I think many people hold the impression that London is just one big concrete jungle. I often hear people say they couldn’t live in the capital because it’s too busy, too big and too exhausting. On the surface I can see why some have that opinion if they take the tube everywhere and never leave Zone 1.
In reality there’s an abundance of green spaces where you can retreat. These places are perfect for enjoying the good weather when it falls over London. They’re perfect for picnics, dog walking, dates, exercise, and provide an ideal way to explore new neighbourhoods.
Since London is so big I thought it would be useful to highlight various parks that can be easily reached within North, Central, South, East and West London.
North London Parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is wilder than many of the other parks, but its association with many of London’s intellectuals is what gives this park its legacy. It was supposedly a favourite of Karl Marx and Colin Wilson slept rough in the park before he became famous with The Outsider. Nearby you will also be able to visit the beautiful Georgian villa where John Keats lived and found inspiration.
Tip: Looking for somewhere else to go before or after? Why not visit the Freud Museum? Inside you’ll find lots of Freud’s personal belongings, but the star of the museum is the couch. It’s where from the father of psychoanalysis famously conducted his rather dubious diagnostics!
Regent's Park
Spanning over 395 acres, Regent’s Park is one of London’s largest and most expansive Royal Parks. It is divided into several distinct areas, each offering its own unique attractions and floral landscapes.
Visit in Spring and you will be greeted with a beautiful array of tulips in a kaleidoscope of colours.
The central feature of the park is the Inner Circle, a circular road that encircles the Queen Mary’s Gardens and the boating lake. The northern edge of Regent’s Park is bordered by the tranquil waters of the Regent’s Canal. This historic canal offers picturesque walks and boat rides, connecting the park to other parts of London, including all the way East to Victoria Park and beyond!).
Regent’s Park hosts a variety of events, festivals, and activities throughout the year, ranging from outdoor concerts and art exhibitions to sports events and community gatherings. Perhaps the most famous is Frieze Art Fair that takes place annually in October.
The artworks are displayed in temporary structures and pavilions within the park, creating a unique and immersive environment that allows visitors to experience contemporary art in a natural setting. If you’re not able to get yourself tickets, I still suggest visiting the park to see the outdoor sculptures and installations that are free to see (pictured above).
Primrose Hill
Although Primrose Hill and Regents Park are technically separated from each other by a road, Primrose Hill is usually seen as an extension to Regents Park since they are situated side by side. Primrose Hill offers stunning, panoramic views across the city so you’ll often find people at the summit all hours of the day admiring panoramic views across London. This is especially true couples and the odd professional photographer.
Tip: You can easily walk to Primrose Hill/Regent’s Park from Camden so it’s a great opportunity to combine both of these popular areas. Alternatively, if you’ve already visited Camden (which I’m assuming a lot of you have) then I recommend having a bite to eat around one of the many nice cafes around Primrose Hill.
Alexandra Park
Alexandra Park, nestled atop a hill in North London, offers a picturesque escape that blends natural beauty with recreational opportunities. As you ascend the park’s winding paths, a panoramic view of London’s skyline unfolds, providing a captivating backdrop for relaxation and reflection. If you’re looking for to up your exercise – a jog to the top will definitely get your heartbeat pumper faster!
The historic Alexandra Palace, affectionately known as the “People’s Palace,” is a prominent feature, hosting events, exhibitions, and offering stunning views from its terrace. Children can explore the playgrounds, while the boating lake adds a touch of serenity. With a rich history dating back to the Victorian era, Alexandra Park seamlessly merges its past with present-day allure, making it a cherished haven for both locals and visitors seeking respite from the urban pace.
Central London
Hyde Park
Hyde Park, nestled in the heart of London, stands as an iconic green oasis amid the busy cityscape.
Spanning over 350 acres, this historic park offers a popular escape for locals and tourist alike. With its expansive gardens, tranquil lakes, and leafy avenues, Hyde Park provides a welcome retreat from the urban hustle and bustle.
Whether it’s a leisurely stroll along the Serpentine, a peaceful picnic on the grassy lawns, or a moment of reflection beside the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Hyde Park also boasts a vast tapestry of cultural and recreational activities, from open-air music concerts in summer and art installations to boating on the lake and horseback riding at the Hyde Park Stables.
Surrounding the park you will find landmarks like the majestic Marble Arch and the Serpentine Gallery to enhance any day of sightseeing.
South London Parks
Greenwich Park
My favourite of all the parks! I love this park so much, however, because Greenwich isn’t served by an underground there’s a frequent assumption that it’s really difficult to reach. Want to know the good news? It isn’t!
Greenwich is fed by not one, but two stations. You can either get the DLR to Cutty Sark or the train to Greenwich Station. Essentially, both are exactly the same as using the tube but above ground level so you have the added bonus of a view.
