I've been fortunate enough to stroll through this beautifully maintained landscape on multiple…read moreoccasions. There are lots of paths and historical monuments and statues to check out (including the Prince Albert memorial). The Peter Pan statue, Italian Gardens, and Princess Di playground are just some of many attractions worth seeing here. Lovely place to unwind from a day of touristy activities, the hustle and bustle of London, or for taking a lunch work break. The Round Pond is worth seeing as well.

Kensington Gardens is one of London's eight Royal Parks, covering 265 acres just to the west of…read moreHyde Park. We visited a week or so ago after a lunch in Kensington. We walked over to see the exterior of Kensington Palace. Then we took a picture of the Queen Victoria Statue, explored the Diana Princess of Wales Sunken Garden, wandered around the Round Pond, visited the Serpentine South Gallery, and then walked past the Albert Memorial on our way out of the park. And that was just scratching the surface of what the park has to offer! The Sunken Garden was the highlight for me. It was much less crowded than the rest of the park, and it's a beautiful tribute to Diana from her sons. It was also the lushest part of the park we saw - the park was a little brown and beige after the heat of summer when we visited the first week of September. It was a great place to stretch our legs after a wonderful but heavy lunch!

When Jamie W. and I recently discovered Little Venice (review: https://bit.ly/3R7WxgV), we just…read morethought we'd take the tube to go to another as-yet-undecided attraction mostly to avoid the sweltering heat. However, we were really drawn to this canal designed by architect John Nash that we decided to walk it to Regent's Park, which happens to be my favorite park in London. It was a uniquely pleasant stroll even under the oppressive weather conditions because it managed to combine elegance with the workaday in a leafy, bucolic setting. Opened in 1820, the canal was supposed to be surrounded by dozens of elaborate villas, but the plan was never fully realized as we saw just four waterfront mansions. Otherwise there were clusters of residential moorings throughout the route, that is, until we reached the northern edge of Regent's Park. That was when we saw young couples struggling with their rented motorboats. We'll definitely make it to Camden Lock the next time and complete the full journey. That would be so London, wouldn't it? RELATED - Exploring London? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zFACrx

It's a beautiful place to be when the weather is sunny & warm. I walk along the canal to see the…read moredaily activities of paddle boating, school field trips, picnics & cook outs. If you're in a reflective mind set, the canal waters create a soothing reassurance. There are also eateries & snack bars located on the boats. It's amazing how people live on the canal boats year round. I also understand that a boat can stay docked in one place for up to 2 weeks on the canal. So if you happen to not like your neighbours, you can move in 2 weeks...

If you have not visited the development just north of Kings Cross recently, I urge you to do so…read more It's really impressive, albeit mostly focused around housing and a lot of reasonably high-end retail. There are lots of places to eat (both restaurants and coffee) and there's quite a student vibe, thanks to the Central St Martins art and fashion college being located there. However, if you're looking for an antidote, just cross the canal and then you will find the Camley Street Natural Park. It's a delightful semi-wilderness, with lots of wild planting, trees and ponds, with paths and seating. The drawer for me is their café. They serve teas, coffees, a limited range of alcoholic drinks, fresh organic juices, and cakes and light snacks. These include a soup of the day, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches and paninis. Most of the options are vegan or vegetarian, although there are a few meaty options as well. They have only outdoor seating (albeit under cover), so it is a good option if it is warm (or you are well wrapped up). The quality is really good, but do be prepared for a bit of a wait, especially if they busy, as everything is prepared to order. To be fair, the friendly staff warned us of this, but we were happy to wait and watch the world go by. A bit of a find, and worth knowing about.

You lucky lucky people…read more You're lucky I'm so nice and telling you about a hidden gem in the heart of London. A place to go when you thought you'd seen it all. Somewhere to escape and to learn. Somewhere where children can look a pond bugs and adults can (probably) kiss. We were on an anti tourist walk on a Saturday in and around Camden mostly because I'm a mild masochist who likes a challenge. We wound our way though lesser known parts of Regent's Park and down Regent's canal, only failing when we passed Camden Lock itself. To the east of this is this wonderful little two acre park right next to St Pancras international Station. Blink and you miss it, I would encourage most people to blink. This is two acres of land saved by the London Wildlife Trust and kept as a wildish nature reserve. From the canal it just looks like trees but get in and you will find a mini paradise of eco-conservationism. We were almost alone with the city feeling a million miles away in a pristine wild wetland, meadow and woodland area that has facilities for classes and education. It's wonderful little surprises like this that keep pulling me back to London so seriously...tell no-one, or you'll ruin my anti-tourist walk.

