London Drum

Parks & Gardens - London’s Best Green Spaces

★Brompton CemeteryBrompton Cemetery

FreeBrompton Cemetery has some fine tombs and is rather overgrown in places. Its most famous grave is the Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst

★★Chelsea Physic GardenChelsea Physic Garden

Under £15This garden focuses on plants used for food, perfumes, aromatherapy and medicines. It also has a pretty rockery and a nice cafe

Garden MuseumGarden Museum

From £16Housed inside the deconsecrated church of St. Mary-at-Lambeth, this museum contains the grave of Captain Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty

★Green ParkGreen Park

FreeGreen Park is one of the plainest parks in London with no flower beds at all, but it’s close to Buckingham Palace and the shops along Piccadilly

★★Greenwich ParkGreenwich Park

FreeHome to the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory. You can also enjoy a great view of the skyline from the top of Greenwich Hill

★★Highgate CemeteryHighgate Cemetery

Under £10Highgate is one of the most atmospheric places in the whole of London, and its two halves contain lots of famous tombs like that of Karl Marx

★★Hyde ParkHyde Park

FreeThis vast park in the centre of London has a bandstand, man-made lake, and the world-famous Speakers’ Corner in the corner by Marble Arch

★★Kensington GardensKensington Gardens

FreeThis Royal park has Kensington Palace on its western edge, the Serpentine Gallery, and the Albert Memorial opposite the Royal Albert Hall

★★Kew GardensKew Gardens

From £28The Royal Botanic Gardens has one of the largest plant collections in the world. It also has a Palm House and the remains of Kew Palace

★★London Wetland CentreLondon Wetland Centre

From £19The London Wetland Centre is a wild land full of reeds and marshes, and has some professional hides if you’re interested in birdwatching

★★Parliament HillParliament Hill

FreeParliament Hill gives you a view of the London skyline from Big Ben and Parliament, all the way round to the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf

★Postman’s ParkPostman’s Park

FreeA small garden nestled amongst some offices with some interesting memorial plaques that remember people who gave their lives for others

★★Primrose HillPrimrose Hill

FreeFive minutes walk from Regent’s Park is this hill with a great view of London Zoo, the Square Mile, and Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers

★★Regent’s ParkRegent’s Park

FreeRegent’s Park has a pretty rose garden, a boating lake, an open-air theatre, and views into London Zoo’s cages along the edge of Regent’s Canal

★★Richmond ParkRichmond Park

FreeRichmond Park is a walker’s paradise with the Pen Ponds, the beautiful gardens of the Isabella Plantation, and herds of wild deer roaming free

★★St James’s ParkSt James’s Park

FreeStand on the central bridge for a great photo of Buckingham Palace, and then turn around to get the fountain and turrets behind Horse Guards

★Victoria Embankment GardensVictoria Embankment Gardens

FreeThis little park away from the hustle and bustle of the Strand has York Water Gate and is close to Cleopatra’s Needle

★Wisley GardensWisley Gardens

From £17The Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley contains sixty acres of wild gardens, decorative gardens, glasshouses, and a huge arboretum

Some more ideas to help you plan your holiday

Top 10 London parks and gardens

I’ve visited all of the parks on this page myself, and put together a list of my ten favourite places to help you decide which ones to visit

Top 10 places to take a photo in London

I’ve ranked St. James’s Park as the No.1 place to take a photo in London. Find out which other places I have ranked in my top ten.