COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update - Welcome back!
We are delighted that we are able to safely re-open the Gardens and have been accredited with the Visit England Good to Go Mark showing that we have followed government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, have a Risk Assessment in place and a process to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.
Please do read the information below in its entirety, as it contains all the details you need to book a visit and will answer any questions you may have; as well as explaining the measures we have put in place to keep you safe during your visit.
What will be open
The Garden of Surprises will be open, although there will be limited access to certain areas and no contact with water features. To maintain your safety, the children’s paddling area, maze and viewing mound will be closed. The Sculpture Garden will be fully open including our new areas of herbaceous planting and a selection of new sculpture.
The toilets near the gardens are open and we ask that you adhere to social distancing and the guidance of our staff as you use these. They will be regularly cleaned and maintained by our team.
The Garden Shed will be open providing hot and cold drinks, ice creams and cakes. You are welcome to picnic in the Park or the Sculpture Garden but please take your litter to the nearest bin.
The Garden Café and Orangery Restaurant remain closed at this time but we will keep this under review along with Government guidance.
The Garden Shop will remain closed for the time-being.
There will be bins available on site for you to dispose of picnic litter and dog waste responsibly, and we appreciate your co-operation in keeping the Gardens and Park tidy.
The House itself remains closed until March 2021. However you can enjoy the glories of the interiors through our 360 virtual tour available on our website.
The Parkland remains open daily from 7am to 6pm with no admission fees or parking charges. You are welcome to visit the Park before or after your Gardens visit if you wish.
Please note that dogs are allowed on a lead in the Park, but no dogs are allowed in the gardens.
Opening Dates Times
The Gardens will be open daily with 2 timed sessions:
10.30 - 1pm and 2pm – 4.30pm.
How to Book your Tickets to The Gardens
We are moving to an entirely online booking service so that we can manage the capacity of visitors to maintain social distancing, both within the gardens and at the entry points.
Due to the current opening arrangements and the need to purchase all tickets in advance, no other discount offers are available at the present time.
The Gardens
Adult
£9.50
Children
(3-15 years)£5.50
Family
(2 adults & 3 children)£28.00
To visit the Gardens you will need to have both of the following:
1. A pre-booked time slot for each person visiting - including children. Children under 3 do not need an Annual Pass or Friends card, but do need to reserve a time slot. Time slots for your visit will be released weekly on Monday mornings at 11am for the week (starting from the Wednesday following) in advance. There is no charge for booking your time slot.
2. A valid Annual Pass e-ticket, (all tickets to the Gardens are classified as an Annual Pass), valid Friends of Burghley membership, or HH Card. If you do not already have a valid Annual Pass, Friends card or HH membership card, you will need to purchase an Annual Pass per visitor. Annual Pass tickets purchased this year will be valid for 365 from the date of purchase allowing you to visit for the remainder of this open season and return next season as well.
What happens when you arrive and what to expect
Please remember to bring your time slot reservation ticket along with your Annual Pass eticket or Annual Pass wallet, Friends or HH card to the entry kiosks to be scanned. Time slot reservations can be shown on mobile phone or by printed copy.
We wish to provide you with a contactless experience and are unable to provide you with any physical tickets or information leaflets at the entry point. However, if you wish to exit and re-enter the gardens at any time within your time slot we can re-scan your original ticket.
Please note that we will be unable to look up your existing Annual Pass details on entry. Please email burghley@burghley.co.uk in advance of booking your time slot for help in obtaining a copy of your original eticket.
Maintaining your safety on arrival
Please be assured that there will be a member of our team at the entrance gates, behind a perspex screen wearing the recommended PPE, to welcome you and to be available should you need any assistance.
You will see hand sanitiser stations around the site, which we encourage you to use.
We have placed distance markers and will be using signs to encourage anyone queuing to maintain a 2-metre gap. However, pre-booking an arrival slot online will help us to manage the flow of people through the ticket kiosks and into the gardens. Every measure we have put in place is in line with current government guidelines.
An information guide and map to the gardens is available to download for free from our website and we recommend you do this in advance of your visit. There is no public wifi available in the gardens.
We look forward to seeing you soon
Thank you for taking the time to read through this and digest all the information. We look forward to seeing you in the very near future.
Visitor Guidelines for the Gardens
- Please supervise your children at all times. (A minimum of one adult to every four children is required).
- To protect little toes from bumps and scrapes footwear has to be worn.
- Sorry no dogs or ball games.
- You are welcome to eat your picnics in the Gardens, but please do so in the Sculpture Garden where there is more space to do so.
- The water in the Garden of Surprises is not suitable for drinking, but please visit our Garden Cafe or Shed where we can refill your water bottles for free or you can purchase water if needed.
