Parks and Gardens
London is one of Europe's greenest capitals. The Royal Parks, the wild heaths and the great botanical gardens, with what to see, where to eat and how to get there.
London is one of the greenest capitals in Europe, and its parks are among the best reasons to visit. The Royal Parks, the wild heaths in the north and the botanical gardens at Kew offer everything from boating lakes and rose gardens to herds of deer and views across the whole city. Most of them are free to enter and easy to reach by public transport.
34 guides in this section.
The Royal Parks and beyond
Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
The Serpentine, the Italian Gardens and big seasonal events.
Regent's Park and Primrose Hill
Rose gardens, the canal and a famous free view.
St James's Park and Green Park
Pelicans, palace views and the royal walk.
Richmond Park
Wild deer, a protected view and Isabella Plantation.
Hampstead Heath
Parliament Hill, the ponds and Kenwood House.
Kew Gardens
Glasshouses, the treetop walkway and the seasons.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
More green space
Greenwich Park
The best free view in south London, and deer behind a fence.
Battersea Park
A boating lake, a peace pagoda and a zoo small enough for toddlers.
Holland Park and the Kyoto Garden
Peacocks, a Japanese garden, and far fewer people.
Victoria Park
East London's own park, with a food market inside it on Sundays.
Clapham Common and Brockwell Park
Two commons, a listed lido and a very good view of the city.
Bushy Park
Deer and open sky, with a fraction of Richmond's crowds.
Crystal Palace Park
Victorian concrete dinosaurs, standing since 1854.
Chelsea Physic Garden
A walled garden of medicinal plants since 1673, shut on Saturdays.
Epping Forest
Ancient forest near the end of the Central line, free all year.
Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath
A windmill, sandy paths and very little signposting.
Swimming Ponds and Lidos in London
Where to swim outdoors, what it costs and how cold it gets.
Roof Gardens and Free Terraces
Getting above the street without paying at the door.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Smaller and stranger green spaces
Postman's Park
A wall of plaques to people who died saving strangers.
The Isabella Plantation
Azaleas and streams hidden inside Richmond Park.
WWT London Wetland Centre
Reedbed and otters, one bus from Hammersmith.
The Hampstead Pergola and Hill Garden
A crumbling Edwardian walkway, free and usually empty.
London's Secret Gardens
The walled and hidden gardens visitors walk straight past.
Camley Street Natural Park and Urban Nature
A nature reserve wedged between a canal and the railway.
Morden Hall Park and South London's Estates
A free Trust estate at the end of the Northern line.
The Magnificent Seven Cemeteries
Seven overgrown Victorian cemeteries, six of them free.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Green London by season
Cherry Blossom in London
Where it is, roughly when, and the streets that beat the parks.
Autumn Colour in London
When the colour comes, and where it is strongest.
Running Routes in London
Routes from the hotel districts, with distances, plus parkrun.
How Long Does Kew Gardens Take?
What three hours covers, and which gate to start from.
The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
Wrong in ways that are now the whole point. Free and outdoors.
Severndroog Castle and Oxleas Wood
A folly, a view over seven counties, and a steep walk.
Bunhill Fields and London's Dissenters
Blake, Defoe and Bunyan, in a graveyard for outsiders.
Walthamstow Wetlands
Working reservoirs, free entry, and close to the Victoria line.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.