A free museum, a Saxon coronation church open daily, a rewilded 42 hectare nature reserve and Chessington from £34.13. Every price checked in August 2026.
Kingston has one very large paid attraction and a lot of free ones, and the free ones are better than the borough gets credit for. England’s first king was crowned here, the museum costs nothing, and the largest nature reserve has cattle grazing it for the first time in fifty years.
Every venue below was checked against its own website in August 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so use the links before you set out.
Free, and worth the trip
Kingston Museum
Free. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Wheatfield Way, KT1 2PS.
Three permanent galleries: Ancient Origins, Town of Kings, and a room devoted to Eadweard Muybridge, the Kingston-born photographer whose stop-motion studies of a galloping horse settled a bet and then invented the moving image. There is a changing programme in the art gallery too. It is only open three days a week, so check before you travel.
All Saints Church
Free. Open every day, 10am to 4pm. Market Place, KT1 1JP.
The reason Kingston is a Royal Borough. King Athelstan was crowned here in 925, the first king of a unified England, and the church calls itself the place where England began. There is an embroidery project covering the seven Saxon kings connected to the site, and a café serving lunches and cakes. Being open every day makes it the most reliable indoor stop in the town centre.
Kingston Ancient Market
Free to browse. Seven days a week, 10am to 5pm. Market Place.
More than twenty permanent stalls under the Victorian market house: a florist, a fishmonger, a butcher, greengrocers, an artisan bakery and a run of street food. It has traded on this square for centuries and it trades every day, which is more than most surviving English markets manage.
Kingston History Centre
Free. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm, closed 1pm to 2pm. Guildhall, High Street, KT1 1EU.
The borough archive: maps, photographs, film, sound recordings, building plans, newspapers and family records. If you want to know what your street looked like or who lived in your house, this is where the answer is kept.
Canbury Gardens and the riverside
Free. Open access. Lower Ham Road, KT2.
A riverside park north of Kingston Bridge with a bandstand, tennis courts and a pub in the old council café building. It has held a Green Flag Award for three years running. Churchfields Recreation Ground and Fishponds Park carry the same award. The Thames path from here runs north towards Teddington and south past the Market Place.
Richmond Park, from Kingston Gate
Free. Pedestrian gates open 24 hours; vehicle gates 7am to 8:30pm.
The borough’s north-east corner opens straight into Richmond Park, and Kingston Gate is one of the main entrances. Around 600 red and fallow deer roam free. Keep dogs on short leads year-round and give the deer a wide berth in autumn and in spring, when they are at their most defensive.
Tolworth Court Farm Fields
Free. Open access, off the A240 near Tolworth.
At 42 hectares this is the largest of the borough’s twelve nature reserves, a run of seven grassland fields with old hedges and veteran trees along the Hogsmill. It is being rewilded: the council is restoring the wetland and has introduced conservation grazing, and cattle returned to the fields in February 2026 for the first time in more than fifty years. Not a manicured park, which is rather the point.
The Hogsmill Valley River Park adds another 33 hectares of river corridor if you want to keep walking.
Worth paying for
Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Day tickets from £34.13 booked in advance. Open 10am to 6pm. Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE.
Theme park, zoo and SEA LIFE aquarium on one site, and easily the borough’s biggest day out. The £34.13 headline reflects a summer VAT saving running from 25 June to 1 September 2026, so expect it to move after that; on-the-day prices are always higher than advance ones. Children under 90cm go free with a paying adult.
There is no new ride for 2026. A Minecraft World, including what the resort calls a world-first coaster, is billed for 2027.
Chessington South station is a short walk, though the branch is half-hourly and the first train of the day is the 06:34, so check the times before you rely on it.
Rose Theatre
24 to 26 High Street, KT1 1HL.
Kingston’s producing theatre, with a mix of its own work, touring comedy and music. Prices vary by show, but two strands cost nothing: Jazz Fridays run free through December, and the Kingston Street Art Festival on 22 and 23 August 2026 is free. Check the what’s on listing for current prices.
The Malden Centre
Blagdon Road, New Malden, KT3 4TA. Monday to Friday 6:30am to 10pm, Saturday 6:30am to 9:30pm, Sunday 7:30am to 9:30pm.
