Christmas at Blenheim Palace – What you need to know before visiting

Christmas at Blenheim Palace. A visit to Blenheim Palace for Christmas is our favourite family tradition. We have been visiting now for the last five years, except for in 2020 for obvious reasons. Each year it is as fantastic as the first time we visited the Christmas event. Christmas trails always get us in a festive mood and visiting Christmas at Blenheim is top of the list. This year the much-loved Christmas experience returns with the Kingdom of the Snow Queen and a glistening land of snowflakes. There is so much to see and do when visiting Blenheim Palace Christmas lights that we spent the whole day exploring. It also makes it great value for money in comparison with others. 

AD – we were gifted tickets to Christmas at Blenheim Palace in return for this blog post

Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Where is Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is located in the beautiful village of Woodstock in the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire. Woodstock itself is a beautiful village and worth a wander if you are visiting the palace. Full of chocolate box shops, cottages and public houses, it is typical of many of the other well-known Cotswold villages. It is about a twenty-minute drive from the city of Oxford, around two hours from London and an hour and a half from Birmingham. 

Blenheim Palace itself is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Previously being home to the Duchess of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Blenheim Palace Address – Woodstock OX20 1PP

How to get to Blenheim Palace

We have always driven to Blenheim Palace but Blenheim Palace does offer a 30% discount for people that reach the palace by public transport or sustainable travel. Travelling by bike, it is around 8 miles from Oxford on National Route 5. If you come by bus it is possible to catch the 500 bus from Central Oxford including Oxford station into Woodstock, it takes about forty minutes and then a further ten-minute walk from Woodstock. During busy periods, they also put on a park-and-ride service which had easy-to-follow signs.

Parking at Blenheim Palace

For Christmas at Blenheim additional parking is set up on the grass in front of the building. But rather than let you get caught in the mud. They actually put down hard plastic boards which makes it a lot easier to navigate. When you book tickets you also need to select a parking space in much the same way as you did for the Halloween trail.

Depending on your location in the carpark it can be a little walk to the house. There are parking attendants on hand to help find you a spot. And you will need to show your car parking pass at the gate on entry. So make sure you have it to hand. There are disabled spaces also available towards the front of the carpark which will reduce the walking distance. 

Tickets for Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Christmas at Blenheim is quite often a sell-out and tickets go quickly due to the limited capacity and the fact it is a popular illuminated trail. So I would always encourage you to purchase your tickets when they go on sale. So that you can get the times and dates that you want. You purchase tickets via the Blenheim Palace website which takes you to See Tickets. The Christmas market is free entry. So you can join in some of the festivities for the price of a carpark ticket which is £10 and valid between 10 am and 3 pm. 

You can purchase the illuminated trail and the Kingdom of the Snow Queen as a combined ticket or individual. We visited the Kingdom of the Snow Queen around 10.30ish and the illuminated trail at 4.30 pm which worked well from a timing perspective. Combined tickets will save you money. An adult combined ticket costs £57.00, a child £36.50 and a family ticket costs £166.00 and you will need to buy a £10 parking ticket. By selecting it with one of the entrance tickets.

Should you purchase tickets individually then the illuminated light trail costs £25.00 for adults, £18.00 for children 3 and over. Or you can buy a family ticket that includes car parking for £92.00 which is for two adults and two children. The Kingdom of the Snow Queen costs slightly more with £32.00 for adults, and £18.50 for children 3 and over. Or there is a family ticket which includes car parking for £94.00.

If you opt for a combination ticket then you select the time slots of your entrance to the palace and to the trail. It is easy to select the time of your choice with those avaliable slots only showing. The inside opens from 10 am and runs in fifteen-minute slots until 8 pm. The trail runs from 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm also in fifteen-minute intervals. Christmas at Blenheim Palace is running on selected dates until the 2nd of January. You can purchase tickets here. Ticket prices are reduced slightly for annual pass holders.

Food for Christmas at Blenheim Palace

There are plenty of options when it comes to food, I think we spend most of our time eating when not on the light trail or looking around the palace. There is such a wide range of festive treats. Charlie and I opted for savoury crepes (£6.50), Harry’s pizza (£4) and Hubby mac n cheese (£10).

It was all very tasty. There was also the option for burgers (£9-10), sausages and greek food. For an afternoon treat the boys had something sweet from the cafe including chocolate cookies and a Santa macaroon. You can also buy hot drinks and hot chocolate. We brought these from the Stables Cafe which is actually very close to the entrance of the illuminated trail. On previous visits, we have also eaten there.

We actually at outside as it was so warm but inside there is plenty of seating if it is cold. The food tends to be better priced than in the Christmas market. And in previous years it has been delicious, I can recommend the lamb flatbreads. 

What to expect when visiting Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace Christmas Market

The Christmas outdoor market is located in the great court with the stunning backdrop of the Baroque Oxfordshire Palace. It mainly consists of food stalls selling artisan food, handmade gifts and drinks.

There is plenty of options to try various products and pick up some last-minute gifts without the bustle of the high street. Not to forget the seasonal sounds and Christmas songs creating a yuletide atmosphere. The boys enjoyed running from one wooden hut to the next to see what they could spend their pennies on. 

Both fell in love with model aeroplanes this year and are hoping to find them under the tree! We found that those selling drinks happily offered for you to pick up your purchases later. Which is good if you are walking the illuminated light trail. 

