Hyde Park Hyde Park

Guide to parks in London

Despite being one of the world’s biggest urban jungles, London has plenty of green spaces to provide a bit of verdant relaxation. With the history of public parks in the city stretching back centuries, many of the capital’s parks have become iconic attractions in their own right, while others provide a variety of recreational and sports activities to their communities. Read on to discover London’s best parks for wildlife, events, sports or just plain old leisurely unwinding!

Note: most parks in London open in the morning and close at dusk, with the precise time changing according to the seasons.

In this guide
  1. The best parks in London
    1. Hampstead Heath – 800 acres of parkland and sights
    2. Richmond Park – Huge wildlife reserve with deer
    3. Victoria Park – The UK's favourite park
    4. Alexandra Park & Palace – Well-known park in Haringey
    5. Primrose Hill – Come for the view
    6. Green Park – Tranquillity next to Buckingham Palace
    7. The Regent's Park – Parkland with a zoo
    8. Finsbury Park – Flagship North London park
    9. Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens – Iconic Royal Parks
    10. Battersea Park – Riverside zen
    11. St James's Park – Pelicans and parades
    12. Greenwich Park – Panoramas and maritime history
    13. Crystal Palace Park – Victorian-era Jurassic Park
    14. Holland Park – A glimpse of Japan
    15. Hackney Marshes – Idyllic space in East London
    16. Brockwell Park – Community hub
    17. London Fields – Hackney's favourite
    18. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – Modern, sports-minded parkland
    19. Trent Park – A reason to go to Cockfosters
    20. Dulwich Park – A south London gem
    21. Springfield Park – A best-kept secret
    22. Priory Park – Bustling park in Haringey
    23. Golders Hill Park – Park full of features
    24. Telegraph Hill Park – Scenic space in South London

The best parks in London

Hampstead Heath – Parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath – Parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath – Parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath – Parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath – Parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath – Parks
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Hampstead Heath – Parks
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Hampstead Heath – Parks
Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath

800 acres of parkland and sights

With skyline views from Parliament Hill, the wild woodlands and meadows of Hampstead Heath are an iconic part of life in the city. In addition to usual park activities such as strolling, jogging and cycling, pay a visit to the different attractions scattered around this vast green area, for example Kenwood manor house or the Hill Garden Pergola, a favourite of budding photographers and influencers everywhere.

Richmond Park

Huge wildlife reserve with deer

A National Nature Reserve, Richmond Park is famous for its wildlife, especially the herds of deer that roam around freely. The vast park features plenty of green open spaces and park-related activities. Due to being located on the outskirts of London, it’s not as convenient to visit as Hyde Park, for example, but the remoteness just adds to the feeling of escaping to the countryside and leaving the city noise behind.

Victoria Park

The UK's favourite park

Dating back to 1848, Victoria Park is London’s oldest public park, as well as the UK’s most beloved one according to a public vote. The park offers recreation, sports and relaxation to more than nine million visitors each year. Its many attractions include an island with a Chinese pagoda, contemporary sculptures in the middle of the boating lake, a Grade II listed drinking fountain and stone alcoves that were part of the old London Bridge.

Alexandra Park & Palace – Parks
Alexandra Park & Palace
Alexandra Park & Palace – Parks
Alexandra Park & Palace
Alexandra Park & Palace – Parks
Alexandra Park & Palace
Alexandra Park & Palace – Parks
Alexandra Park & Palace
Alexandra Park & Palace – Parks
Alexandra Park & Palace
Alexandra Park & Palace – Parks
Alexandra Park & Palace

Alexandra Park & Palace

Well-known park in Haringey

The landmark Alexandra Palace in Haringey is surrounded by an expanse of green parkland and trees, and offers great views of the entire city. It's a popular destination during the summertime as well as on New Year's Eve. There's plenty of space for relaxing, buses run through the park for convenience, and there are attractions like a weekly farmer's market.

Primrose Hill

Come for the view

Primrose Hill is one of London's protected viewpoints, offering unobstructed views of central London's most famous landmarks. Even the trees are intentionally kept low to avoid the view being ruined. This expansive green park has a lively atmosphere and is a popular haunt for Londoners during light summer evenings.

Green Park

Tranquillity next to Buckingham Palace

If you’re in a hurry to see Buckingham Palace, Green Park is likely just a bit of greenery you pass through on the way, but those who have time to take advantage of the park’s lawn chair rental will find lawns aplenty to sit back and relax. The tranquil triangle completes the Royal Park chain from Kensington Palace, sliding in between Hyde Park on one end and St James’s Park on the other.

The Regent's Park

Parkland with a zoo

The largest grass area for sports in central London, Regent's Park features a boating lake, several cafés, playgrounds, well-tended gardens and an open-air theatre amidst its tree-lined avenues. Walk past ZSL London Zoo in the northern end of the park to catch a glimpse of the animal residents.

Finsbury Park

Flagship North London park

A large verdant area in North London, Finsbury Park offers plenty of space for various activities, including basketball and tennis courts, a small boating lake, an outdoors gym, a skate park, a baseball field and plenty of grass to frolic on. An entrance on the western side of the park leads to one end of the Parkland Walk, a disused railway track that’s been converted into lovely pathway to Highgate. Finsbury Park also hosts major summer festivals and events.

Hyde Park – Parks
Hyde Park
Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park – Parks
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Hyde Park Kensington Gardens
Hyde Park
royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park
Kensington Gardens
royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens
Hyde Park Kensington Gardens

Iconic Royal Parks

Part of the Royal Parks chain that leads from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens make up a world-famous park area in the middle of London. In addition to offering activities such as boating and hosting huge concerts, the famed Winter Wonderland festive fair and other massive events, the former hunting grounds of King Henry VIII contain sights such as the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and the original Speakers’ Corner.

