Chelsea Flower Show Tickets Guide
Here’s our Chelsea Flower Show guide: we tell you what to see, where to eat, what to wear, and most importantly, what’s horticulturally on-trend.
There’s nowhere quite like the Chelsea Flower Show 2026. With so many colours and patterns on display—and we’re not just talking about the gardens—it’s a visual feast.
The RHS is the pinnacle of garden design, offering the chance to admire innovative gardening ideas and show-stopping creativity. It’s an opportunity for Londoners to drink and talk, see and be seen, and for horticulturalists from all over the country to gather.
With so much on show, it can all be rather daunting, so here’s our guide on how to buy Chelsea Flower Show tickets and what the show has to offer.
Best Day To Go To The Chelsea Flower Show
The opening day is Monday, when the show opens for the King’s visit, but the public cannot get in. The first two days are the best days to attend which are members VIP days when the general public cannot get in, we can obtain tickets for these days. The public days are crowded and hectic, such as Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Finding your way around
For the uninitiated, navigating the biggest and best flower show in the UK can be overwhelming. With over 500 exhibitors worldwide, it’s worth picking up a Chelsea Flower Show map and doing a little planning, though there’s much to be said for stumbling across some of the RHS’s more intimate displays.
When you enter through the London Gate on Royal Hospital Road, you’ll first come to Eastern Avenue, spanning the length of the show. Flanked by traders on the avenue, wander along and look at the crafts and goods on sale, with offerings ranging from artisan soaps to bespoke wellies to hand-crafted garden and home ornaments.
From here, you can navigate the exhibits: to the left are the Ranelagh Gardens, where the Artisan and Fresh Gardens are situated, and to the right are the Show Garden and Grand Pavilion, where the real pomp and excitement await.
Who’s in Season?
Where past Flower Show design winners mingle with new talent, don’t miss multi-award-winning designer gardens. Inspired by who knows what, the creative genius is a sight to behold. The Chelsea Flower Show is the world’s most fantastic horticultural festival.
What’s blooming in The Great Pavilion
Moving on from the vast range of show gardens towards The Great Pavilion, you’ll find all the Chelsea garden show best bits: from pot art to garden sculpture, and it invites competitive nurserymen and women to judge and be judged in the vast 12,000 square metres Pavilion.
The exhibition’s centrepiece will undoubtedly be the most eye-catching display. You’ve never seen a garden like this before.
What to wear at the Chelsea Flower Show?
Wondering about the Chelsea Flower Show dress code? If you’re having trouble deciding what to wear, clothes tend to be on the smart side: for women, summer dresses (especially floral prints), tailored trousers, and bright jackets are ideas. Men tend to opt for light trousers, shirts, and jackets (comfortable shoes are a must).
Or, if you want to dress the part, you can wear Prince Harry’s fleece, shirt, and jeans combination to look like a true seasoned professional.
This year’s weather looks a little damp (suitable for flowers, less good for guests), so we’d recommend wrapping up warm and waterproof.
Chelsea Flower Show food and drink: where to eat?
Where to Eat at the Show. With plenty of places to eat, Chelsea doesn’t limit your gastronomical options. Be sure to buy your Chelsea Flower Show Tickets now. Bring a picnic and immerse yourself in the great outdoors at the Picnic Pavilion, a special area for dedicated al-fresco diners, or if you’ve had enough of the rain, why not while away the afternoon in one of the restaurants Chelsea Flower Show has on-site?
The Rock Bank Restaurant (menu here) operates a full service if Pimm’s and strawberries aren’t enough to sate you, or there’s the Bandstand Restaurant, to name but a few of the dozens of food vendors operating during the show.
Best restaurants near the show:
If you’d rather avoid the queues, we don’t blame you: The Royal Hospital is conveniently located close to Sloane Square tube station and has hundreds of good places to eat near the Chelsea Flower Show. Nearby restaurants have risen to the occasion by offering RHS-inspired displays and special menus: why not head to Rabbit Restaurant’s Edible Garden and try their Chelsea Flower Show menu?
If you’re keen to try the best restaurants in the area, we’d recommend the new Polpo on Duke of York Square. Or venture a little further afield and enjoy the new Ivy Chelsea Garden or World’s End Market, both on the King’s Road, and are firm local favourites. Or Gordon Ramsay, hot on the heels of his latest venture, Maze Grill Park Walk, has opened up another branch just minutes from the Chelsea Flower Show: Maze Grill, Royal Hospital Road.