There various compartments to Greenwich Park, from long and wild grassland to perfectly planted flowers in a myriad of colours and patterns. My favourite areas to relax are the Rose Garden and also the Flower Garden. A lot of people miss visiting these areas because it requires walking a bit further uphill, but it’s worth it.
If that’s not enough to get you excited, the park is surrounded by a wealth of museums including the Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory and the truly delightful Fan Museum (a museum doesn’t get much more niche than that does it?)
To top everything off is the prized view at the top of the park, there really isn’t another view quite like it in London. It’s beyond beautiful.
Further reading: → Greenwich Park: Everything You Should See
Tip: Whilst in Greenwich don’t miss the food market, it has an amazing atmosphere where you can find food from all corners of the world. After you’ve grabbed your food, where better to savour the taste than inside the park? Sorted.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace Park is one of the quirkiest parks in London. The park’s origins trace back to the renowned Crystal Palace, an architectural marvel that once housed the Great Exhibition of 1851.
One of its most intriguing attractions is the collection of Victorian-era dinosaur sculptures, which were among the world’s first attempts at recreating these prehistoric creatures. These lifelike models, created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins in the mid-19th century, provide an enchanting glimpse into the public’s perception of dinosaurs during that era. A walk among the sculptures transports visitors to a time when science and imagination intersected, offering a unique perspective on the evolving understanding of Earth’s ancient past. Crystal Palace Park’s historic charm and its whimsical array of dinosaurs create a joyful place to relax and explore natural history.
While in the area: Why not try and time a visit to the park with a short tour around the Hidden Crystal Palace Subway?
East London Parks
Victoria Park
The city’s first public park has a place in London’s history. Opened in the East End in 1845 and presented to Queen Victoria, it has been loved for many years. Spanning across a huge area, I was recently there at a festival with thousands of people and yet it only occupied part of it. Ensure you stroll around to see the different sections, with some areas being more decorative than others with pretty ponds, pavilions, and sculptures.
Make sure to enjoy lunch at The Pavilion Cafe. The quality is surprisingly tasty, and my personal favourite is the Sri Lankan breakfast. Yum!
Tip: Regent’s Canal stretches right across London so it’s an enjoyable way to cut out the chaos of the city. It runs across Victoria Park as well as Broadway Market so it’s super easy to get on to. Nearby this area you might be able to spot some strange faces (shown above) peaking out from the walls. All in all, it’s a really enjoyable stroll, passing lots of canal boats, cyclists and selection of riverside eateries.
London Fields
While much smaller than the other parks, it’s extremely popular and can get very busy. If you’re looking for something quaint and peaceful, then it’s best to avoid.
However, this place transforms at the weekend when Broadway Market lines the long street adjacent to the park. I went a few weeks ago and the whole place was basked in sunshine, and the poppies and buttercups were in full bloom. Like many places in East London, this area is more hipsterish so bearded men sporting Trilbys and sleeve tattoos are now part of the furniture, you’ll see.
Tip: As well as Broadway Market which offers sumptuous food for you to enjoy in the park, there’s also Colombia Flower Market less than a 15-minute walk that’s opened on a Sunday, the whole street overflows with flowers, it’s worth seeing but go early if you want the best stuff.
Haggerston Park
Haggerston Park is a quieter, and prettier alternative to London Fields. This lovely green space is partly walled-in, giving it an air of being inside a secret garden. Adding to its charm is a rose bed and several stone pillars with vines romantically growing around them.
If you’re looking to be active, facilities include football pitches, BMX track, children’s play area, basketball courts, changing rooms and even a ping pong table. Hackney Farm is also located within the wider park. Here you can find cute piggies, goats and rabbits. The onsite cafe also serves delicious local produce.
Perhaps the highlight of visiting Haggerston Park is the adjoining Hackney City Farm. Here, you will find goats, sheep, pigs and you might even spot some piglets if you’re lucky! Definitely a place to come if you have kids in tow.
Clissold Park
Along with Victoria Park, Clissold Park is my favourite park in East London. Nestled in the heart of Stoke Newington, it offers a tranquil escape spanning 54 acres.
Its picturesque landscape, featuring a serene lake, meandering pathways, and lush greenery, is well loved by locals. Additionally, Clissold Park boasts an array of amenities, including a charming café, a children’s playground, and even an animal enclosure with deer, and goats. Surprisingly, with all this, you’ll still find it doesn’t attract the same crowds as the other parks and seems a little under the radar. As such, I recommend coming here if you’re truly looking to relax away from the crowds. Plus, Church Street in Stroke Newington with all its independent and artisanal stops is an absolute joy to stroll down.
