A Quick Guide to Exploring London Parks
London does public parks and green spaces particularly well, and there are many to choose from!
In this post, we give quick summaries plus useful links and a map, showcasing these major London parks:
St. James Park
Hyde Park
Kensington Gardens
Green Park
Hampstead Heath
Victoria Park
Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
Battersea Park
Greenwich Park
Richmond Park
St James Park, Green Park and Hyde Park form a chain through most of central London. All of these three are Royal Parks, overseen by the dedicated charity of the same name. Not all the parks in London fall into the Royal Park system, but they are great to visit.
The King’s Life Guard ride from Hyde Park towards St James Park. All photos by John O’Boyle/The Empty Nest Explorers
St. James Park
Located right along the Mall in Central London, St James Park connects Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade where the Trooping of the Colour takes place. A lovely green space with a small lake that attracts a wide variety of waterfowl and is home to a resident colony of pelicans.
Considered the “most royal of the royal parks” due to its location bordered by three royal palaces, (St. James's Palace, Buckingham Palace, and the Palace of Westminster, which is now the Houses of Parliament), lots of ceremonial events take place here. Its also a good place to take in some of the Changing of the Guard.
Hyde Park
A huge crowd watches a broadcast of King Charles’ Coronation in Hyde Park.
The largest and probably most well known of London’s urban parks. Hyde Park is a hub of local activity and has seen a lot of history. Connected to Green Park via Hyde Park Corner, the park is known for its abundance of trees, and is divided by the Serpentine and the Long Water lakes, which attract a vast array of ducks and other water birds.
The site of many public and ceremonial events, the park also hosts a very popular Winter Wonderland fair during the Christmas holidays.
Fun fact - the sandy horse path called Rotten Row was once the “place to be seen” on horseback in London, a fashionable meet-up for the upper class to show off their finery. Today it is still maintained as horse path, but seldom used for that.
We had a great time in Hyde Park during King Charles’ Coronation.
Kensington Gardens
A statue of Princess Diana at the Sunken Garden in Kensington Gardens. In the background is Kensington Palace.
Kensington Gardens is actually a section of the greater Hyde Park, located to the west of West Carriage Drive, which divides the park. The expansive gardens surround Kensington Palace, and I would definitely say they are a “must see” while in London.
Many walkways wind you through the various beautifully themed gardens, where you can pick up the Princess Diana Memorial Walk, a nature trail that traverses the greenspaces of Central London.
There are also numerous interesting statues and art pieces throughout the gardens, including the beloved Peter Pan statue, historic Speaker’s Corner and Albert Memorial monuments, as well as the elaborate Queen’s Gate at the southern entrance to the park. You can read lots more about Kensington Gardens in our blog post about Visiting Kensington Palace.
Swans in Kensington Garden’s Round Pond
Green Park
In the middle of this chain of charming greenspaces of Westminster is Green Park. This is the closest park to Buckingham Palace, just north of the palace gardens and across Constitution Hill Road, and so it offers nice views of the palace.
Though it doesn’t have lakes as its sister parks do, the grassy, sprawling lawns of this tree-lined park make it the most tranquil of the three (the three war memorials notwithstanding!) Also has deck chairs if you need a rest!
Hampstead Heath
Further north still, is the 800-acre Hempstead Heath, one of London’s most beloved natural places.
A very large, sprawling park, it has 3 open air swimming pools, splash areas, a butterfly house, various sports & playing fields and an impressive amount of wildlife, making it popular with birders.
It also includes Parliament Hill, one of the highest spots in London with great views, especially popular at sunset.
Victoria Park
Located in East London in Tower Hamlets, Victoria Park is one of London’s most visited parks. It is often used as a free concert venue, and contains gardens, playgrounds and a lake.
A popular site for walking, running and cycling. Interestingly, the park was used as an anti-aircraft base during WW2!!
Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
A bronze statue by William McMillan in Regent’s Park.
Another royal park to the northwest of this area is Regent’s Park, which is best known for the extraordinary Queen Mary’s Garden, located at its center. The secluded garden is known for its horticultural excellence.
This is a very large, sprawling park which is mostly reserved for pedestrians only, except for the outer rim road which is multi-use. The northern end of the park is home to Regent’s Canal, a vast open water space, as well as the London Zoo. Adjoining the north side of the park is Primrose Hill, where you can hike to the top to enjoy show-stopping views of the city of London.
