Osborne House
Osborne House
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
*Please check the Osborne website for the official opening hours.
Former retreat for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (circa 1845) still retains a large collection of the royal couple's possessions, art work and photographs. Also home to the Swiss Cottage for Victoria's children, and the private beach and bathing machine.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view










What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Osborne House and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
103 within 3 miles
Attractions
98 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- minniepoole201931 contributionsA nice afternoon out but not worth the entrance fee in winter!Our plan was to spend a few hours visiting a lovely stately home. It was expensive especially as a number of areas were closed due to winter conservation work - this should have discount yes the price. We wanted to see the bathing carriage but this was under cover. A pricey place for a few hours …. To be honest I wouldn’t recommend it as a day out for the price. A shame as it is part of British heritage but out of range for most pockets.Visited January 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten January 29, 2023
- Lexi1414 contributionsNice and peacefulSome things closed due to maintenance so full price shouldn't really be charged for entry. Lovely and well maintained grounds and friendly staff Vicky was very kind in sharing her knowledge about the house, informative and friendly. Nice tea and scones at the beachVisited February 2023Traveled with friendsWritten February 4, 2023
- Sarah A30 contributionsGreat historical journey back to Queen Victoria's reign and her family life.Slightly disappointing that upstairs and Swiss cottage were closed and yet we paid full price. This was my second visit and I loved the house, grounds and gardens. The staff are lovely and very helpful. The coffee is AWFUL! Would have been nice to grab a sandwich at the beach, however the cheese scones are delicious.Visited February 2023Written February 6, 2023
- nigel b120 contributionsFantasticSadly only the lower floor was open but that contained so much content it was fine. The guides/volunteer's were in the main very good ( I say" in the main" as I like discreet guides who will help if requested other than those impose themselves when perhaps you would rather they didn't!!) The rooms were packed with objects/ painting/curios etc with more than enough to satisfy most people's memory banks. The setting/location is outstanding with views down to the Solent. The grounds were also very good even allowing for the fact we were there in February. I would recommend Osbourne House to everyone. NB Only 4 stars as there was limited access eg only ground floor open.Visited February 2023Written February 10, 2023
- WalkalotCumbria, United Kingdom10 contributionsHalf an Experience!It's somewhere I've wanted to see for a long time so really looked forward to our visit. Unfortunately there was very little of the house open. Only the down stairs rooms (which were stunning!) as the top floors were closed for renovation so we didn't get to see any of the bedrooms. The Swiss Cottage & Gazelle House were closed too and Queen Victoria's bathing hut covered up. Luckily we had EH membership but I felt so sorry for all those visitors who paid full whack to see half a house! I completely understand renovation has to take place but I do think a reduced entrance fee should be offered as compensation. At £23pp its really a very expensive visit and I'm sure many left today feeling short changed.Visited February 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten February 16, 2023
- C0nn01sseurOxford, United Kingdom687 contributionsWonderful glimpse into the life of Queen VictoriaLovely day spent exploring Osborne House which was wheelchair friendly, and as a carer I went free. Only the ground floor was open during our visit, but we spent a very enjoyable morning exploring all of the available rooms. My favourite being the Indian influenced Durbah Room. The gardens were also partly accessible in a wheelchair, and a very helpful driver of the regular minibus took us to the Swiss Cottage and the beach where we bought tea at the small cafe. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Very interesting exhibition on birthdays spent by Victoria at the house. To get the most from your visit I would recommend buying the reasonably priced guidebook. We also joined English Heritage while we were there as it wasn't much more than the cost of our visitVisited March 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten March 21, 2023
- Graham VColyton, United Kingdom12 contributionsA good day out but not fully openVisted on a Saturday in late March. A good day out but wish it had been clear on the website that the house was only partially open, the Swiss Cottage was closed and the bathing hut was screened away for the winter. Not so bad if we hadn't bought a day return with car on the IOW ferry specifically to get there. On a more positive note, the house and grounds were really impressive and incredibly well maintained. The guide notes in each room were very informative and the volunteers helpful and informative as ever. A credit especially to the gardeners. We will certainly return some day to see the bits we missed but maybe I'll ring to check in advance.Visited March 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten March 27, 2023
- Linda PChertsey, United Kingdom24 contributionsLovely visit, around house & gardensHad a lovely day out at Osbourne House. Had a lovely walk round the house & learnt so much more than I did last time I visited. The staff were really helpful & knowledgeable. Also walked to the beach & round the well kept gardens. Lovely day out would recommend to anyone that wants to learn more about our history & for anyone that likes walking round the beautiful gardensVisited September 2022Traveled as a coupleWritten April 6, 2023
- Pollard15Derby, United Kingdom58 contributionsStunningFabulous day out. Family of 4 with dog meant that we had to go around the house in shifts as dogs are understandably not allowed inside but are allowed in the gardens. Lots to see in the house and the gardens are breathtaking. The beach is beautiful, a shame we could not see the bathing carriage, it was all undercover with no explanation? The guides/volunteers were extremely helpful, knowledgeable and welcoming. We spent a good 4 hours here and would definitely return.Visited April 2023Traveled with familyWritten April 7, 2023
- Nugga DLeeds, United Kingdom9 contributionsGreat house and gardensAbsolutely fabulous house and gardens would recommend to anyone. Full of history and very informative. We found the buses were full up quickly and they could have done with one more. The only problem we found was food! There wasn’t any at 1pm it had all been sold. Most people eat between 12-1.30 so no idea why they had run out, we tried the beach cafe first then the one next to the gift shop but neither had anything left and there was no other options so we were starving.Visited March 2023Traveled with friendsWritten April 11, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
6,020 reviews
Excellent
3,744
Very good
1,493
Average
472
Poor
200
Terrible
111
Twotime
Devon, UK52 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
Like many previous reviews, we were disappointed with our visit. Having made the trip to stay for two nights on the Isle of Wight, our main intention was to visit Osborne.
I had imagined that booking a time slot would mean at least there would be space and time to view the house but a shuffle with a crowd of people through the long corridors of the ground floor only, was reminiscent of the queues visiting the Sistine chapel and was very frustrating.
We were also most surprised at the lack of any sort of description of the items in the house and the art work. Fortunately, we knew the history of Victoria’s family and her time there. A couple of state rooms to view, gives little impression of a famous Royal household. An audio guide would have been ideal but presumably not possible in days of Covid restrictions.
The signs in the grounds were both inadequate and confusing. As members of English Heritage, we pay an annual subscription but I’m sure others will be feeling pretty “short changed”. We would hesitate to recommend a visit to Osborne until it it opens up to more extensive public viewing.
I had imagined that booking a time slot would mean at least there would be space and time to view the house but a shuffle with a crowd of people through the long corridors of the ground floor only, was reminiscent of the queues visiting the Sistine chapel and was very frustrating.
We were also most surprised at the lack of any sort of description of the items in the house and the art work. Fortunately, we knew the history of Victoria’s family and her time there. A couple of state rooms to view, gives little impression of a famous Royal household. An audio guide would have been ideal but presumably not possible in days of Covid restrictions.
The signs in the grounds were both inadequate and confusing. As members of English Heritage, we pay an annual subscription but I’m sure others will be feeling pretty “short changed”. We would hesitate to recommend a visit to Osborne until it it opens up to more extensive public viewing.
Written September 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rutter17
Calne, UK35 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
Was so looking forward to visiting here and part of the reason we booked IOW holiday, even joined English Heritage before going. Really wished we hadn’t bothered.
On arrival there it become clear immediately the staff were only interested in those looking to join, 4 staff out the front of the entrance but 3 trying to sell membership and only 1 actually checking peoples tickets and processing people in, whilst the queue just got longer. This theme carried on with you being asked by most staff if you were members and once you said yes they lost total interest in you.
Despite this we still wanted to make the most of the visit and was aware you could only view the ground floor in the main house but was looking forward to going in the chalet, they don’t tell you in advance that this is closed as well as the food venue down near it despite it having outside tables. The ground floor of the house had some love paintings, furnitures, China etc to look at but like any other stately home I have been to it had no cards or details up of what was what. Just lots of signs saying ‘Don’t Touch’ with no relevant or useful information.
Hopefully as we get to use our membership elsewhere this is just a blip on their properties, seriously wouldn’t recommend visiting till it is all back open as not worth the current price,
On arrival there it become clear immediately the staff were only interested in those looking to join, 4 staff out the front of the entrance but 3 trying to sell membership and only 1 actually checking peoples tickets and processing people in, whilst the queue just got longer. This theme carried on with you being asked by most staff if you were members and once you said yes they lost total interest in you.
Despite this we still wanted to make the most of the visit and was aware you could only view the ground floor in the main house but was looking forward to going in the chalet, they don’t tell you in advance that this is closed as well as the food venue down near it despite it having outside tables. The ground floor of the house had some love paintings, furnitures, China etc to look at but like any other stately home I have been to it had no cards or details up of what was what. Just lots of signs saying ‘Don’t Touch’ with no relevant or useful information.
Hopefully as we get to use our membership elsewhere this is just a blip on their properties, seriously wouldn’t recommend visiting till it is all back open as not worth the current price,
Written July 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LAW64
Tonbridge, UK1,693 contributions
Sep 2020
We have been here a few times now and this time brought a larger group of adults. We had a 2pm booking which means that you don't have that long to look around - the house closes at 4.30. The price does not vary according to the time that you arrive and does not seem to have been reduced to take into account that only half of the house is available and the bus to the beach is less frequent. If you take into account the other restrictions it does seem expensive at the moment - there are long queues for the cafe on the beach. It is a lovely venue with nice walks.
Written September 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
capejoy
Somerset, England115 contributions
Sep 2020
We paid for a tour expecting a guided tour but instead joined a huge amount of other people shuffling along corridors with no idea of what we were looking at. Even in these Covid times a guided tour should be possible with small groups of people at more frequent periods, but they are only booking hourly. We went in through a side entrance, walked through what was obviously servant's quarters, skirted past the main entrance hall and then through corridors lined with paintings to two main rooms. There was no handout, none of the people on duty offered little speeches about what we were looking at, no little stories about the history.
Written September 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mr & Mrs B
Reigate, UK60 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
Been wanting to visit here for many years and took the opportunity when we were away without the kids in tow.
It’s a beautiful place but expensive for what it is. Paid £24 each on the door as we didn’t want to commit with online tickets at £19 each because of the weather. It really is a place only worth visiting if the weathers good.
Entry to the house was timed but there were too many people in there at the same time and felt rushed having to move through the rooms. There are about 8 separate rooms you pass through which took about 30 minutes. Most of the staff seemed a bit miserable a few chatted about some of the items in the rooms but most said nothing.
Then there’s a 1.2km walk down to Osbourne bay
to the usual way overpriced cafe that just served machine coffee and pre packed sandwiches. All outside seating, so again weather dependant. A walk back up the hill via the Swiss Cottage and museum with a very enthusiastic young man who was very informative about the items on display, other staff in the main house could learn a thing or two from him.
All in all, expensive for what it is. I wouldn’t recommend taking children, they’ll be bored within 5 minutes. Not a place to visit if the weathers poor. Glad I’ve been but wouldn’t bother again.
It’s a beautiful place but expensive for what it is. Paid £24 each on the door as we didn’t want to commit with online tickets at £19 each because of the weather. It really is a place only worth visiting if the weathers good.
Entry to the house was timed but there were too many people in there at the same time and felt rushed having to move through the rooms. There are about 8 separate rooms you pass through which took about 30 minutes. Most of the staff seemed a bit miserable a few chatted about some of the items in the rooms but most said nothing.
Then there’s a 1.2km walk down to Osbourne bay
to the usual way overpriced cafe that just served machine coffee and pre packed sandwiches. All outside seating, so again weather dependant. A walk back up the hill via the Swiss Cottage and museum with a very enthusiastic young man who was very informative about the items on display, other staff in the main house could learn a thing or two from him.
All in all, expensive for what it is. I wouldn’t recommend taking children, they’ll be bored within 5 minutes. Not a place to visit if the weathers poor. Glad I’ve been but wouldn’t bother again.
Written September 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SueJ1960
High Wycombe, UK57 contributions
Aug 2020
I was really looking forward to visiting Osborne House, but wish I hadn't bothered. We knew that not all areas of the house would be open, due to social distancing restrictions, but what we actually got to see amounted to two rooms and some corridors, and there was almost no information. There were family portraits of Victoria and some of her children, but nothing telling visitors which children they were. Various other portraits lined the walls, but with no information about who they were or why they were important. Rather than using the empty top of a billiard table to show photographs or artefacts, perhaps pictures of the parts of the house that we were unable to visit, it was just left blank. Room staff showed absolutely no interest in speaking to visitors or explaining anything about the house or its inhabitants; we only saw them talking to each other. I literally learnt nothing about Victoria from our visit - not even that Osborne House was where she died (I looked it up on Wikipedia afterwards). It didn't help that the weather during our visit was atrocious, so we only spent the briefest amount of time in the gardens and didn't attempt the beach, but I felt that for English Heritage to charge full price (£19 each) for so little was dreadful.
Written August 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Malcolm O
Minehead, UK23 contributions
Sep 2020
Having booked a timed ticket for our visit was disappointed that there was slot of people going in at the same time. This made it a slow procession through the the 6 or so rooms that are open at the moment. Whilst we understand that things are difficult at the moment we came away disappointed with the amount you did see for the still high entrance fee.
Written September 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise B
20 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
They should reduce the entrance price as they’re only offering a reduced experience - charging full price when only the ground floor is open seems excessive. Also there is no information whatsoever about the house, the rooms or the contents as you’re going around. If it’s now too dangerous to provide printed room guides, how about some sign boards or an app to tell visitors what they’re looking at - we got very little out of our visit.
Also ... while half of the massive house is shut ‘for our safety’ as is the Swiss chalet in the garden, the much smaller building which houses the gift shop is not deemed to be a danger to the public and remains open.
If this is the best English Heritage can do, they’re not trying hard enough and I certainly won’t be taking up the annual membership that they’re currently touting - definitely not worth the money.
Also ... while half of the massive house is shut ‘for our safety’ as is the Swiss chalet in the garden, the much smaller building which houses the gift shop is not deemed to be a danger to the public and remains open.
If this is the best English Heritage can do, they’re not trying hard enough and I certainly won’t be taking up the annual membership that they’re currently touting - definitely not worth the money.
Written September 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glen-Brotherton01
London, UK15 contributions
Sep 2021
We travelled to osbourne house today. We were slightly disappointed as the Swiss Cottage was shut due to staff shortages. There were plenty of volunteers but we were told the cottage could not be opened by volunteers, this did not make a lot of sense?
There were expensive guide books you could buy but no headsets to tAke you through the history of the house. The initial room had interesting facts about how the family celebrated birthdays but after this room information was lacking. When we had visited before we had been allowed to get up closer to family pictures and letters Victoria wrote to the family, this was not on display this time.
The coffee shop had only one person serving and one person making tea and coffee, there was a long queue and it seemed odd that a popular tourist attraction had so few catering staff.
Overall I am not sure at £42 for two adults we are not sure we received value for money
There were expensive guide books you could buy but no headsets to tAke you through the history of the house. The initial room had interesting facts about how the family celebrated birthdays but after this room information was lacking. When we had visited before we had been allowed to get up closer to family pictures and letters Victoria wrote to the family, this was not on display this time.
The coffee shop had only one person serving and one person making tea and coffee, there was a long queue and it seemed odd that a popular tourist attraction had so few catering staff.
Overall I am not sure at £42 for two adults we are not sure we received value for money
Written September 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hchissell
Farnham, UK15 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
We have visited Osborne House on several occasions over the last few years. The tour is fascinating and includes the family apartments as well as the reception rooms on the ground floor. Yesterday we went on a timed tour and found that less than half of the house was open to visit. We were only able to visit the ground floor rooms and it took about 30 minutes only to get round the house. The grounds were open but the Swiss Cottage closed. We were disappointed that we were unable to see probably the most interesting parts of the house and yet were charged the full entrance fee of £19 per person for this. If we were able to socially distance whilst visiting downstairs I know from previous visits that we could have done the same for the rest of the house. We left disappointed and even reading the website after our trip didn’t make it clear how reduced the tour would be.
Written August 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can I just walk around the grounds for a reduced price
Helgar M
Bembridge, UK20 contributions
Sorry no idea but the staff there are very helpful so guess they can help if you don’t need to travel far to risk this. I didn’t find the telephone customer service helpful as they are in a central call centre
Are dogs allowed in the grounds?
lim93
Brighton, UK51 contributions
Yes grounds only
piatty73
Houston, TX686 contributions
Arriving by ship- are there taxi’s available at port to get to and from Osbourne House?
redkite128
Wolverhampton, UK76 contributions
I expect there are. I personally would ask the crew members on board the ferry over as they are bound to know. There seemed to be plenty of taxis on the island. Hope this helps and enjoy Osborne House
Is there a parking charge
paulspread
Basingstoke, UK276 contributions
No it is free
Is there a parking charge for Osborne House
redkite128
Wolverhampton, UK76 contributions
No
Erin
6 contributions
Are you able to take pictures of the house and gardens?
paulspread
Basingstoke, UK276 contributions
Yes you are ok to take pictures but some areas do not allow use of the flash
Can I just turn up on the day and walk round the gardens?
Kelly M
Truro, UK3 contributions
Hi , you can turn up on the day, you would need to pay to get in and walk around the gardens which includes the house swiss cottage and beach, I booked online as you will save around a £1 a ticket, we are members of English heritage but were taking guests .. just recently been again and its one of the best places to visit on the island.
Sandra D
Gosport, UK2 contributions
How accessible is it at osbourne house for somebody with mobility problems but has no wheelchair or mobility scooter just a walking stick but cannot walk long distance only very short distances
angie47
Oxford, UK1,653 contributions
There are wheelchairs available to use free of charge. There is a lot of walking so we used the wheelchairs for our elderly mothers which proved to be a boon.
Sarah B
Southwick, UK123 contributions
Is the house now fully opened? Visited last October and half of the house was shut so not really worth the visit and cost.
Nigel S
34 contributions
Hi, I have not been before and it seemed to be. When you look from the outside I would say that we did not go round the whole house as I don’t think we went in the newer part where the childrens rooms would of been.
GAUDIOSA R
1 contribution
how long does it takes to explore osborne house and garden
Eileen W
Troon, UK34 contributions
I would say half a day is a pleasant trip, the house is beautiful and would take longer to go round if all apartments were open, the gardens are stunning and it is a lovely walk down to the beach and the Swiss Cottage, if you want to take a picnic and enjoy the scenery there are picnic tables to enjoy your lunch.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingOsborne House - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Osborne House
- Hotels near Osborne House:
- (0.09 mi) Albert Cottage - Hotel - Restaurant - Bar
- (0.07 mi) Wisteria House
- (0.10 mi) Aisla Cottage
- (0.26 mi) Crossways House
- (0.19 mi) Prince of Wales Pub
- Restaurants near Osborne House:
- (0.06 mi) Swiss Cottage Tea Room
- (0.10 mi) Albert Cottage Restaurant
- (0.19 mi) Prince of Wales Pub
- (0.20 mi) Victoria Tavern
- (0.66 mi) Prego
- Attractions near Osborne House:
- (0.36 mi) Osborne House
- (0.55 mi) Victoria Tavern
- (0.63 mi) Isle Of Wight Coastal Footpath
- (0.85 mi) St Mildred's Church
- (1.87 mi) The Wight Military and Heritage Museum
Osborne House Information
Excellent Reviews | 3,743 |
---|---|
Very Good Reviews | 1,493 |
Osborne House Photos | 4,633 |