Painshill opens Wednesday to Sunday in winter, 10am to 4pm, then daily from 21 December. Off-peak tickets are £10. Claremont's Elfmas trail starts 28 November.
Painshill, the 18th century landscape garden at Cobham, stays open through the winter but not every day. Its winter hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3pm.
It then opens daily for the school holidays, from Monday 21 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, closing only on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The quick answer
- Winter hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
- Christmas holidays: open every day from 21 December to 3 January, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
- Off-peak tickets are £10 for an adult and £5 for a child booked online, Wednesday to Sunday from 4 November to 18 December
Opening times
| Season | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | Monday to Sunday | 10am to 6pm, last entry 5pm |
| Winter | Wednesday to Sunday | 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm |
| 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 | Monday to Sunday | 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm |
| Christmas Day and Boxing Day | Closed | |
| Spring | Monday to Sunday | 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm |
Painshill’s opening times table does not say on which date winter hours begin. The garden was still on summer hours when we checked. Its off-peak winter tickets are sold for Wednesday to Sunday from 4 November, which suggests the five-day week starts that week. Check before travelling on a Monday or Tuesday in early November.
The Crystal Grotto and the tea room
- The Crystal Grotto is closed every Monday for maintenance, except bank holiday Mondays. On other days it closes half an hour before the garden does, so by 3.30pm in winter
- Mr Hamilton’s Tea Room opens Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 3.30pm, from November to January
Ticket prices
Booking online is cheaper than paying on the door. A £1 booking fee is added to each online transaction, and online tickets are sold only until the day before your visit.
| Ticket | Adult | Child, 5 to 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Off-peak, online | £10.00 | £5.00 |
| General, online | £12.50 | £5.50 |
| On the door | £15.00 | £7.50 |
Off-peak dates this season are weekdays from 14 September to 16 October, and Wednesday to Sunday from 4 November to 18 December. The Christmas holiday fortnight is outside them.
Children under five are free, and so is the companion of a disabled visitor. With the optional 10% Gift Aid donation an on-the-door adult ticket is £16.50.
Painshill is an independent charity. It says National Trust, English Heritage and other membership cards do not give entry.
Christmas events: nothing announced yet
Painshill had no Christmas or Father Christmas event on its events page on 28 September. The latest dated event listed was on 31 October, and its autumn season about the garden’s trees runs until 27 November.
We will check again on 26 October and add any festive programme, with dates and prices, as soon as it is on sale.
Claremont: the Elfmas trail is confirmed
Nearby at Esher, the National Trust’s Claremont Landscape Garden has already published its Christmas trail.
Elfmas runs daily from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, 10am to 3pm. Children find their elf name, track down Father Christmas’s reindeer and do “elf fitness training”. It is a trail, not a grotto: the listing does not mention meeting Father Christmas.
The National Trust says it is free with usual admission and needs no booking. The route is around the lake and is accessible to prams and wheelchairs.
| Dates | Garden | Cafe |
|---|---|---|
| Until Saturday 31 October | 9am to 5pm | 9am to 4.30pm |
| Monday 2 November to Wednesday 23 December | 10am to 4pm | 10am to 3.30pm |
| Christmas Eve and Christmas Day | Closed | |
| Boxing Day to New Year's Eve | 10am to 4pm | 10am to 3.30pm |
Last entry is an hour before closing, and the car park is locked at closing time. The Trust’s calendar had no opening times from 1 January 2027 onwards when we checked, although the trail is listed to 3 January.
Claremont costs £14 for an adult, £7 for a child aged 5 to 17 and £35 for a family of two adults and up to three children. Members and under-fives are free, and so is parking.
Which to choose
- On a Monday or Tuesday before 21 December, Claremont is open and Painshill is not
- On Christmas Eve, Painshill is open and Claremont is closed
- On Boxing Day, Claremont is open and Painshill is closed
- For the lowest price, Painshill’s off-peak online ticket at £10 beats Claremont’s £14, unless you are a National Trust member
Getting there
Parking at Claremont is free, the National Trust says. For works on the roads around Cobham and Esher, see our Elmbridge roadworks and travel page. If you are combining a visit with shopping in Cobham or Esher, council car park charges are on the parking in Elmbridge page.
More for the season
- Elmbridge Christmas lights switch-ons, including Cobham’s on Saturday 21 November
- Pantomime near Elmbridge
- Things to do in Elmbridge all year round
Have your say