It was just a small urban square in the middle of Soho, but it holds a lot of history including…read morementions by Dickens in two of his classics, "David Copperfield" and "Nicholas Nickleby". All Jamie W. and I noticed was that there weren't nearly enough benches on a hot summer day in London. After all, we were looking to set a spell after walking like true Englishmen through Regent's Canal, Primrose Hill, and Regent's Park on our way to the West End. We swooped onto a bench occupied on one side by a loud couple screaming at each other in Italian, but we could've easily found ourselves eating pavement on a concrete ledge. It still has the ping pong tables that Jeremy S. mentioned nine years back, though I didn't think to pack paddles and balls into my carry-on. RELATED - Exploring London? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zFACrx

A very small but pleasant spot to stare off into space, play table tennis (yes they have ping pong…read moretables), or eat your lunch. On a recent sunny day every bench was taken, apparently it's a big deal to get a bit of sun in London.

Small and unassuming, King George's Park certainly isn't a destination…read more But that means that there's more park for me and other locals without the rest of London there. The park's main draw for me has been the ten well-maintained and secluded tennis courts that cost £6 per hour during peak times. Although the courts aren't flood-lit, which means no tennis matches through the evening or during after-work hours in the winter are to be had. Also, there's a bowling green at the park, if you're into that sort of thing. The grounds throughout the park are well maintained, and the River Wandle borders it to the East, creating quite a picturesque little area. And so far I've done the adult thing and avoided the playground for big kids, despite its enticing monkey bars and climbing structures, but mostly this is because it's socially unacceptable for me to interact with ten-year-olds during the day and the gangs of teenagers who loiter in the playground after dusk intimidate me. Yes, I'm easily intimidated by packs of 16-year-olds in hoodies. Aren't you?

This park is really simple, there's not much to it compared to other fancier parks in and around…read moreLondon, but you know what? I really think this park rocks. It's usually quite quiet, which is what I value the most as I hate lots of rowdy folk infesting parks in the summer time. I've often sat with friends here, made a little picnic and watched locals fly kites, walk their dogs and play with their kids (not all at once mind you!). The park has a real family feel to it and it's just so serene. It may not be big and fancy but it's definitely the park for me being so calm and unpretentious. One of my favourite places i the summer time...

I walked through this park on my first day in London. I was very intrigued with the different flora…read moreand fauna in the area. Pelicans, fowls, colorful birds are native to the park. It is such a serene walk, as there are no cars coming in and out of the area. There are bicyclists in the area but they don't do much to deter walkers. This park is right across from the popular Buckingham palace and offers a great view of the guards.

We walked thru St.James Park on our way to Buckingham Palace. This is the oldest Royal Park in…read moreLondon. Over 57 acres with a small lake,it borders Buckingham Palace and the Clarence House. Many benches through the park as well as a nice kids play area. We loved watching all the various ducks and other waterfowl in the lake.

Perhaps you'll miss out on some over-stimulation while visiting The Regent's Park. You won't see…read moremany dancers, won't ride any rides, can't see any guards changing. But come for the scenery and relaxation to see why this Royal Park rivals all others on the list. You'll see roses most of the year, with an explosion of scent and color during high spring. Ask you symmetry fans won't leave disappointed either, with plenty of geometric shapes to satisfy the harshest shape critics. If you bike, even though you'll walk through much of the park. you'll have several roads to explore, including going around the Queen Mary's Garden loop x infinity. After that catch some match game ball sport activity or grab a degree or two from Regent's University on-site. Why not?!? Later in the morning the zoo calls, and if you're not local, you have plenty of hotel choices nearby. Or do like us locals and stroll over from a nearby tube stop. You'll find Baker Street, Regent's, or Camden Townamong others within 15 mins or so, and of course pass plenty of food stops along the way. If you go into too much tourism-withdrawal, you remain close to the London city-center scene, all the while knowing you can escape back to serenity like the royalty did here before it was open to all us plebes. Remember they close those big golden gates at dusk, which is way too early in winter, and look out for me there next time because I'll be returning again and again and again.

Large public area, no charge to experience. Many access points…read more Several sections of the Park, are well marked on maps located throughout the property. There are coffee nooks and small eateries in the property as well. Great for playing football, reading a book, strolling , or a light jog.

this is a long 2 1/2 acre rectangle of formal, daisy-spotted lawns subdivided with a regular…read morepattern of straight and circular paths. The gardens are within walking distance from Trafalgar Square towards the River Thames (via Northumberland Ave) or the Hungerford or Jubilee Bridges that cross the River Thames. It is just one of the gardens that form the Victoria Embankment Gardens, which were created in 1864 following Sir Joseph Bazalgette's embankment of the Thames. The building that faces the garden provides an architectural backdrop that transports you to the French countryside. This Grade-l listed building is reminiscent of a French Chateau Many people promenade alone or in pairs, or jog, or sit and relax. Neighboring the River Thames and Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden is yet another testimony to London's interesting and magnificent culture. It is the ideal place to relax and enjoy both the incredible monuments and the colorful, blooming flowers.

Stumbled upon this park/garden while roaming the streets of London. It was so beautiful. The flower…read morebeds were the most breathtaking views ever. I've never seen anything like this in the states. Most of the parks I've been to in the states are filled with playgrounds, sports field, hiking trails and just grass; no extravagant or vibrant flowers.