Start your day at Yarmouth Castle, just a half-hour drive from Osborne on the north-western shore. It is possible to walk to Osborne from East Cowes, but there's also a bus that stops outside the estate and inside you'll find plenty of space for parking.ĭay 2: Yarmouth Castle and Carisbrooke Castle
Then follow Victoria's royal footsteps to her private beach where the family played in the summer. Imagine Victoria painting landscapes and the family taking tea as they enjoyed seaviews to the Solent. Outside, wander around the recently upgraded lower terrace, which opened to the public for the first time this year. Admire this influence in the flamboyant Durbar Room and wing and learn about the unlikely friendship between Victoria and her servant Abdul Karim. Though Osborne was originally designed in Italianate fashion, in her later life Victoria became fascinated with Indian culture. Walk through the grand rooms to discover personal family artefacts, including portraits of the couple and their nine children and see the bedroom Victoria died in in 1901 at the age of 81. Victoria and Albert built their palace from scratch in 1845 to create a sanctuary away from public scrutiny. Give yourself plenty of time to explore Osborne, Queen Victoria's holiday home.