Aug 16, 2025
Absolutely fantastic place! - Wow! What an incredible place! Took 2 1/2 hours to get there but my God it was worth every second of being stuck in traffic. We went on a gorgeous summer day, blue sky and very hot but there’s plenty of sheltered areas dotted about to take a rest from the sun. Also numerous shady trees and grassy areas to sit or lay under, maybe with a picnic. The walk through the Pinetum was gorgeous. The glasshouse incredible. I literally don’t know where to start on how amazing this place is. Will definitely have to return as 1 day was nowhere near enough time to see everything. We have already planned our visit for autumn which I’m sure will be spectacular with all the gorgeous colours. Roll on autumn!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 15, 2025
Great value membership (and take a picnic) - We loved our visit to RHS Wisley. Individual membership allows you to take in one other adult so as a couple myself and my wife got in for free. We’ve had excellent value out of our membership with numerous visits to RHS Bridgewater (near where we live) and now our visit to RHS Wisley means we have now seen all 5 RHS gardens. Having been to all 5 we here are our top tips.
If you are a member stay local and visit over 2 days - there is so much to see, coming back on day 2, it was surprising how much we missed, plus you don’t feel rushed if you can split a visit over 2 days. We would not have done the river walk if we had only visited for 1 day and this area of the garden is well worth visit. Being a member you can visit as many times as you want and won’t have to pay anything extra. Maybe try seeing all 5 gardens like we did - they are all quite different!
Food: as other reviews have highlighted, buying food at any RHS garden can be expensive so if you don’t want to do this take a picnic. The RHS don’t seem to mind and there are tables and chairs to use dotted around the garden. We found a great spot at the back of the glass house next to the South African meadow where there were tables and chairs to use (see photos). As there was no cafe or restaurant in that area we found it a lovely spot for our picnic. If you have kids or a larger group you could sit on a blanket on one of the grass areas.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 7, 2025
Lovely Gardens - Very lovely wander round the gardens. So many things to look at and the kids had a lovely time smelling the flowers and running about.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 11, 2025
Well maintained, worth a visit. - Enjoyed our day out at the RHS gardens. Plenty to see so take your comfy shoes with you. Lots of different areas, which is nice, and lots of plants and shrubs labelled so you actually know what you are looking at. Thought that there was plenty of seating available and the grass is always handy if you can manage to get down and up again! Several cafes or vans around the grounds so you can take a break if you need to. We spent 6 hrs here but at a leisurely pace, so there's no need to rush round. Gardens are very well maintained and are beautiful to look round. Big pat on the back to all the staff and volunteers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 8, 2025
A must for gardeners - Lovely day out to my tick list destination, we were lucky with the weather .
It's a long walk but taking your time ensures you see most things . Great for tips and ideas . The attention to detail is apparent, the colours and artistry are stand out beautiful and shows in the care and dedication of the staff .
I was really impressed by the outdoor plants shop , cheaper than my local garden centre .
We stopped for lunch and were pleasantly surprised again by the prices being of an affordable value .
The only thing that surprised me was in the inside cafeteria by the glasshouse , the toilet facilities let it down . Only one male/ female toilet ?? The toilet seat was the wrong size though was clean , but for the amount of customers 1 is not enough . We also noticed that the staff in and around the cafeteria were not happy in their work ? Very brusk and offhand ?
Really glad I made the visit .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 14, 2025
Hot colourful - Loads of parking,nice coffee before entry.
Enjoyed the free 1.5 hour tour,interesting facts,shady walks.
Busy cafe,not obvious how to order or find the menu.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 15, 2025
Underwhelming and expensive - Having visited many gardens around the country, we decided to make the trip to Wisley. Unfortunately, we found this to be overrated and very expensive.
I wish I had read previous reviews before I went, as at least we could have saved some money by taking a picnic, lunch, which was an ok pizza and 2 drinks cost £25!
We won’t be making a return visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 13, 2025
Lovely Gardens but bring a packed lunch - RHS Wisley well worth a visit. Lovely gardens, plenty to see for a few hours. The glass house with exotic plants particularly interesting.
However, the food offering is poor, and well overpriced.
The main food hall by the entrance was poorly stocked, very little choice apart from a few sandwiches, jacket potatoes ( overcooked and no salad garnish) and sausage rolls at £7.50.
And £5.95 for a slim pre packed egg and cress sandwich. £3.95 for a tiny tub of ice cream. Didn't try the main restaurant as it stopped serving lunches at 3pm on a Sunday. Staff were friendly though and almost apologetic in their communication.
RHS really needs to get it's act together to make the whole package attractive, not just the gardens. Until then, recommend you don't waste your money on the food offering - take a packed lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 7, 2025
Great gardens but the Food Hall needs some love and attention - The gardens were very pleasant and we enjoyed our walk around, despite the rain. Plenty of choice of plants in the garden centre and in the shop for gifts and gardening stuff. However the food in the Food Hall was dire, from the small number of food options available, average cakes to how the food is presented. Its shabby setting suggests that it sadly needs a revamp. Staff very pleasant and helpful
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 7, 2025
THIEVES!! - The horrendously steep food prices spoil the entire experience because they are so high that it literally feels like theft. The little sausage roll and side salad (pictured) cost over £14.00!! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING, WISLEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES!
Let’s face it, only the wealthy can easily afford a family day out with lunch here. The gift shop counter displays literature for ROLEX watches, this shows EXACTLY who Wisley’s target audience really is. It’s certainly isn’t aimed at the average struggling family and I wouldn’t expect to see adverts for high end watches featured at sometime dedicated to nature.
I 100% advise visitors to bring a packed lunch, it is the only way to protect your wallet from this monumental rip off.
THIEVES!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
