London is its history, its great palaces, its traditions and its avant-garde attitude. Also, one of the greenest cities in the world. If you travel during the warm months, you should visit at least one of its most beautiful parks. I’ll tell you why.
Regent’s Park
This royal London park is north of the city center. It combines large open spaces with wooded walkways and gardens. Here you will find the largest outdoor sports area in central London.
I recommend that you walk through its flower parks in Avenue Gardens, and do not miss its 12,000 roses in Queen Mary’s Gardens. Neither is its open-air theater.
Did you know that it is the most loved by Londoners? Aside from his floral charm, maybe it’s due to his great story. It has the oldest zoo in the world, the London Zoo, located at the north end of the park, which opened in 1828 and currently houses the largest collection in the United Kingdom.
If you are a movie lover, I assure you that as soon as you visit it, you will remember the famous Harry Potter movie. The scene where Harry discovers that he can talk to snakes, was just recorded in the reptile room of this zoo.
Hyde Park
It is the heart of London. It is also one of the largest and most visited due to its location, since it is around points of interest in the city, such as Buckingham Palace. It is divided in two by the Serpentine Lake.
Although most of the time it is a quiet place to go for a walk or enjoy a picnic, this park is and has been the scene of great events: from historical mass demonstrations where society demanded certain rights to concerts of great musical bands playing for more than half a million fans for free, as happened with The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.
A curious fact? The world’s first moving images were filmed near the home of the Dukes of Wellington, Apsley House (next to the park’s grand entrance) in 1889. Hyde Park has continued to be chosen as a filming location ever since.
St James’s Park
It is the oldest of London’s royal parks, which were once created as hunting grounds for members of the Royal family, who now belong to the British Crown.
It is one of the most romantic urban landscapes in Europe. It has a small lake with two islands and its best views can be found from the Blue Bridge. Walking the trails that surround the lake is also a pleasure.
It’s hard to think that more than 400 years ago, the area was just a swampy water meadow. There were farms, forests and a hospital for lepers, from which the park took its name.
If you know the city for the first time, it is a must because this park represents an urban and historical landmark of world importance.
Richmond Park
Few places in London feel so open and wild. Richmond Park is the largest National Nature Reserve in Europe and the largest of the royal parks in this city.
Originally it was like the others: a hunting area. What differentiates it from the rest is that it still conserves part of its wild fauna, such as the deer that roam freely there.
But these animals don’t get all the credit for this beautiful landscape. Richmond Park contains the Isabella Plantation, an important and attractive large wooded garden that looks amazing every spring and recharges you.
I recommend that you rent an all-terrain bike to discover this site. Although it is not close to the center, if you have enough time, be surprised by it.
But if you only have 24 hours to visit this city, I leave you this guide so that you make the most of your visit.