Vintage Fairground Rides

I have always had a soft spot for vintage fairground rides. The boys also make a beeline for them every time we visit. There are also a couple of food huts and a bar. 

The rides include a helter-skelter which the boys really enjoyed, a victorian carousel, swing boats and a smaller carousel for little ones. There are separate charges to access the rides you need to get tokens which cost £2.50 each. Each token gets you one go on the ride of your choice. Adults also need tokens f they are going on rides with the children.

There is a wooden hut next to the rides where you can buy your tokens or pick up pre-booked ones. When you purchase your entrance tickets online you can also pre-order tokens in multiples of £10.

Inside the Palace – The Kingdom of the Snow Queen

Each year ther is a different theme. Last year it was the story of the Nutcracker. This year for Christmas at Blenheim Palace the rooms inside were decorated in a Snow Queen theme. Entering by the front entrance to the place you walk into the entrance hall to see the biggest Christmas tree the boys have ever seen. It was like walking into a fairy-tale world full of Christmas decorations. Dressed on a floor of mirrors it reflects beautifully and makes it look even more amazing.

There is a one-way route around the palace rooms that takes you through various scenes from the classic storybook. In each room, there is part of the story and Christmas trees, so many I lost count. The decorations and scenes in the rooms reflect the elements of the story being told. In each room, the children are challenged to find a red rose and also a little mouse. Both of which are relevant to the story. They really appealed to Harry and they kept him engaged all the way around. 

Each room is more elaborate than the first. We particularly liked the centre rooms where there were some video screens telling the story. Neither of the boys are really very familiar with The Snow Queen so this really helped them to understand more. And is probably their favourite room.

Towards the end of the Kingdom of the Snow Queen at Blenheim Palace, you enter into her castle in the great hall. There are lots of photo opportunities and of course the chance to meet the Queen for yourself. It took around half an hour to forty minutes to walk through. Although without the boys I think that we would have taken longer. 

Blenheim Palace Christmas Lights

We entered the start of the trail when it opened at 4.30 pm. It is very useful that they have such early trials as it means that it is not too late for little ones. It took us just under two hours to walk around the Blenheim Palace Christmas lights trail. 

The boys really enjoyed the opportunity to meet Father Christmas in front of his traditional wooden chalets. Other standouts in the larger-than-life illuminations were the giant stars in front of the palace. The lit up palace was used as a canvas for different pictures, colours and lasers. As well as the magical lighting effect there were also lots of different Christmas songs. The fire garden which was recreated rose garden was very calming. And I really liked the sea of flowers towards the end.

The different light areas are quite distinct and different moving from jewel-like colour to lakeside reflections. I was also really impressed to see a brand-new route different from previous years as well although we still went through the beautiful formal gardens.

This means you can go year after year and get a different experience. The good news is that it is all hard-standing and flat. Which means it is suitable for buggies. There is a part that is a little bit exposed in front of the palace, but other than that most of it is also sheltered from the wind. There are a couple of places to stop for hot drinks, including mulled wine and toast marshmallows. The Blenheim Palace Christmas lights trail is well signposted and there are plenty. of stewards on hand to point you in the right direction and answer questions. 

The trail will bring you out at the bottom gates. Make sure you take some time to watch the colourful light show on façade of Blenheim Palace before leaving.

How long do you need?

We like to make a whole day of Christmas at Blenheim Palace. This allows us to really soak up the Christmas atmosphere, and enjoy the market and stunning decorations inside the palace. Before staring in wonder at the Blenheim Palace Christmas Lights.

This year we arrived even earlier. This meant that we had the chance to visit elements of the palace’s picture-perfect gardens in the light. Catching the train to the walled garden. This is where the maze and kid’s playground area are. The miniature train costs £1 per person each way. You make payment via card before boarding. With the train leaving both stations twice an hour. The train runs from the station closest to the palace on the hour and a half hour. There is a board with more information in front of the train. Despite having visited numerous times over the years we had never tried out the train. It was really good fun. 

However, if time is short then you could walk the light trail in around an hour and a half depending on how long you stop at the marshmallows and pose for photos. I would allow an extra half an hour for the fairground rides especially if you are visiting with kids. 

Where to stay close to Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is around two and a half hours from West Sussex where we live. If visiting for an evening event, we would look to stay close by. The closest place we have stayed in is the Premier Inn in Kidlington which is next to Oxford Airport. As it is only two and a half miles away from Blenheim it is perfect if visiting for an evening event. With free onsite parking and Beefeater restaurant downstairs it has everything you need for a night’s stay with a young family. 

Blenheim Palace at Christmas really got us in the Chrstmas spirit and is a permanent fixture on our festive calendar. Have you visited the Blenheim Palace Lights. I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. 

Blenheim Palace at Chrstmas is run by a division of Sony Music. The production management company Raymond Gubbay Limited operates at various venues across the UK. Including Bedgebury Pinetum in Kent which also runs until the 2nd of January. 

Have you visited the Christmas trail at Blenheim Palace? Which of the special light installations was your favourite?

Wishing you the merriest Christmas

 

If you’ve liked this post please follow me on my social media channels:

Mudpie Fridays: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | LinkedIn

PIN for later – Complete guide to Blenheim Palace at Christmas – Blenheim Palace Christmas lights