Finsbury Park
north london's original people's park
One of London's first great public parks, free, a big lively north London green with a boating lake, an old American garden and the New River path running through it.
Free to visit · Finsbury Park · Finsbury Park · N4 2NQ
Opening: Daily · 7:30am to dusk
Finsbury Park opened in 1869 as one of the first parks built specifically for the working people of a fast-growing city, and it has been north London's shared back garden ever since. It is big, green and busy in the best way, ringed by Finsbury Park, Stroud Green and Harringay.
There is a boating lake, a café, tennis courts, a skate park and a gentle hill with views back over the city. The old American Gardens and the course of the New River, the historic channel that once carried fresh water into London, add a bit of quiet history to the open grass.
It is also a major events space, hosting big music festivals across certain summer weekends, so it is worth a quick check before you go if you want the calm version. The rest of the time it is simply a free, friendly, well-used park at one of the city's busiest transport hubs.
Getting there: Right by Finsbury Park station, a major interchange on the Piccadilly and Victoria lines and the Overground.
Best time to go: A summer weekend for the buzz, though note big music festivals take over parts of it on certain weekends. Quiet mornings are lovely.
Insider tip: Pick up the New River Path where it runs through the park and follow this historic waterway north, a free, flat and almost unknown walking route that threads through the suburbs all the way out towards Hertfordshire.
Official site: https://www.haringey.gov.uk
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide