THINGS TO SEE AND DO
Get an intimate glimpse into royal life as you explore the grand house, complete with beautiful works of art and furnishings from the Royal Collection. Or wander among flower-filled gardens, discover the quirky museum in the Swiss Cottage and relax on the beach where the royal children learnt to swim.
We hope this page gives you a flavour of what you can expect during your visit. Alternatively, visit our Plan your visit page for more information on directions, access and facilities.
State Rooms
Step into the sumptuous state rooms of Queen Victoria at Osborne, where the Queen of England entertained her important guests. Osborne was built specifically for Victoria and Albert, and its architecture and furnishings reflect their passions, taste and style.
You can feel a real sense of history here. Heads of state, inventors, princes and princesses, all walked these opulent corridors, when Osborne was at the centre of a vast British Empire. Explore some of the highlights from the collection on loan from the Royal Collection Trust at Osborne.
Family Rooms
Peek into the private world of Victoria and Albert and their nine children, in the family rooms at Osborne.
Visit the queen's sitting room and see the balcony where Victoria and Albert used to listen to nightingales on a summer's evening. See the queen's personal bath tub in the dressing room, and, next door, the bedroom where she died, on 22 January 1901.
Prince Albert's private suite was kept as it was in his lifetime, by Queen Victoria, and many of the things he used at Osborne still lie where he left them.
Please note, the nursery and table deckers are closed until further notice. Please accept our apologies for any disappointment this may cause.
Queen Victoria's Beach
"We have quite a charming beach to ourselves," Victoria wrote in 1845, and it was here at Osborne beach that the Queen regularly bathed and her children learned to swim.
Enjoy the magnificent views out to sea from Queen Victoria's alcove, and pop inside her bathing machine to see where she got undressed.
Why not take to the water yourself and paddle or swim from the sandy and shingle beach? Then relax with a mouth-watering ice cream or steamy fresh coffee from the café.
Swiss Cottage
Explore the world of the Victorian royal children at Swiss Cottage, thanks to the generous funding of several donors including the Heritage Fund.
Discover the interests and personalities of each of the nine princes and princesses in the ‘Childhood at Osborne’ exhibition. Play where the royal children played, and step back in time to 1861 as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert join their offspring for afternoon tea.
See fascinating objects from around the world in the museum; wander in between the royal children's vegetable plots; and enjoy a wildlife trail on your way to the beach.
Garden and Grounds
Complementing the magnificent Italianate 'royal palace by the sea', are gardens and grounds filled with breathtaking views. A place to relax and discover seasonal colour throughout the year.
The ornate terrace gardens, renovated in 2016–17 as part of a major conservation project, are a riot of tulips in spring. The mild Mediterranean climate allows stunning bedding displays in summer. Wander the Victorian walled garden with its espaliered fruit trees, and explore the wider parkland with its historic trees, many planted by Prince Albert.
Food and Drink
Dine like a queen in our elegant Terrace Restaurant and Orangery, or enjoy soup and snacks at our café in the Petty Officers' Quarters, next door to the gift shop.
Busy playing and exploring? Then stroll to the sea to savour a mouth-watering ice cream or fresh frothy coffee at the Beach Pavilion Ice-Cream Parlour.
Explore where you can eat and drink at Osborne.
Royal Collection
Many of the great paintings in the state rooms, and Queen Victoria's belongings in the family rooms, are still owned by the Royal family and are looked after on their behalf by the Royal Collection Trust. You can see more fascinating objects on loan from the Royal Collection Trust from around the world in the museum in the gardens at the Swiss Cottage.
The royal children were avid collectors. They quickly filled up a room in the cottage with natural history specimens, fossils and antiquities, so a new separate museum, also in the Swiss-chalet style, was built nearby.
The museum still remains with its contents of thousands of objects, including the first transatlantic telegraph message and a 5-legged deer.
- Explore more objects from the Royal Collection.
- Plan your visit to Osborne today.
