London may be a sprawling urban jungle, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find green havens spread throughout. With a wide range of royal parks and secret nature reserves, guests at the Grand Royale London Hyde Park have ample opportunities to explore the gardens and parks scattered across the city. Whether you’re visiting with kids or you have a day off during a business trip, London’s parks are beautiful to explore.
Come rain or sun, there’s always something new to discover if you scratch under the surface of London’s skyscrapers and suburban sprawls. That’s what makes it so popular, there’s always something new to see in the city. London’s green spaces are full to the brim with nature, history and culture, giving you an almost endless number of parks and gardens, each with their own unique personalities. Below you can find some of our favourites.
City Gardens
City gardens offer visitors some refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city, ensuring that your breath of fresh air is both literal and symbolic. Whatever your needs, these botanic beauties are full to the brim with shade and shelter alongside ponds, rock gardens and sensual flower beds.
- Inner Temple Gardens
Within the iconic church site of the Inner Temple lies a three acre garden. Often used for filming due to its proximity to the city centre and historic surroundings, these beautiful lawns are lined with unique trees, making space for abundant wildlife and herbs to grow. The Inner Temple Gardens have existed since the 17th century, when the area was developed.
- Hyde Park Rose Garden
Hyde Park Rose Garden is located in Hyde Parks South East corner and is one of the most beautiful parts of the park itself. In walking distance from many of the hotels near Hyde Park, the Hyde Park Rose Garden was opened in 1994 and designed by Colvin Moggridge Landscape Architects. With its curved horn shaped flower bed and its grand pergola, the rose garden is a hidden gem inside an already magnificent park.
- Chelsea Physic Garden
Chelsea Physic Garden is one of the oldest apothecary gardens in the UK. Dating back to the 17th century, the apothecary garden is located in West London and is home to a wide range of alpine plants and one of the largest olive trees growing in the UK. for even more avide botanists, the most northernmost grapefruit plant also grows inside this magnificent Grade I listed garden.
Royal Gardens
See London like a royal and wander through the vast swathes of green in Central London. Once reserved for only the royalty, these hunting, palace, and leisure grounds were designed and made specifically for monarchs and aristocracy throughout the centuries.
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Kew Gardens
Dating back hundreds of years, Kew Gardens is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world and holds over 175,000 plant prints and drawings, alongside 750,000 books about plants. Alongside its slice of botanist paradise, are a range of royal sights, including the 1771 built Queen Charlotte’s cottage and the Palace of Kew.
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Buckingham Palace Gardens
The gardens of Buckingham Palace are where the queen holds her annual picnic every summer. This is one of the most beautiful gardens in the city and is not foten open to the public. These private parks span 40 acres and over 2 miles worth of gravel paths. With a wide range of herbs and spectacular views, Buckingham Palace Gardens hold centuries of history.
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Richmond Park
Once a royal hunting ground for Charles I, this deer park consists of 9 and a half kilometres of green and beauty. Created in the 17th century, this park consists of nature reserve woodland and bushy fields, alongside streams and historic houses such as Pembroke Lodge. The perfect spot for a picnic, Richmond Park is the most recognisable green space in West London.
Secret Gardens
We know the secret will be safe with you. This selection of secret gardens are reserved for the perceptive among us. Secret gardens are a rare treat, a romantic hideout and a place of zen. Use them respectfully and quietly; you wouldn’t want someone ruining your happy little secret.
- Kyoto Gardens
Kyoto Gardens is located in Holland PArka nd is one of the best renditions of classic Japanese Garden in the city. Created in the 90’s as a gift from the city of Kyoto to the UK as a symbol of Japanese British relations. Here you’ll find tiered waterfalls, beautiful gardens and a wide range of shrubberies, ensuring that you are given as much peace and tranquility as possible. Hidden away in the depths of the magnificent Holland Park, you’ll always want to return to this beautiful garden.
- Queen Mary’s Rose Garden
Based near Primrose Hill, this rose garden was opened in 1932 and named after King George V’s wife. This garden holds benches and thousands of English Roses, making it one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in Regents Park. With a wide range of roses and 85 flower beds, this garden, once the KIngs secret, can now be yours.
- St John’s Lodge
Another hidden gem of Regent’s Park, St JOhn’s Lodge is a private residence which was created in 1812 as a home for Charles Augustus Tulk, an English politician. The villas landscape garden is private but can be viewed from outside.
Historic Gardens
With tales of ghostly sightings and with secrets of their own, the historic gardens of London bring a gravitas and richness which young green spaces simply can’t live up to. Whether it was the abode of a famous Queen or it was once the sight of political upheaval and turmoil, these historic gardens bring many layers.
- Chiswick House and Gardens
This 18th century Villa was one of Lord Burlington, a famous British Earl. It was co-designed by designer and architect William Kent. Here you will find a beautiful garden alongside incredible bridges, rivers and herbs. With acres worth of land and a beautiful cafe, this is one of the gems of West London.
- Hampton Court Gardens
The Gardens outside the historic Hampton Court, once home to Henry VIII, is made up of acres worth of hunting ground. This incredible castle has become one of the most popular tourist spots due to the hundreds of years worth of history and for being the home to the most famous maze in London.
- Syon House
Syon House is one of the most historic historic houses in the world. Once ransacked during the dissolution of the Monasteries, it is still owned by the current Duke of Northumberland and is based in Middlesex, a short train journey from central London.
