a Blue Badge, you can pre-book a space closer to the showground via the ticketing website (limited spaces, ULEZ fees apply).
There’s so much to see, the RHS has calculated it’s at least a six hour walk to see the main features of the show, including the Marquee and gardens, so pace yourself.
Seeing the Main Avenue gardens close up and photo-ready is everyone’s goal but there’s little chance amid the scrum of visitors around midday. Target the big gardens as you arrive (ideally before 9am) or after 5pm, when crowds thin out and the lower light is lovely on bright days.
Quieter areas at busy times include Royal Hospital Way and Western Avenues and the shady dell called Ranelagh, that’s home to smaller gardens and the Houseplant Studios.
The Great Pavilion marquee in the centre of the showground is a day in itself, potentially, covering nearly three acres, with more than 70 nursery exhibitors, four small gardens focused on plant combos, a dazzling array of floral art and an exhibition zone dedicated to horticultural science and innovation, including a celebration of Sir David Attenborough, 100 years young this month.
If you want a flower-packed backdrop for a show selfie to amuse your kids, you'll find flower installations around the grounds including giant RHS lettering, smothered in blooms, and highly decorated entry gates. Tag in @the_rhs on Instagram to be spotted or “liked” by the RHS social media team.
Plan your day ahead by pre-ordering the Official Show Guide, complete with maps, for £18 including home delivery, on the ticketing website.
Discover what else is on with our guide to the Chelsea Flower Show.
If you’re there on Saturday, the final day of the show, don’t miss the plant sell-off, after 4pm. A giant bell rings, marking the free-for-all across the showground, as stalls and gardens pull apart their displays to sell plants, saving them the trouble of taking them home.
Be prepared by taking a folding trolley (the only day this is worthwhile) and an envelope of cash – though some exhibitors accept cards if the WiFi holds up. Recce what’s on offer earlier in the day, putting your name down against choice blooms if you can.
When the sell-off bell rings, it’s head down and elbows out for the best bargains – then work out how to wrangle them home on the Tube...
Staying hydrated on hot days at Chelsea is easy, as there are refreshment stops aplenty, with the main seating areas in the food courts on Main and Western Avenues and deckchairs by the bandstand, around which cluster bars, coffee and food stalls – perfect spots in which to flop if you’ve over indulged on Pimm’s!
As no re-entry to the show is allowed, you can’t pop out for a bite to eat so pack a posh picnic – there’s a Waitrose on the nearby Kings Road or Ottolenghi's smart deli and cafe just off Sloane Square. Bring a water bottle and use the free refilling stations around the main routes.
Two bookable, sit-down restaurants offer a smarter alternative to al fresco snacking, with full breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea menus at top London prices.
For a real, push-the-boat-out treat and to escape the queues, reserve through the ticket booking system high-end catering, from £75 to over £300 – including Champagne teas by the Dorchester chefs, posh tapas from José Pizarro, and seasonal fine dining at the exclusive Spring Garden restaurant, tucked discretely behind manned gates.
Top Michelin-starred chefs have created bespoke menus to enjoy with flowing drinks and live entertainment away from the bustle of the show.
Reflecting its status as the garden world’s catwalk, many visitors dress to impress – so you’ll be right at home in big floral prints and colourful outfits! While the ladies tend to set the bar high, with floaty tea dresses and summer hats, a smart jacket and Panama is the crisp look for gents, or channel your inner Monty Don with his crushed linen sartorial style.
But fancy clothes aren’t essential, as there’s no dress code – pack for weather (both scorching and soaking) and comfort. Sunglasses to protect your eyes from the notorious plane tree pollen that can swirl around the site on hot days (causing hay fever and the infamous “Chelsea cough”), while comfy shoes or trainers are a must, however smart you are on top.
Don’t rush home before strolling through the neighbourhood competitions, Chelsea in Bloom and Belgravia in Bloom, which are London's biggest free flower festivals, from 18-24 May. Nearly 200 shops and restaurants dress themselves in swags and finery to vie for RHS-judged prizes, and add to the area’s carnival atmosphere.
Look out for a radiant Floral Zodiac in Sloane Square and a whimsical Moon Landing tableau in Duke of York Square. While in Belgravia, head for classy Elizabeth Street where homeware store Summerill & Bishop always puts on a showstopper display.
(Hero image credit: RHS)
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