West London Parks
Kew Gardens
This is the only green space on this list you have to pay for, but your entrance fee helps support scientific research and the conservation of many unique species of plants. If you have the spare cash it’s certainly worth it – Kew Gardens is an area where outdoor beauty stretches as far as the eye can see.
If I lived in West London I’d probably buy a yearly membership as I’d want to visit all the time. It’s opened all year round but the best time to come is certainly during the summer when wild meadows are in full bloom and the Chinese and Japanese Garden are looking their best.
One thing that stays the same throughout the year are the Victorian palm houses, each of the glasshouses has a different, maintained climate, designed to nurture everything from the world’s largest water lilies to delicate Alpine flowers and tropical plants to cactus.
Don’t miss: the Tree Top Walkway where you get a bird’s eye view of the whole park. Standing heads and shoulders across centuries-old trees, you might want to give it a miss if you’re scared of heights though!
Richmond Park
Finally, arguably saving the best for last is Richmond Park, which takes first 1st place with Greenwich Park for my favourite park in London.
The largest of the capital’s eight Royal Parks and the biggest enclosed space in London. The park is a National Nature Reserve and a European Special Area of Conservation so expect to see all kinds of wildlife. It’s most well known for its deer which freely roam and graze across the grassland.
Now discover where you can find the best panoramic views of London for free.
You might also like: London Day Trips That You Will Love.
11 Responses
Great post Shing! We should all go spend a day at Richmond Park soon to shake up out usual Greenwich routine – and you can get super close to the deer. You should mention the deer, the rose garden and the orchard for Greenwich park as those are the parts most people don’t know about. The orchard does important conservation work in maintaining heritage varieties of fruit and vegetable 🙂 also yay for mentioning the Keats house – I think it’s one of my favourite museums in London! Have you been?
We should definitely go to Richmond Park together soon!
Yep, I’ll edit this post with more information and I’ll continue to add a few more parks once I visit them. You know… I wouldn’t usually recommend somewhere I haven’t personally been but I’ve heard only positive things about the Keats Museum and I visited the one Keats-Shelley Memorial House in Rome so I know I’ll love this museum in London. I’ll visit it soon!
Good list! In addition I’d probably go for:
South – Crystal Palace Park for its dinosaurs, maze, views, ruins, petting zoo, nearby second hand markets.
North – Trent Park next to Cockfosters Tube as it’s big, varied, and rural feeling. Plus, obelisk!
Central – Kensington Gardens as it’s not the desert that is Hyde Park next door. There’s always some dappled sunlight to recline in without someone falling over you.
West – Horsenden Hill for the views, nearby Grand Union Canal, and pleasant woodland.
East – the amazing strip of woods from Chingford to Wanstead Flats. You never feel close to the city at all but it’s so varied and quiet there. Apart from when you have to cross roads..
Wow, thanks for your input Chris! You’ve given me a few to get through which I’m pretty excited about now – what better way to spend the last few weeks of summer? Thank you so much.
Great selection of parks, Shing!
My favourite parks are those where I have enjoyed some truly life-enhancing experiences. Hence I would commend Regent’s Park for an open air performance of Romeo and Juliet, Hyde Park leading into Kensington Gardens on the way to Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall, and Alexandra Park in front of Alexandra Palace for an even more momentous and memorable occasion. But that one’s a secret! I like the look of Greenwich Park and hope to spend time there soon.
Hello Eddie! Associating a place with a positive experience is always a nice way of looking at things. I would like to watch an open air performance of Romeo and Juliet in Regent’s Park, or any play of that matter. I’ve not been to Alexandra Park yet, but will remedy this matter soon and then update this list.
Greenwich is always a good idea 😉
Top list, Shing. Two additions from me in the North/North West for very different situations:
– Highbury Fields – Not much to look at on its own but in the Summer it absolutely comes alive with people enjoying barbecues, picnics, and rolling around in the grass. Take your friends down, or meet some new ones down there.
– Highgate Cemetery – OK, so it’s not a park, and it’s probably not the best place for a picnic, but it is an utterly stunning tree-lined walk in its own right. Includes the grave of Karl Marx, as well as some of the grandest Victorian graves you will see.
Thank you for your additions, I trust they are worthy to belong in this list. Let’s go to Highgate cemetery soon. From Karl Marx to Jeremy Beadle – it really doesn’t get much better than that.
Greenwich Park is unique. Everyone is in love with the view around Observatory (for sure that is fab), but my favourite is: When you walk downhill road from observatory towards Greenwich, when you approach to main gate; you see Cutty Sark over King William Walk. That scene is so unique. I am lucky to be local there..
Hi Batuhan, aren’t we lucky to live in Greenwich? I went to the food market yesterday and ate my food outside Cutty Sark 🙂
Sure, and what you have done is ritual for everyone who has been to Greenwich 🙂