Primrose Hill is a popular place to visit at sunset.
Battersea Park
A riverside park located along the south bank of the Thames, it features woodlands, children’s play areas, a nature preserve, a Japanese Pagoda, and several interesting buildings, including an art gallery in the center of the park called The Pump House Gallery, which was once the pump house for the nearby boating lake.
Battersea Park is within walking distance to Battersea Power Station. Check out our blog post on that!
Greenwich Park
Another great green space on the southeast side of the Thames is Greenwich Park. The borough of Greenwich has a deep connection to Britain’s naval history, and the park makes a great base to explore the many other attractions in the area.
The attractions in Greenwich include the Maritime Museum (with the Queen’s House gallery in the garden, which many call a true hidden gem), the Cutty Sark, St. Alphege Church, the Old Royal Naval College with its stunning riverside architecture, and the Royal Observatory.
Greenwich Park is a World Heritage Site. The Royal Observatory is the place where “time was reinvented” (the origin of Greenwich Mean Time) and the spot where “east meets west” at Longitude 0°.
Covering 183 acres, Greenwich Park is a true escape into the natural world and hosts myriad wildlife habitats. It is also known as the home of many ancient trees, one being the Queen Elizabeth Oak which is said to be 750 years old!
The park also offers some beautiful views across the Thames and the city of London. We recommend it in our post about the Best Free Views of the London Skyline.
In keeping with the maritime spirit and just to add some extra fun to your visit, you can get there by taking an Uber boat to Greenwich Pier; it is about a 25 minute sail from London Bridge Pier.
Richmond Park
The largest of London's Royal Parks, and of national & international importance for wildlife conservation, Richmond Park is beloved for its ancient forests, its historic herds of red & fallow deer, a rich variety of birds & butterflies, and beautiful landscapes. Like many of the other Royal Parks, it was once a private royal hunting ground but now is a much enjoyed public greenspace open to everyone,
Richmond Park is located in the southwest borough of Richmond Upon Thames, which is in itself a great area to visit. It is incidentally the only London borough to span both sides of the Thames - just a trivia tidbit you may need one day!! 😉
Generally, Richmond is known for affluent neighborhoods, museums & culture, shopping and riverside life, as well as its epic parks - not only Richmond Park, but the royal botanical gardens of Kew Gardens as well. Many famous people have lived in Richmond Upon Thames over the years.
Though Richmond is not very close to the center of London (30-40 minutes via public transportation), you could certainly make a day of it. Hampton Court Palace is also located in the borough of Richmond.
Around the perimeter of the park is the scenic Tamsin Trail. This 7-mile route is popular with runners, joggers. and hikers.
Famously, there is an unobstructed view of St. Paul’s Cathedral from Richmond Park, at St. Henry’s Mound. The trees were specifically planted and maintained to perfectly frame the view of the Cathedral, which is 10 miles away. It is one of a number of “protected views” of the cathedral.
There are also several historic buildings within the park. Pembroke Lodge is a Georgian mansion with elegant tea rooms and picturesque gardens offering sweeping views over the Thames Valley.
Another historically interesting building in the middle of Richmond Park is White Lodge. A fine example of Neo-Classical English Palladian architecture, it has since 1955 been the home of The Royal Ballet School’s younger students.
White Lodge was once a royal residence. It was commissioned as a hunting lodge by George I, and has been home to a hodgepodge of British royals over two centuries. It was the first marital home of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (parents of the late Queen Elizabeth II), when they were Duke and Duchess of York (though they didn’t like it much - it was too large for them to manage as newlyweds and too far from Central London to constantly commute for their royal duties. But it’s on my hit list of George VI historical sites anyway - which is a quirky personal quest of mine. 👑)
White Lodge was also the girlhood home of Queen Mary, (QEII’s paternal grandmother) and later where she gave birth to her first son Prince Edward, who was later known as the Duke of Windsor (yes, that Duke of Windsor!)
White Lodge is a working ballet school so if you want to actually visit inside, requests must be made in advance. Personally, I’m just happy with a walk-by!
For more information on Royal Parks, visit their excellent website.
This post was researched and written by Debbie of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here
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