  • Hyde Park Kensington Gardens
    Hyde Park
    Hyde Park
    Kensington Gardens
    Kensington Gardens
  • Hyde Park
    royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park
    Kensington Gardens
    royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens
  • Hyde Park Kensington Gardens

Battersea Park

Riverside zen

Battersea Park is located next to the Thames and the striking Battersea Power Station, but offers several attractions of its own. In addition to the plentiful green spaces to relax in, it’s worth paying the surprisingly impressive Buddhist Peace Pagoda a visit, checking out the contemporary art programme at the Pump House Gallery, or stopping by in spring during cherry blossom season.

St James's Park

Pelicans and parades

St James’s Park, one of the city’s Royal Parks, extends along The Mall towards Buckingham Palace, providing a verdant backdrop to the annual Trooping the Colour parade and other ceremonial displays of that sort. The park encloses a lake that has hosted a colony of pelicans for almost four centuries.

Greenwich Park – Parks
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park – Parks
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park – Parks
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park – Parks
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park – Parks
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park – Parks
Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park

Panoramas and maritime history

The Grade I listed Greenwich Park slopes up towards the Royal Observatory, boasting magnificent views of the London skyline, the Thames River and the Greenwich Peninsula from the top. The park itself offers plenty of grassy spots to relax on, as well as acting as an urban sanctuary for wildlife such as deer and foxes. There’s plenty to do in the area as well, with the National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and Greenwich Market all just a few minutes away.

Crystal Palace Park

Victorian-era Jurassic Park

Crystal Palace Park’s famous – and famously scientifically inaccurate – dinosaurs, leftovers from the Victorian era, can still be found in this beloved green space, even though the palace the park is named after went extinct almost 100 years ago. This park in South London is also home to the Crystal Palace Bowl, a landmark music venue on a lake where many of modern music’s greats have played, as well as one of the largest hedge mazes in the UK.

Holland Park

A glimpse of Japan

Holland Park is best known for its Kyoto Garden, a landscaped Japanese garden with a pond and a waterfall. The park is the largest in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and also includes children's playgrounds, sports courts, and an open-air opera auditorium. There are plenty of green open spaces as well.

Hackney Marshes

Idyllic space in East London

Hackney Marshes is an idyllic open space in East London that's ideally suited to a wide range of activities. A whopping 82 sports pitches are on the site, as well as plenty of open space for walking, running, or simply relaxing outdoors. A river runs through the park as well, ideal for cooling off on the rare occasions we get some warm weather.

Brockwell Park

Community hub

Featuring a community-run miniature railway and BMX track, Brockwell Park is a significant hub for the local community. There are quite a few historic buildings among its ponds, meadows and pathways as well, for example the Brockwell Lido and the 19th century “Little Ben” clock tower. In the warmer months, the park hosts various commercial and community events.

London Fields

Hackney's favourite

London Fields is much-loved among Hackney’s fashionable crowds, making finding your own place under the sun a bit of a challenge during the summer months. The park offers various sports and recreation facilities, for example a cricket pitch and a lido. Head to the north-western end for some refreshment at the Pub on the Park, where you can look out over the park from the pub’s outdoor terrace.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Modern, sports-minded parkland

This vast green area along the River Lea extends from the Lee Valley in the north to London Stadium in the south, and is a paradise for fans of both sports and more leisurely park activities. This is a contemporary urban park with state-of-the-art sports and event facilities, lush parkland, tidy pathways, and playgrounds.

Trent Park

A reason to go to Cockfosters

Straddling London's border with Hertfordshire, Trent Park is expansive and intriguing. Formerly the campus of Middlesex University, you'll see a grand country house plus other Grade II listed statues and structures. There's an ancient moat that's rumoured to be haunted and a wide range of wildlife. Events like music festivals also take place.

Dulwich Park

A south London gem

You have to venture pretty far south to get to Dulwich, but it's well worth the expedition. This South London borough is a village-like neighbourhood filled with boutique shops, local restaurants and quaint pubs. It's also home to Dulwich Park, where a boating lake is scattered with rowing boats and family-sized pedalos. There's also a variety of sporting facilities, such as a football pitch, bowling green, tennis courts, an outdoor gym, outdoor table tennis and cricket nets.

Springfield Park

A best-kept secret

Don't let the slightly off-the-beaten-path location of this stunning park deter you from visiting; it's one of the area's best-kept secrets offering picturesque views over the Lea River and Walthamstow Marshes. You can take a leisurely cycle or stroll down to Hackney Wick, where you can enjoy a locally-brewed pint at Howling Hops.

Priory Park

Bustling park in Haringey

In Haringey you can explore Priory Park, a spacious and green local park that attracts thousands of visitors every year. There's plenty of space to sit back and relax as well as gardens, play areas, and a variety of sports facilities. You have to book tennis courts in advance but the park also has a basketball court, petanque court, and table tennis tables.

Golders Hill Park

Park full of features

There's plenty to keep you occupied at Golders Hill Park, including a zoo that's free to visit. Wander the open green spaces and well-manicured gardens here, make use of the tennis courts, or send the kids off to the play areas. Despite being in the heart of Golders Green, this place is a peaceful escape from busy North London.

Telegraph Hill Park

Scenic space in South London

Located in the south of the city, Telegraph Hill Park offers impressive views of central London. It's fab if you just want to enjoy the sights but there's plenty to do here as well. Visitors can check out the tennis and basketball courts, take the kids to the play area, or enjoy the ornamental garden.

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