A 25 metre six-lane main pool, a 12 metre teaching pool, a gym, studios, a sports hall and a café. Casual swim prices are not published on the centre’s page, so check with Places Leisure or call 020 8336 7770 before you go.
A word on the town-centre pool. The Kingfisher Leisure Centre closed in 2019 and was demolished in 2022. Its replacement is under construction and the council expects it to open in spring 2027, so until then there is no pool in Kingston town centre itself. The Malden Centre and the Tolworth Recreation Centre are the council-linked alternatives.
Dates for the diary
| Event | Date | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston Street Art Festival | 22 to 23 August | Rose Theatre | Free |
| Repair Café Kingston | 5 September, 10:30am | Kingston Library, Fairfield Road | Free |
| Family-friendly autumn bike ride | 20 September, 10:45am | Beverley Park Pavilion, New Malden | Free |
| Surbiton Festival | 26 September, from 10am | Claremont Gardens, Surbiton | Free |
| Repair Café Kingston | 3 October, 10:30am | Kingston Library, Fairfield Road | Free |
| Kingston Half Marathon | 4 October, 8:30am | Starts at Market Place | Ticketed |
The Surbiton Festival is the one to plan around if you have children: live music, a parade and family entertainment across Claremont Gardens, and it costs nothing. The council keeps a full events listing.
If you are driving in, check the roadworks and car park prices first. Ewell Road and Hook Road are both dug up until late October, and the cheapest council car park is a third of the price of the dearest.
A day out that costs nothing
If you want the borough in one free afternoon: start at All Saints Church for the Saxon coronation story, cross to the Ancient Market for lunch from a stall, walk five minutes to Kingston Museum for the Muybridge room, then follow the river north to Canbury Gardens. That is a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, because of the museum’s opening days.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Kingston for free?
Kingston Museum, All Saints Church, the Kingston History Centre, the Ancient Market, Canbury Gardens, Richmond Park through Kingston Gate and Tolworth Court Farm nature reserve are all free. The Rose Theatre also runs free Jazz Fridays.
How much is Chessington World of Adventures?
From £34.13 per person booked in advance, a price that includes a summer VAT saving valid from 25 June to 1 September 2026. Children under 90cm enter free with a paying adult, and on-the-day prices are higher.
Is Kingston Museum free?
Yes, entry is free. It opens Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and is closed the rest of the week.
Where can I swim in Kingston?
The Malden Centre in New Malden has a 25 metre pool. There is no pool in Kingston town centre: the Kingfisher Leisure Centre closed in 2019 and its replacement is due to open in spring 2027.
What is the biggest park in the Kingston borough?
Tolworth Court Farm Fields and Moated Manor Local Nature Reserve, at 42 hectares. It is one of twelve council nature reserves in the borough and is being rewilded, with cattle grazing reintroduced in February 2026.
Which Kingston parks have a Green Flag Award?
Canbury Gardens, Churchfields Recreation Ground and Fishponds Park. Canbury Gardens has held the award three years running.
Is there a market in Kingston every day?
Yes. The Ancient Market in Market Place trades seven days a week, 10am to 5pm, with more than twenty permanent stalls.
Sources
- Kingston Museum and Kingston History Centre for opening hours, admission and collections.
- All Saints Church, Kingston for opening hours, the café and the Athelstan coronation.
- Markets in Kingston, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames for the Ancient Market’s trading days and stall count.
- Chessington World of Adventures Resort for opening times, advance ticket price and the under-90cm policy.
- Rose Theatre what’s on for the programme, Jazz Fridays and the Street Art Festival.
- Kingston’s nature reserves for the twelve reserves and Tolworth Court Farm’s size and rewilding.
- Green Flag Awards for Kingston parks for Canbury Gardens, Churchfields and Fishponds Park.
- Richmond Park, The Royal Parks for gate hours and deer guidance.
- The Malden Centre, Places Leisure for facilities and opening hours.
- Kingston Council events listing for the autumn dates.
Prices and opening hours were checked in August 2026 and do change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
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