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gives you two palaces for the price of one: The magnificent Tudor redbrick mansion that was begun in 1514 by Cardinal Wolsey to impress the young Henry, and the larger 17th-century baroque offering, for which the graceful south wing was designed by Christopher Wren of St. Paul’s fame. The first buildings of Hampton Court belonged to a religious order founded in the 11th century and were expanded over the years by its many subsequent residents, none more important than Henry VIII and his six wives. Henry spent a king’s ransom (today’s equivalent of £18 million or $27.5 million) expanding and refurbishing the palace.

Hampton Court Palace Highlights

If Tudor takes your fancy, wander through the State Apartments, hung with priceless paintings, and on to the wood-beamed magnificence of Henry’s Great Hall, lined with tapestries and the mustiness of old, before taking in the strikingly azure ceiling of the Chapel Royal. Topping it all is the Great House of Easement, a lavatory that could sit 28 people at a time.

Feel a chill in the air? Watch out for the ghost of Henry VIII’s doomed fifth wife, Catherine Howard, who literally lost her head yet apparently still screams her way along the Haunted Gallery. The latter-day baroque transformers of the palace, William and Mary, maintained beautiful King’s and Queen’s Apartments, Georgian Rooms, and fine collections of porcelain.

Don’t miss the world’s most famous maze, its ½ mi of pathways among clipped hedgerows still fiendish to negotiate. There’s a trick, but we won’t give it away here: it’s much more fun to go and lose yourself.

In summer months, consider arriving in style by riverboat (see “A Tour of the Thames” special section) at Hampton Court.

Hampton Court Palace Tips

Avoid the queue and save by buying your tickets online. In a group? Save nearly £10 on admission with a £38 family ticket (two adults, three children). Choose which parts of the palace to explore based on a number of self-guided audio walking tours. Come Christmastime, there’s ice-skating on a rink before the West Front of the palace—an unmissable mixture of pleasantry and pageantry. Special programs, such as cooking demonstrations in the cavernous Tudor kitchens, also make history fun for young royal-watchers. | Hampton Court Palace, East Molesley, | Surrey | KT8 9AU | 0844/482–7799 tickets, 0844/482–7777 information | www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace | £14 | Late Mar.–Oct., daily 10–6 (last ticket sold at 5; last entry to maze at 5:15); Nov.–late Mar., daily 10–4:30 (last ticket sold at 3:30; last entry to maze at 3:45); check Web site before visiting | Richmond, then Bus R68; National Rail, South West: Hampton Court Station, 35 min from Waterloo (most trains require change at Surbiton).

Marble Hill House.

On the northern bank of the Thames, almost opposite Ham House, stands another mansion, this one a near-perfect example of a Palladian villa. Set in 66 acres of parkland, Marble Hill House was built in the 1720s by George II for his mistress, the “exceedingly respectable and respected” Henrietta Howard. Later the house was occupied by Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was secretly married to the Prince Regent (later George IV) in 1785. Marble Hill House was restored in 1901 and opened to the public two years later, looking very much like it did in Georgian times, with extravagant gilded rooms in which Ms. Howard entertained famous poets and wits of the age, including Pope, Gay, and Swift. A ferry service operates during the summer from Ham House across the river; access on foot is a half-hour walk south along the west bank from Richmond Bridge. Guided tours by volunteers from the local history group, the Marble Hill Society, are at noon on Saturday, 11 and 2:30 Sunday. They cost £5, which includes the entrance fee to the house. | Richmond Rd., Twickenham, Richmond | TW1 2NL | 020/8892–5115 | www.english-heritage.org.uk | £5 | Apr.–Oct., Sat. 10–2, Sun. and bank holidays 10–5; Nov.–Mar., prebooked tours only | Richmond.

Richmond Park.

Charles I enclosed this one in 1637 for hunting purposes, like practically all