The Royal Park and the English Garden

The Via d’Acqua

From the Cannocchiale, the passage that runs through the palace, the park opens out into a long, straight axis. The water steps down over three kilometres from one basin to the next, lined by about sixty statues. There are six monumental fountains, in this order as you climb from the palace: the Margherita Fountain, the Dolphin Fountain, the Fountain of Aeolus, the Fountain of Ceres, the Fountain of Venus and Adonis and, last of all, the Fountain of Diana and Actaeon.

The Grand Cascade

At the far end of the axis the water falls 82 metres down the hillside into the basin of Diana and Actaeon, a sculpture group made between 1786 and 1789. The water comes from a long way off: it is carried by the Carolino Aqueduct, 38 kilometres long, which is part of the same UNESCO site.

The English Garden

To the right of the Grand Cascade is the way into the English Garden, twenty-three hectares commissioned by Queen Maria Carolina and laid out by Carlo Vanvitelli with the gardener John Andrew Graefer. After the geometry of the park it is another world: winding paths, rare plants, ponds and mock ruins.

The English Garden is included in both the €9 ticket and the €18 full ticket. It closes earlier than the park and is shut on free entry days. Bicycles are not allowed.

Park and garden opening hours

Month	Royal Park	Last entry	English Garden
November	8:30–15:30	14:30	8:30–15:00
December	8:30–15:30	14:30	8:30–14:30
January	8:30–16:00	15:00	8:30–15:00
April–September	8:30–19:00	18:00	8:30–18:00

The hours for every month are on the tickets and opening hours page.

Current notices

As of November 2026, the palace website reports that the paths along the holm oaks of the Via d’Acqua have been closed since 20 October and that restoration work on some of the fountains has been extended. In heavy rain or strong wind the park can close at short notice, as it did on 23 September and 2 November. Check the notices page before you set off.

From Royal Palace B&B

The park’s Corso Giannone entrance is a short walk from the B&B: you can stroll under the trees early in the morning and be back in your room before visiting the palace. The ticket does not allow re-entry, so it is worth setting aside one day for the park and another for the apartments.