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Coach departs from Spalding at 8am

Next spring, Hampton Court Palace will burst into colour as over 110,000 bulbs bloom for the UK's biggest display of planted tulips. Visitors are invited to celebrate the most coveted flower of the 17th century with dramatic displays of tulips taking over the formal gardens and historic cobbled courtyards of the palace. Hampton Court Palace has long been associated with the famous Dutch flower, first introduced in the British Isles in the 1630s. Former resident Queen Mary II, who ruled jointly with King William III, was a keen horticulturist and collected plants from across the globe to feature in their gardens at the palace, including the prized tulip. Unique to Hampton Court Palace's dazzling Tulip Festival is a selection of heirloom bulbs, displaying five centuries of historic cultivars in the Lower Orangery Garden. Visitors will have the chance to see rare tulips as they would have looked in William and Mary's time, as well as other specialist historic varieties, thanks to a special relationship with Hortus Bulborum, in the Netherlands. The historic gardens at Hampton Court Palace are cared for using a variety of sustainable methods, working in partnership with nature. Each of the 110,000 bulbs featured in the display were hand-planted by the Palace's dedicated team of gardeners, and they have lain dormant under the soil since October, waiting for warmer days. This year, a small number of beds in the gardens will be remain unplanted in order to rest the soil health and promote organic recovery, ensuring that future festivals can bloom just as beautifully as this one. Visitors are invited to join two Tulip Talks each day with Hampton Court's Palace Hosts, as they delve into the history of the famous flower - from it's origins and fashionable status, to it's links to William III and Mary II. Once they've been dazzled by an abundance of tulips, visitors are invited to explore the interiors of Hampton Court Palace - from Henry VIII's State Apartments to the glorious baroque additions made by William and Mary. A day out at this historic royal residence is never complete without a visit to the impressive Henry VIII's Kitchens, or a chance for visitors to transport themselves back to the 16th century in the Great Hall designed for Anne Boleyn.

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