St James's Park and Green Park

Published 18 September 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

St James's Park and Green Park are two free Royal Parks that sit side by side in front of Buckingham Palace. Together they make the most pleasant walk between Westminster and the palace, with a lake full of birds, a famous family of pelicans and some of the best views of the palace itself.

St James's Park is the prettier and busier of the two, with flower beds, a long lake and a view of the London Eye. Green Park, on the other side of The Mall, is almost the opposite: open lawns and big old trees, with no flower beds at all. Both are free, open early in the morning until midnight, and managed by The Royal Parks charity.

Many visitors cross them without stopping on the way to the Changing of the Guard. That is a mistake. An hour spent around the lake, followed by a walk up through Green Park towards Piccadilly, shows you a calmer side of the most ceremonial part of London.

The most royal of the Royal Parks

The Royal Parks calls St James's Park "the most royal" of its parks, and it is easy to see why. It is bordered by royal buildings, including Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, and on its eastern side it faces Horse Guards Parade, the ceremonial ground where Trooping the Colour takes place every June. The Mall, the red road used for royal processions, runs along its northern edge from Admiralty Arch to the palace.

Its royal history goes back to Henry VIII. Charles II is said to have met Nell Gwynn here, and Charles I took his final walk through the park on the way to his execution. Royal weddings, jubilees and military parades still pass along its edges. The Royal Parks says the park has the highest concentration of statues, monuments and memorials, by area, of any of its parks. One of the most loved is the statue of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in her famous plumed hat.

If you want the full ceremonial picture, read our guides to Trooping the Colour and the Changing of the Guard, which explain where to stand for each.

Meeting the pelicans of St James's Park

The pelicans are the park's best-known residents. The first pair were a gift to Charles II from the Russian ambassador in 1664, and there have been pelicans here ever since: more than 40 birds over the centuries. The current adults are called Isla, Tiffany and Gargi, joined more recently by Sun, Moon and Star.

They rarely go far from the lake. Most of the time they rest on rocks in the water, but they are sociable and sometimes sit on the benches along the path, right next to visitors. The Royal Parks says they are fed fish daily, usually at around 2.30pm, which is the easiest time to see them all together and active. Watch from a sensible distance: they are large birds, with a wingspan that can reach well over two metres.

2026 is a special year. For the first time in more than 360 years, pelican chicks hatched in the park, and the Royal Parks has been working with ZSL, Blackpool Zoo and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to care for them. The chicks are kept in a secure area that visitors cannot enter, and there are extra feeding times while they grow. Please give them space and keep dogs on a lead on the path around the lake, which is a rule there anyway.

The lake, Duck Island and the Blue Bridge

St James's Park Lake runs through the middle of the park. At its eastern end is Duck Island, a nature reserve for the park's bird collection, and beside it stands Duck Island Cottage, which the Royal Parks describes as a 17th-century cottage that once belonged to the royal duck keeper. Its cottage garden grows heritage fruit, flowers and vegetables. Around the lake you may see ducks, coots, moorhens, little grebes and sometimes black swans.

The Blue Bridge crosses the middle of the lake. The Royal Parks names it as the best place for views of Buckingham Palace in one direction and the London Eye in the other, and it is the spot for the classic photograph. Arrive early in the morning if you want it without crowds.

As in all the Royal Parks, you should not feed the birds. The Royal Parks explains that feeding wildlife does more harm than good, and the pelicans in particular get all the fish they need.

Flowers, trees and the palace flower beds

St James's Park is a gardener's park. In spring it has around 70,000 daffodils, and there are long seasonal borders in the style of the architect John Nash, whose landscaping still shapes the park. Near St James's Café is a Victorian-style "jungle border" of exotic plants, and along the lakeside meadow grow fig trees, mulberries and medlars.

The flower beds in front of Buckingham Palace, known as the Memorial Gardens, were created in 1901 as part of the memorial to Queen Victoria. They are among the most photographed flowers in London. In summer they are planted with around 12,000 scarlet geraniums, traditionally chosen to match the red tunics of the palace guards, and in winter with around 50,000 wallflowers.

Green Park: the park without flowers

The Royal Parks calls Green Park its smallest park, and, as the name suggests, it is mostly green. Charles II made it a royal park in the 1660s so that he could walk from Hyde Park to St James's Park without leaving royal land. He took a daily walk, or "constitutional", along its southern edge, which is how Constitution Hill got its name.

There are no formal flower beds here. The Royal Parks tells the story that Charles II's wife, Queen Catherine, had every flower pulled up after she learned that the King had picked flowers in the park for another woman. Whether or not it is true, the park is now all trees and grass, with meadows that are left to grow. The big exception comes in spring, when around a million daffodils cover the lawns.

Green Park has no café, only refreshment kiosks at Ritz Corner and Canada Gate. It does have deckchairs for hire, as does St James's Park, and on a warm day its lawns fill with office workers on their lunch break.

War memorials along Constitution Hill and Piccadilly

Green Park holds three important war memorials. At the western end of Constitution Hill, close to Hyde Park Corner, are the Memorial Gates, which remember the five million men and women from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Caribbean who served with Britain in the two world wars. On days such as Remembrance Sunday, the flames on top of the gates are lit.

