Blenheim Palace - Olivia Michelle

Blenheim Palace is one of my favorites we have visited so far. It has been used as a background for famous films like Mission Impossible, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Spectre, Transformers, and most recently the new Bridgerton series, Charlotte. Here is some info on what to expect during your visit!

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Blenheim Palace
Plan for half to full day
Blenheim Palace is the largest castle we have visited so far. It reminds me of Versailles in France. The grounds are vast so prepare for a lot of walking. There are three main areas of the palace grounds: the palace, the gardens, and the children’s area. The children’s area consist of the maze, butterfly house, and playgrounds. There are different types of tickets available for purchase, but make sure you purchase them online before your visit. You can purchase a ticket for the park & gardens or a ticket for the park, gardens and palace. Tickets range from 11.50-43 pounds per person. There is a family option as well. If you purchase a combo ticket then it will get you FREE admission to the palace and grounds for an entire year. The adventure play ticket gives you entry into the children’s playground area and is a separate ticket for 7 pounds per person.
Read more and purchase tickets HERE.

As I mentioned before, the grounds are HUGE! Keep your map with you, it is easy to get turned around. I definitely suggest walking down to the rose garden and waterfall.

One of the main exhibits at the palace (besides the state rooms) is the Winston Churchill exhibit. Winston Churchill was born here and often spent time here throughout his life. He also proposed to his wife Clementine here on the grounds.
Read more about the Winston Churchill exhibition HERE.

they have this (somewhat creepy) life like figure of Winston Churchill at the end you can snap a photo with.

Don’t miss the state rooms! I know they aren’t for everyone, but I love looking at the architecture and interiors of palaces and castles. The china collection at Blenheim is beautiful. For kids, they can look out for the mice in each room to see what mischief they are getting into. Aurora loved looking for them.
Read more about the state rooms HERE.

If you are a fan of the Netflix series “Bridgerton”, there are currently costumes on display inside the state rooms. The most recent spin off of the series, “Charlotte” was filmed here at Blenheim. It was really cool walking through where they had filmed.

There are a few small food options available at Blenheim, but I highly suggest eating at Clementines on the Lawn. Unfortunately I did not make reservations in time and they were already full for the day we visited. We did, however, walk over to the restaurant and it has an absolutely beautiful view of the palace and gardens. They offer afternoon tea and lunch.
View more info and make a reservation for Clementine’s HERE.

This palace has been used in many famous films. You can take a self guided tour of the filming spots on the grounds during your visit. We specifically wanted to see the tree used in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This is the tree where Snape was being bullied by James Potter (NOT the womping willow). This is actually the last remaining famous “tree” from the Harry Potter movies as the one used as the womping willow was destroyed. The tree is down by the lakeside, right after your cross the bridge, going away from the palace. Find it on the map below!
View info on the Lights, Camera, Action! Tour HERE.

Harry Potter faces, we are casting a spell obviously.

To get to the other section of the grounds is about a 15 minute walk from the front of the palace. This area is where you can find the maze, more gardens, a butterfly house, a pizza restaurant, and the children’s area. I suggest taking the train they have over there (which is an additional nominal fee). After walking all over the palace grounds and gardens it was quite the fete to walk over to this area and we were all grumpy by the time we made it.

They will check your tickets again upon entering this area. The butterfly house, maze, and gardens are included with your ticket of the park and garden or the combo ticket.

There is a separate ticket required for the Blenheim Palace Adventure Play area (kids area). It is 7 pounds per person in addition to your admission ticket and definitely worth it if you have kiddos! This area has a huge wooden playground structure and a natural water play area.