We never thought that an industrial city like London could dedicate so much space to nature. We couldn’t be more wrong. London’s parks are simply amazing! During our Christmas’ holiday in London we had the chance to discover many of them and we were very impressed.
Today we’re sharing with you photos, information, tips and curiosities about the 5 London’s parks we loved the most.
HYDE PARK
A must see in London
Let’s start from one of the most famous parks in the world, mentioned in several movies and books. Hyde Park is a symbol of this city, like the Tower of London and London Eye. It’s a must! If you have time, you should dedicate to this park half a day. It is directly connected to Kensington Gardens (keep on reading! 🙂 ) so you can spend a whole day touring these two parks.
Hyde Park is in the central area of London. To reach it you can take the underground up to Hyde Park Corner’s stop which is right below the entrance. The best ways to tour this park are: by foot, skate, roller blades or by bike (we’ll tell you everything about that soon…stay tuned!)
In winter this park hosts Winter Wonderland, a festival with attractions and Christmas’ themed markets. To live the magical atmospheare of Winter Wonderland have a look at our article and our YouTube video made in 2019.
Ducks and squirrels
Hyde Park is nature’s reign. The gardend is very clean, despite the huge amount of visitors. There are many different pathways (both asphalted roads and dirt roads) that will guide you through the park.
In the middle of Hyde Park there’s Serpentine, an artificial lake. On its shores you can find ducks, seagulls and swans. You will also see the famous squirrels running and jumping around. They get pretty close to you so try not to scare them.
KENSINGTON GARDENS
History, nature and…
One of the most known park, and our personal favorite, is Kensington Garden. The nearest undergrond stop is Queensway, on the northern side of the park.
Inside Kensington Gardens you’ll see Kensington Palace. It’s where queen Victoria was born in 1819 and since then royals have lived there. Also Lady Diana lived in this palace. Today nobles and guests usually stay in the dépandance. Kensington Palace can be visited but we recommend you to buy tickets in advance.
Again, the most fascinating thing about the garden is nature. There’s a big lake called Round Pound surrounded by different birds. The whole area is full of trees, bushes and flowers of different species.
We were so lucky to have our Christmas lunch (two sandwiches 🙂 ) inside this garden. The atmospheare was wanderful!
..a little bit of pixie dust
If the word Kensington sounds familiar it’s because these gardends inspired the creation of one famous fantasy character: Peter Pan. The forever young boy’s adventures wrote by J. M. Barrie are set in this wonderful park.
Peter Pan’s story became famous also thanks to many movie adaptations: in 1953 Walt Disney produced the animated movie, than there was the movie “Hook” with Dustin Hoffman e Robin Williams and another movie was released in 2003 with Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Sumpter. But the transpositions of this cult are infinite!
To celebrate this charactere, who used to fly thanks to pixie dust and who lived on Neverland, they built a bronze statue inside Kensington Gardends. Peter is represented while playing flute on the top of a rock decorated with images of animals and fairies.
So, if you do believe in fairies, don’t miss a stop by this momument!
A tribute to Italy
On the Northern side of Kensington you will find the beautiful Italian gardens. It’s an area characterized by pools, fountains and decorations inspired to Italian and Greek classical style. A blast from the past among wonderful sculptures and architectures.
Not far from these gardens you will see the artificial lake Serpentine, which divides Kensington from Hyde Park. From this side of the lake you can get an amazing view. Here’s one of our shots:
REGENTS’ PARK
A park for everyone
Regents’ Park is the first place we visited in London. No wonder why we fell in love with this city. Huge green areas, waterfalls, an artificial lake, bridges, plants, flowers, fountains and much more. To reach this park the nearest underground’s stops are Regent’s Park and Baker Street (we chose this one to have a look at Sherlock Holmes’ house first).
Regents’ Park was built as a royal garden but during XIX century they renovated it and opened to the public. This park is dedicated to all sports, including sailing on the artificial lake.
It’s the perfect place to enjoy a walk among trees and flowers.
Wonders to discover
Every detail inside Regents’ Park is perfectly thought and cared of.
Statues, pools and fountains celebrate Italian and Greek’ art. Classical style makes this garden look very similar to some other gardens we saw in Italy. Just have a look at Boboli Gardens in Florence. Here’s our article.
In spring the park is full of coloured flowers. There’s an entire area dedicated to roses. We visited this garden at Christmas but, as you can see from the pictures, the view is still amazing!
PRIMROSE HILL
A breathtaking view
Going North from Regents’ Park you will reach Primrose Hill. It’s a smaller park (smaller than Regents’ Park or Hyde Park) but it definetely worths a visit! There’s a great hill 78 meters high which offers a wonderful view of London.
Here’s one of our photos shot from Primrose Hill. In a sunny day (not so frequent in London) you can clearly see the Shard and the London Eye. To get surprising view of London, don’t miss a tour on the London Eye, the most famous wheel in England. Here you can find all the information about London Eye.
HOLLAND PARK
Perfect for kids
Another wonderful park to be visit in London is Holland Park, not far from Kensington Gardens. The nearest underground stop is High Street Kensington, which will allow to reach the garden by foot.
Holland Park is the ideal place for the whole family. There are several areas dedicated to kids and grounds to play football, tennis and golf. Kids can also play chess with a huge chessboard inside the park. If you’re looking for places in London to be visited with kids, here are some ideas: London Eye, Tower of London, Winter Wonderland and Harry Potter free tour. Read the articles to find out more!
And also for adults
Holland Park also offers spectacular views for adults. And a series of activities.
Would you like to classical frescoes, fountains and staues? Do you love gardening, beautiful plants and coloured flowers? Holland Parks has huge areas dedicated to nature and art. In the picture below we’re showing you some bushes with a heart shape.
If you love nature there’s also a wooden area where squirrels and birds hide. And, if you want to make a trip on the other side of the world, have a look at the wonderful Japanese gardens, with lakes, fountains and oriental decorations.
In conclusion, Holland Park is the perfect place for everyone!
If you liked this article about London’s gardens, leave a comment! And suggest us some other gardens to visit in London.
If London is your next destination, don’t miss our related articles. Here you can discover the Tower of London with us and here you’ll see our personal Harry Potter tour of London. Here you can find all the info about London Eye and this article tells you all you need to know about Winter Wonderland.
Another beautiful city to add to your Europe tour is Florence. Here you can read everything about our weekend there.