Along Piccadilly stands the Bomber Command Memorial, designed by Liam O'Connor in Portland stone with bronze figures of an aircrew. It commemorates the 55,573 people who died serving in Bomber Command in the Second World War. The Canada Memorial is on the eastern side of the park, and next to the palace stands Canada Gate, a gift from Canada as part of the memorial to Queen Victoria.

On royal anniversaries and state occasions, gun salutes are fired in Green Park or Hyde Park by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The Royal Parks notes that a salute fired in a Royal Park is 41 rounds.

The royal walk from Westminster to Buckingham Palace

This is the walk that makes both parks worth building into a sightseeing day. It is flat, takes about 45 minutes at an easy pace, and links several of London's biggest sights.

1. Start at Westminster station, by the Houses of Parliament and within sight of Westminster Abbey.
2. Walk up Parliament Street and turn left along King Charles Street towards the park. The Churchill War Rooms are here, at the corner of the park.
3. Cross Horse Guards Road into St James's Park and follow the south side of the lake west.
4. Cross the Blue Bridge for the double view of the palace and the London Eye, then continue along the north side of the lake.
5. Leave at the western end, facing the Victoria Memorial and the front of Buckingham Palace.
6. Enter Green Park by Canada Gate and walk up through the trees to Piccadilly, or along Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner.

You can also walk it the other way, starting at Trafalgar Square and passing through Admiralty Arch onto The Mall. Our one-day London itinerary uses this route to link the morning at the palace with an afternoon by the river.

Buckingham Palace, the guard and what is on this autumn

The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace open to paying visitors only in summer. In 2026 the summer opening runs from 9 July to 27 September, and in September the palace is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. An adult ticket costs £33.00 in advance or £37.00 on the day. After 27 September, the palace can be seen only on selected dates through expensive small guided tours, so most autumn visitors see it from the outside, from the parks.

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace takes place at 11am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in September 2026, but not on every one of those days: no ceremony is listed for Friday 25 September. Always check the official Household Division calendar for your date. The guards march to and from the palace along roads at the edge of St James's Park, so the park can give you a view without the thickest crowds at the palace railings; our Changing of the Guard guide explains the route.

Getting there, eating and practical tips

St James's Park station (Circle and District lines) is just south of the park. Green Park station opens directly into Green Park, and Westminster and Hyde Park Corner are both a few minutes' walk away. Charing Cross and Victoria mainline stations are about 15 minutes on foot. For the wider area, see our guide to Westminster.

St James's Park has two main cafés, St James's Café and Storey's Gate Café, plus kiosks. For something grander, the streets north of Green Park belong to Mayfair and St James's, where several of the big hotels on Piccadilly serve afternoon tea. Picnics are welcome in both parks, but barbecues are not allowed.

Cycling is only allowed on the roads around the parks, including The Mall, Birdcage Walk and Constitution Hill, which form part of the Cycleway 3 route towards Hyde Park. The paths inside are for walkers. Public toilets in the Royal Parks cost 20p and accept only cards and phones.

The Mall is also the finish of the London Marathon, which in 2027 will run over two days, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April. Our guide to watching the marathon explains the best places along the route. From the lake you can see the London Eye, which is a short walk away across Westminster Bridge.

Frequently asked questions

What time are the pelicans fed in St James's Park?

The Royal Parks says the pelicans are fed fish daily, usually at around 2.30pm. In 2026 extra feeding times were added because of the new pelican chicks. The birds rest near the lake most of the day, so you have a good chance of seeing them at any time.

Are St James's Park and Green Park free?

Yes. Both parks are free to enter and open from 5am to midnight every day. You pay only for extras such as deckchairs, food from the cafés and kiosks, and the 20p toilets, which accept cards and phones but not cash.

Why are there no flowers in Green Park?

According to a story told by the Royal Parks, Queen Catherine, wife of Charles II, ordered every flower to be removed after the King picked flowers in the park for another woman. Today the park has no formal flower beds, but around a million daffodils bloom on its lawns every spring.

Where is the best view of Buckingham Palace from St James's Park?

The Blue Bridge over St James's Park Lake. From the middle of the bridge you can see Buckingham Palace to the west and the London Eye to the east. Early morning is the quietest time for photographs.

How long does it take to walk from Westminster to Buckingham Palace through the park?

About 20 to 30 minutes if you walk directly along the lake, and closer to 45 minutes if you stop at the Blue Bridge and Duck Island. The route is flat and uses wide paths the whole way.

Sources

• The Royal Parks - St James's Park FAQs (checked September 2026)
• The Royal Parks - The pelicans of St James's Park (checked September 2026)
• The Royal Parks - Gardens in St James's Park (checked September 2026)
• The Royal Parks - The Green Park FAQs (checked September 2026)
• The Royal Parks - Monuments in The Green Park (checked September 2026)
• Royal Collection Trust - Buckingham Palace (checked September 2026)
• The Household Division - Changing the Guard calendar (checked September 2026)